{{Short description|Italian prelate}} {{Infobox Christian leader | type = cardinal | honorific_prefix = [[His Eminence]] | name = Francesco Montenegro | title = [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)|Cardinal]]<br>[[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Agrigento|Archbishop Emeritus of Agrigento]] | image = Francesco Montenegro concistoro.jpg | alt = | caption = Cardinal Francesco Montenegro during Consistory 2015. | church = [[Roman Catholic Church]] | archdiocese = Agrigento | diocese = | see = Agrigento | appointed = 23 February 2008 | term_start = 17 May 2008 | term = | term_end = 22 May 2021 | predecessor = [[Carmelo Ferraro]] | successor = [[Alessandro Damiano]] | other_post = [[Santi Andrea e Gregorio al Monte Celio|Cardinal-Priest of Santi Andrea a Gregorio al Monte Celio]] (2015-) | ordination = 8 August 1969 | ordained_by = [[Francesco Fasola]] | consecration = 18 March 2000 | consecrated_by = [[Giovanni Marra]] | cardinal = 14 February 2015 | created_cardinal_by = [[Pope Francis]] | rank = [[Cardinal-Priest]] | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1946|05|22|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Messina]], [[Italy]] | death_date = | death_place = | previous_post = {{Unbulleted list|[[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Messina-Lipari-Santa Lucia del Mela|Auxiliary Bishop of Messina-Lipari-Santa Lucia del Mela]] (2000–08)}} | coat_of_arms = Coat of arms of Francesco Montenegro.svg | motto = {{lang|la|Caritas Sine Modo}}<br/>(Love without Limit) }} {{Ordination | ordained deacon by = | date of diaconal ordination = | place of diaconal ordination = | ordained priest by = | date of priestly ordination = 8 August 1969 | place of priestly ordination = | consecrated by = [[Giovanni Marra]] | co-consecrators = [[Ignazio Cannavo]]<br/>[[Francesco Sgalambro]] | date of consecration = 29 April 2000 | place of consecration = | elevated by = [[Pope Francis]] | date of elevation = 14 February 2015 | bishop 1 = [[Alessandro Damiano]] | consecration date 1 = 5 September 2020 }} {{Infobox cardinal styles |name = Francesco Montenegro |image = Coat of arms of Francesco Montenegro.svg |image_size = 200px |dipstyle = [[His Eminence]] |offstyle = [[His Eminence|Your Eminence]] |relstyle = [[Cardinal (Catholic)|Cardinal]] |deathstyle = }} '''Francesco Montenegro''' (born 22 May 1946) is an Italian prelate of the [[Roman Catholic Church]]. He served as the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Agrigento|Archbishop of Agrigento]] from 2008 until 2021. [[Pope Francis]] made him a [[cardinalate|cardinal]] on 14 February 2015.
==Early life and career== Francesco Montenegro was born in [[Messina]] on 22 May 1946. He studied philosophy and theology at the Archdiocesan Seminary Saint Pius X there. He was ordained a priest on 8 August 1969 and then continued his studies at the Ignatianum of Messina. He did parish work during 1969–1971 in a suburban area of the city of Messina and in 1971–1978 served as secretary to the Archbishops of Messina [[Francesco Fasola]] and [[Ignazio Cannavò]].<ref name=vatbio/>
From 1978 to 1988 he was pastor of the parish of San Clemente in Messina and then director of the diocesan branch of [[Caritas (charity)|Caritas]], regional delegate of Caritas, and finally regional representative of the Italian Caritas.<ref name=vatbio/>
He also fulfilled assignments as a professor of religion, diocesan assistant of [[:it::Centro Sportivo Italiano|Italian Sports Center]], diocesan director of the Apostleship of Prayer, rector of the church sanctuary of Santa Rita and spiritual adviser of the minor seminary, and a member of the Council of Priests.
