{{short description|Italian prelate of the Catholic Church (born 1954)}} right|thumb|Nerbini, September 2019 '''Giovanni Nerbini''' (born 2 June 1954) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who became Bishop of Prato in 2019.
==Biography== Giovanni Nerbini was born on 2 June 1954 in Figline Valdarno, Province of Florence. He earned a degree in school supervision and was an elementary schoolteacher from 1973 to 1989.<ref name=cons/> He then entered the seminary of the Diocese of Fiesole and studied philosophy and theology at the Theological Faculty of Central Italy. He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Fiesole by Bishop Luciano Giovannetti on 22 April 1995 and in that diocese filled a variety of pastoral and administrative assignments. Appointed by Bishop Mario Meini, he was vicar general of the diocese from 2015 to 2018.<ref name=vatbio/> right|thumb On 15 May 2019, Pope Francis named him Bishop of Prato.<ref name=vatbio>{{cite press release | url = https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2019/05/15/190515b.html | title = Resignations and Appointments, 15.05.2019 | date= 15 May 2019 | access-date = 31 January 2020 | publisher = Holy See Press Office}}</ref> He received his episcopal consecration from Cardinal Giuseppe Betori, Archbishop of Florence, on 30 June<ref name=cons>{{cite news | url = https://www.lanazione.it/prato/cronaca/nerbini-nuovo-vescovo-1.4672787 | work = La Nazione | language = it | title = Nerbini ordinato vescovo, il "battesimo" di Agostinelli e Simoni | access-date = 31 January 2020 | date= 30 June 2019 }}</ref> and was installed in Prato on 7 September.
In December 2019, Nerbini notified civil authorities of charges of sexual abuse of two brothers—one less than 14 years old<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.avvenire.it/attualita/pagine/prato-avvisi-di-garanzia-discepoli-dell-annunciazione | work = Avvenire | language = it | title= Prato. Violenza a minori, 9 avvisi di garanzia a "Discepoli dell'Annunciazione" | access-date = 31 January 2020 | date= 29 January 2020 | first = Gianni | last = Rossi }}</ref>—on the part nine priests and brothers of the Disciples of the Annunciation,<ref name=ap/> an order founded in Prato in 2010 and suppressed by the Vatican's Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life on 24 December 2019.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.lanazione.it/prato/cronaca/comunità-religiosa-sciolta-dalla-santa-sede-1.4954071 | work = La Nazione | language = it | title = Comunità religiosa sciolta dalla Santa Sede | access-date = 31 January 2020 | date = 25 December 2019 }}</ref> His predecessor, Bishop Franco Agostinelli, had only notified Vatican authorities of the allegations and Italian law does not require bishops to notify the police.<ref name=ap>{{cite news | url = https://apnews.com/9e502dedcd0b98999e1db829bfea6efe | title = Priests in group shut down by Vatican accused of sex abuse | publisher = Associated Press | access-date = 31 January 2020 | date= 29 January 2020 | first = Nicole | last = Winfield}}</ref> He is the first Italian bishop to take such an action.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://international.la-croix.com/news/an-italian-bishop-goes-rogue-and-blows-the-whistle/11730 | title = An Italian bishop goes rogue and blows the whistle | date= 30 January 2020 | access-date = 31 January 2020 | publisher = La Croix International | first = Robert | last = Mickens }}</ref> ==References== {{Reflist}}
<!-- Navboxes go here --> {{Subject bar |portal1= Biography |portal2= Catholicism |portal3= Italy}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Nerbini, Giovanni}} Category:1954 births Category:Living people Category:People from the Metropolitan City of Florence Category:21st-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops