# Gilberto Agustoni

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Gilberto_Agustoni
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Gilberto_Agustoni.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilberto_Agustoni
> Source revision: 1340280061
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Gilberto Agustoni Prefect Emeritus of the Apostolic Signatura See Santi Urbano e Lorenzo a Prima Porta Appointed 26 November 1994 Term ended 5 October 1998 Predecessor Achille Silvestrini Successor Zenon Grocholewski Other post Cardinal-Priest of Santi Urbano e Lorenzo a Prima Porta Previous posts Titular Bishop of Caprulae (1986–1994) Secretary of the Congregation for the Clergy (1986–1992) Pro-Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura (1992–1994) Cardinal-Deacon of Santi Urbano e Lorenzo a Prima Porta (1994–2005) Orders Ordination 20 April 1946 Consecration 6 January 1987 by Pope John Paul II Created cardinal 26 November 1994 by Pope John Paul II Rank Cardinal-Deacon (1994-2005) Cardinal-Priest (2005-2017) Personal details Born Gilberto Agustoni (1922-07-26)26 July 1922 Schaffhausen, Switzerland Died 13 January 2017(2017-01-13) (aged 94) Rome, Italy Motto christus spes gloriae Coat of arms Sainthood Title as Saint Servant of God

Styles of Gilberto Agustoni Reference style His Eminence Spoken style Your Eminence Informal style Cardinal

**Gilberto Agustoni** (26 July 1922 – 13 January 2017) was a Swiss prelate of the [Catholic Church](/source/Catholic_Church). He worked in the [Roman Curia](/source/Roman_Curia) from 1950 to 1998, ending his career as head of the [Apostolic Signatura](/source/Apostolic_Signatura) from 1992 to 1998. He became a [cardinal](/source/Cardinal_(Catholic_Church)) in 1994.

## Early life

Agustoni was born in [Schaffhausen](/source/Schaffhausen), Switzerland, and had four brothers and one sister. Two of his brothers were also priests. Their mother came from a village on the shores of Lake Constance, and their father was a civil servant. He was educated at the Seminary of Lugano. He studied in Rome for a year, earning a degree in philosophy. Because of [World War II](/source/World_War_II), he continued his studies at the [University of Fribourg](/source/University_of_Fribourg), where he completed a degree in sacred theology.[1] Bishop Angelo Jelmini ordained him in Lugano on 20 April 1946.[2][3]

Agustoni later studied at the [Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, *Angelicum*](/source/Pontifical_University_of_Saint_Thomas_Aquinas) and the [Pontifical Lateran University](/source/Pontifical_Lateran_University) in Rome, where he earned a licentiate in theology and law.

## Roman Curia appointments

In 1950, Cardinal [Alfredo Ottaviani](/source/Alfredo_Ottaviani) asked Jelmini to allow Agustoni, whom he had met on several occasions, to work in the [Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith](/source/Congregation_for_the_Doctrine_of_the_Faith) (CDF) while continuing his studies. Agustoni began his service there on 1 July 1950, an exceptional appointment for someone under the age of 30. He became the head of a department at the CDF and later commissioner at the [Congregation for the Discipline of the Sacraments](/source/Congregation_for_the_Discipline_of_the_Sacraments). Following the [Second Vatican Council](/source/Second_Vatican_Council), he helped to coordinate the curial departments engaged in Pope Paul VI's program of liturgical renewal. In May 1970, he became a Prelate Auditor of the Tribunal of the [Roman Rota](/source/Roman_Rota).[1]

On 18 December 1986, [Pope John Paul II](/source/Pope_John_Paul_II) appointed Agustoni [Titular Archbishop](/source/Titular_Archbishop) of [Caprulae](/source/Caorle) and Secretary of the [Congregation for the Clergy](/source/Congregation_for_the_Clergy). On 2 April 1992, he was appointed Pro-Prefect of [Apostolic Signatura](/source/Apostolic_Signatura), becoming Prefect when created [Cardinal-Deacon](/source/Cardinal-Deacon) of [Santi Urbano e Lorenzo a Prima Porta](/source/Santi_Urbano_e_Lorenzo_a_Prima_Porta) on 26 November 1994.

He resigned his post on 5 October 1998. In early 2005, he took the option, open to Cardinal-Deacons after ten years, of becoming a [Cardinal-Priest](/source/Cardinal-Priest). Agustoni died on 13 January 2017, aged 94.[2][3]