From 1997 to 2000, he was pro-vicar general of the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Messina-Lipari-Santa Lucia del Mela|Archdiocese of Messina-Lipari-Santa Lucia del Mela]] and served as well beginning in 1998 as proto-metropolitano canon of the chapter of the cathedral of Messina.<ref name=vatbio/>
==Bishop, archbishop and cardinal== On 18 March 2000, [[Pope John Paul II]] appointed him auxiliary bishop of Messina-Lipari-Saint Lucia del Mela and titular bishop of [[Byzacena#Episcopal sees|Aurusuliana]].<ref name=vatbio>{{cite press release |url=http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2000/03/18/0170/00617.html |title=Rinunce e Nomine|date=18 March 2000|access-date=15 January 2015|language=it | publisher=[[Holy See Press Office]]}}</ref> He received his episcopal consecration on 29 April 2000 in the cathedral of Messina from Archbishop [[Giovanni Marra]].<ref name=diobio>{{cite web | language = it | access-date = 30 April 2020 | url = http://www.diocesiag.it/biografia/ | title= Mons. Francesco Montenegro | website = Arcidiocesi di Agrigento }}</ref>
From May 2003 to May 2008, and again from May 2015 to December 2018, he was President of Italian Caritas.<ref name=italcar>{{cite web | access-date = 30 April 2020 | language = it | title= Grazie Presidente! Caritas Italiana saluta il cardinal Montenegro | url = https://www.caritas.it/pls/caritasitaliana/v3_s2ew_consultazione.mostra_pagina?id_pagina=7978 | date= 4 December 2018 | website = Caritas Italians}}</ref>
On 23 February 2008, [[Pope Benedict XVI]] named him Archbishop of Agrigento, replacing [[Carmelo Ferraro]], who had resigned because of his age.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2008/02/23/0117/00278.html |title= Rinunce e Nomine |access-date = 15 January 2015| date= 23 February 2008|language=it| publisher=Holy See Press Office}}</ref> He took possession of the archdiocese on 17 May.<ref name=diobio/>
Since May 2013, he has been President of the Commission for Migration of the [[Italian Episcopal Conference]].{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}
On 4 January 2015, [[Pope Francis]] announced that he would make Montenegro a cardinal during the consistory in Rome on 14 February.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/de/bollettino/pubblico/2015/01/04/0006/00008.html | title=Annuncio di Concistoro per la creazione di nuovi Cardinali | publisher=Holy See Press Office | date=4 January 2015 | language=it |access-date= 6 January 2015}}</ref> At that ceremony, he was assigned the titular church of [[Santi Andrea e Gregorio al Monte Celio]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Consistory: list of titular church assignments |url=http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/02/14/consistory_list_of_titular_church_assignments/1123425|access-date=14 February 2015|work=Vatican Radio|date=14 February 2015}}</ref> On 13 April 2015, Pope Francis appointed Montenegro a member of [[Pontifical Council Cor Unum]] and [[Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People]].<ref>{{cite press release | url = https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2015/04/13/0266/00579.html | language = it | publisher = Holy See Press Office | title = Rinunce e nomine, 13.04.2015 | date= 13 April 2015 | access-date = 30 April 2020}}</ref> Pope Francis also named him to participate in the Synod on the Family in October 2015.<ref>{{cite news | access-date = 30 April 2020 | work = La Stampa | url = https://www.lastampa.it/vatican-insider/en/2015/09/15/news/pope-completes-selection-of-synod-participants-with-bipartisan-nominations-and-two-parish-priests-1.35224212 | date = 15 September 2015 | title = Pope completes selection of Synod participants with bipartisan nominations and two parish priests }}</ref>
Pope Francis appointed Alessandro Damiano Archbishop Coadjutor of Agrigento in anticipation of Montenegro's retirement on 30 April 2020<ref>{{cite press release | url = https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2020/04/30/0255/00558.html | publisher = Holy See Press Office | language = it |title = Rinunce e Nomine, 30.04.2020 | date= 30 April 2020 | access-date = 30 April 2020}}</ref> and accepted Montenegro's resignation on 22 May 2021.<ref>{{cite press release | url = https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2021/05/22/210522b.html | publisher = Holy See Press Office |title = Resignations and Appointments, 22.05.2021 | date= 21 May 2021 | access-date = 22 May 2021}}</ref>
Montenegro was named a member of the [[Congregation for the Causes of Saints]] on 7 August 2021.<ref>{{cite press release | language = it | url = https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2021/08/07/0492/01057.html | publisher = Holy See Press Office |title = Resignations and Appointments, 07.08.2021 | date= 7 August 2021 | access-date = 7 August 2021}}</ref>
On 19 June 2023, Pope Francis nominated him as Apostolic Administrator ''sede vacante'' of the Greek Catholic [[Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2023/06/19/0453/01013.html#pia | title=Rinunce e nomine }}</ref>
Montenegro participated as a [[Cardinal electors in the 2025 papal conclave|cardinal elector]] in the [[2025 papal conclave]] that elected [[Pope Leo XIV]].<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/scardc3.html| title=Cardinal Electors|date=6 May 2025|publisher=Catholic-Hierarchy.org|language=en|access-date=6 May 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250506193115/https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/scardc3.html|archive-date=6 May 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>
==See also== *[[Cardinals created by Pope Francis]]
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{wikiquote}} {{commons category}} * {{cite web| access-date = 30 October 2017| title= Montenegro Card. Francesco |publisher= [[Holy See Press Office]] | url= https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_montenegro_f.html | url-status=live | archive-date= 4 September 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170904104652/http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_montenegro_f.html }}
{{s-start}} {{s-rel|ca}} {{s-bef|before=[[Francesco Sgalambro]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Messina-Lipari-Santa Lucia del Mela|Auxiliary Bishop of Messina–Lipari–Santa Lucia del Mela]]|years=18 March 2000 – 23 February 2008}} {{s-aft|after=Cesare Di Pietro}} {{s-break}} {{s-bef|before=[[Luciano Bux]]}} {{s-tul|title=[[Aurusuliana|Titular Bishop of Aurusuliana]]|years=18 March 2000 – 23 February 2008}} {{s-aft|after=Adam Bałabuch}} {{s-break}} {{s-bef|before=Carmelo Ferraro}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Agrigento|Archbishop of Agrigento]]|years=23 February 2008 – 22 May 2021}} {{s-aft|after=[[Alessandro Damiano]]}} {{s-bef|before=[[Edmund Szoka]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Santi Andrea e Gregorio al Monte Celio|Cardinal-Priest of Santi Andrea e Gregorio al Monte Celio]]|years=14 February 2015 –}} {{s-inc}} {{s-end}}
{{Cardinals of the Catholic Church|state=collapsed}} {{Cardinals created by Francis}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montenegro, Francesco}} [[Category:1946 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:21st-century Italian cardinals]] [[Category:Cardinals created by Pope Francis]] [[Category:21st-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops]] [[Category:Religious leaders from Messina]]