Giuseppe Baturi (born 21 March 1964) is an Italian Catholic prelate who has served Archbishop of Cagliari since 2020 and as secretary of the Episcopal Conference of Italy since 2022.

Biography

edit

Giuseppe Andrea Salvatore Baturi[1] was born in Catania on 21 March 1964. After completing high school, he obtained a law degree from the University of Catania. As a student of the Archepiscopal Seminary he earned a bachelor's degree in theology at the Theological Studio of San Paolo in Catania. He completed a licentiate in canon law at the Pontifical Gregorian University. He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Catania on 2 January 1993[2] by Luigi Bommarito, Archbishop of Catania.[3]

Baturi was parish priest of Valcorrente, a hamlet of Belpasso, from 1993 to 2002 and Diocesan Treasurer from 1999 to 2008. He was also the Episcopal Vicar for Economic Affairs, a member of the Presbyteral Council, General Procurator of the Archbishop, vice-president of the Catanese Opera for Worship and Religion, a member of the boards of directors of the Pious Work of Poor Clerics, of the Pious San Benedetto Educational Institute, and of the Regina Pacis Committee Association of Belpasso, and a member of the steering committee of the Michelangelo Virgilito Foundation of Palermo. He was also head of Communion and Liberation for Sicily. He became Canon Major of the Cathedral Chapter of Catania in 2012.[2]

From 2012 to April 2019, he was director of the National Office for Legal Problems and secretary of the Council for Legal Affairs of the CEI. He became under-secretary of the CEI in 2015.[2][4]

On 16 November 2019, Pope Francis appointed him archbishop of Cagliari.[2] He received his episcopal consecration in the Shrine of Our Lady of Bonaria on 5 January 2020 from Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti, Archbishop of Perugia.[5] He was installed as bishop of Cagliari that same day.[6] He received the pallium, the symbol of his status as a metropolitan, on 20 September from Archbishop Emil Paul Tscherrig, apostolic nuncio to Italy, in front of the cathedral on the Piazza Palazzo.[7]

On 25 May 2021, he was elected vice president of the CEI for central Italy.[4]

In March 2022 he met with the head of the Ukrainian community in Cagliari[8] and in April 2022, he visited Ukraine to express his solidarity with his former schoolmate, Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki of Lviv.[9]

On 5 July 2022, Pope Francis named him secretary of the CEI.[10] Baturi said he would continue to serve as archbishop of Cagliari.[1]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Agasso, Domenico (5 July 2022). "Giuseppe Baturi è il nuovo segretario generale della Cei". La Stampa (in Italian). Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d "Rinunce e nomine, 16.11.2019" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 16 November 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  3. ^ "Monsignor Baturi è il nuovo segretario generale dei vescovi italiani". Avvenire (in Italian). 5 July 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Monsignor Baturi vice presidente della Cei per l'Italia centrale". Chiesa di Cagliari (in Italian). 26 May 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  5. ^ "Ordinazione episcopale mons. Baturi: card. Bassetti, "fermati dinanzi ad ogni ferito, ad ogni abbandonato e dimenticato"" (in Italian). AgenSIR. 6 January 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  6. ^ "L'Arcivescovo di Cagliari Giuseppe Baturi". Chiesa di Cagliari (in Italian). 4 October 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  7. ^ "Il Nunzio del Papa e il pallio a Mons. Baturi: imminente la nomina del vescovo di Tempio". Chiesa Sarda (in Italian). 20 September 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  8. ^ Cirronis, Giampaolo (1 March 2022). "Stamane l'Arcivescovo di Cagliari, Giuseppe Baturi, ha incontrato padre Vasyl Panivnyk, attuale animatore spirituale della comunità ucraina cagliaritana". Sardegna Ieri-Oggi-Domani (in Italian). Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  9. ^ "L'arcivescovo di Cagliari Giuseppe Baturi in visita in Ucraina" (in Italian). Agenzia Nova. 6 April 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  10. ^ "Rinunce e nomine (continuazione), 05.07.2022" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 5 July 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
edit