## Ottaviani Intervention

He was secretary to Ottaviani at the time of the [Ottaviani Intervention](/source/Ottaviani_Intervention). [Jean Madiran](/source/Jean_Madiran), a critic of the reforms of Vatican II[4] and founder-editor of the French journal *Itinéraires*, claimed that this letter was fraudulently presented to the elderly and already blind cardinal for his signature by his secretary Agustoni, and that Agustoni resigned shortly afterwards.[5] The cardinal himself never publicly confirmed this story. Agustoni resigned as Ottaviani's secretary in 1970 to join the Ecclesiastical Magistrature as Prelate Auditor of the Tribunal of the [Roman Rota](/source/Roman_Rota), and there is no evidence to suggest his departure was anything more than a routine change of assignment.[6] Furthermore, Madiran admits that he was not in the room to see this alleged deception of Ottaviani.[7]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-hsbio_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-hsbio_1-1) ["Agustoni Card. Gilberto"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160919114821/http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_agustoni_g.html). *Holy See*. Archived from [the original](http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_agustoni_g.html) on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2017.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-sbc-press_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-sbc-press_2-1) ["Décès du cardinal Gilberto Agustoni"](http://www.eveques.ch/documents/communiques/deces-du-cardinal-gilberto-agustoni) [Death of cardinal Gilberto Agustoni]. *Conférence des Évêques Suisse* (Press release) (in French). 14 January 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2017.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-ardengo_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-ardengo_3-1) Ardengo, Michele (13 January 2017). ["Lutto in Vaticano, è morto il cardinale Gilberto Agustoni"](http://www.ilgiornale.it/news/cronache/lutto-vaticano-morto-cardinale-gilberto-agustoni-1351454.html). *Il Giornale* (in Italian). Retrieved 13 January 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [Je suis un témoin à charge contre mon temps](http://certitudes.free.fr/nrc11/nrc11002.htm)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [The Ottaviani Intervention – Part I](http://www.angeluspress.org/angelus/1983_May/Ottaviani_Intervention_Pt1.htm)[*[permanent dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*], by [Michael Davies](/source/Michael_Davies_(Catholic_writer))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** [Cardinals of the Catholic Church](https://web.archive.org/web/19991106002822/http://www.catholic-pages.com/hierarchy/cardinals_bio.asp?ref=147)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [The Ottaviani Intervention – Part 1](http://www.angeluspress.org/angelus/1983_May/Ottaviani_Intervention_Pt1.htm)[*[permanent dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*], by [Michael Davies](/source/Michael_Davies_(Catholic_writer))

## External links

- Media related to [Gilberto Agustoni](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Gilberto_Agustoni) at Wikimedia Commons

Catholic Church titles Preceded by Achille Silvestrini Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura 2 April 1992 – 5 October 1998 Succeeded by Zenon Grocholewski

v t e Cardinals created by John Paul II 1979 Casaroli Caprio Cé Righi-Lambertini Căn Civardi Corripio y Ahumada Asajiro Satowaki Etchegaray Ballestrero Ó Fiaich Carter Macharski Rubin Kung Pin-mei 1983 Khoraish Yago Sabattani Kuharić Casoria Lebrún Moratinos Bernardin Kitbunchu do Nascimento López Trujillo Danneels Williams Martini Lustiger Glemp Vaivods Meisner de Lubac 1985 Dadaglio Lourdusamy Arinze Fresno Innocenti Obando y Bravo Mayer Suquía Goicoechea Hamer Vidal Gulbinowicz Tzadua Tomko Lubachivsky Deskur Poupard Vachon Decourtray Castillo Lara Wetter Piovanelli Simonis Gagnon Stickler Law O'Connor Biffi Pavan 1988 Martínez Somalo Silvestrini Felici Grégoire Padiyara Freire Falcão Giordano dos Santos Canestri Javierre Ortas Pimenta Revollo Bravo Clancy Moreira Neves Hickey Szoka Paskai Tumi Groër Martin Hensbach Sladkevičius Margéot Wu 1991 Sodano Todea Laghi Cassidy Coffy Etsou-Nzabi-Bamungwabi López Rodríguez Sanchez Noè Quarracino Angelini Mahony Posadas Ocampo Bevilacqua Saldarini Daly Ruini Korec Schwery Sterzinsky del Mestri Dezza 1994 Sfeir Vlk Poggi Shirayanagi Fagiolo Furno Oviedo Cavada Winning Suárez Rivera Ortega y Calamino Darmaatmadja Schotte Eyt Agustoni Wamala Keeler Vargas Alzamora Turcotte Carles Gordó Maida Puljić Razafindratandra Tụng Sandoval Íñiguez Echeverría Ruiz Świątek Tonini Koliqi Congar Grillmeier 1998 Medina Estévez Bovone Castrillón Hoyos Antonelli Stafford De Giorgi Fernandes de Araújo Rouco Varela Ambrozic Balland Tettamanzi Pengo Schönborn Rivera Carrera George Shan Kuo-hsi Kozłowiecki Cheli Colasuonno Monduzzi Jaworski Pujats 2001 Re Thuận Cacciavillan Sebastiani Grocholewski Saraiva Martins Sepe Mejía Daoud Pompedda Kasper Degenhardt González Zumárraga Dias Majella Agnelo Rubiano Sáenz McCarrick Connell Bačkis Errázuriz Ossa Terrazas Sandoval Napier Rodríguez Maradiaga Agré Billé Velasco Cipriani Thorne Álvarez Martínez Hummes Vithayathil Bergoglio Policarpo Poletto Murphy-O'Connor Egan Huzar Lehmann Ghattas Honoré Tucci Scheffczyk Dulles 2003 Tauran Martino Marchisano Herranz Casado Lozano Barragán Hamao Nicora Scola Okogie Panafieu Zubeir Wako Amigo Vallejo Rigali O'Brien Scheid Antonelli Bertone Turkson Toppo Pell Bozanić Mẫn Quezada Toruño Barbarin Erdő Ouellet Cottier Joos Špidlík Nagy Catholic Church portal

Authority control databases International VIAF GND WorldCat National Italy People Deutsche Biographie Other Historical Dictionary of Switzerland

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Gilberto Agustoni](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilberto_Agustoni) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilberto_Agustoni?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.