Agostino casaroli biography books

Cardinal; Vatican Secretary think likely State; b. Nov. 24, 1914, Castel San Giovanni, in illustriousness province of Piacenza (Italy); course. June 9, 1998, Rome.

Agostino Casaroli was born into a generously proportioned, middle-class family and attended rectitude minor seminary of Bedonia.

Earth studied theology in the inimical Alberoni College of Piacenza deed canon law in Rome use the Lateran University (1936–40). Dictated a priest in 1937, subside began his lifelong career purchase the Vatican diplomatic service whilst an archivist in the Thoroughbred of State.

In February of 1961 Pope John XXIII appointed Casaroli under-secretary at the Vatican Alien Office and the Department friendship Extraordinary Church Affairs.

Casaroli initiated a new style in transnational with the Communist bloc focus came to be known whereas the Vatican Ostpolitik. The newborn approach situated Vatican diplomacy elation the context of a plan of active neutrality between offering international blocs of nations. Even if Ostpolitik was roundly criticized disintegrate some circles, it was distinctly in line with the form of Pope John XXIII reveal world problems.

With patience avoid ingenuity he worked to underwrite the continued existence of distinction Church in hostile Communist-run countries. By accepting compromises on nonessentials, Casaroli secured conditions of reasonably normal life for Catholic communities, even though it was in general limited to worship and illustriousness administration of sacraments.

Casaroli's first inroads behind the Iron Curtain came about in 1963.

By come off of Pope John XXIII, operate went to Czechoslovakia and Magyarorszag, where the Cold War difficult to understand created very complex situations muddle up the Catholic Church. Vienna's Requisite critical Franz König had done undue to prepare the ground. Respect 1964 Casaroli signed a "secret" agreement with Hungary.

In 1965 in Prague, he convinced prestige government to allow Joseph Beran, just named a cardinal by virtue of Paul VI, to go fall upon Rome to receive the impolite biretta. For the archbishop get the picture meant going into exile, on the contrary it also allowed the shock of a worthy successor, unblended confessor of the faith dowel later cardinal, Frantisek Tomasek, who lived to see the space of Communism in Czechoslovakia.

Go on dramatic was Casaroli's part leisure pursuit gaining the release of Magyar Cardinal Josef Mindszenty in 1971, who fifteen years before locked away taken refuge in the English Embassy in Budapest. Mindszenty's easement ended in exile in Vienna.

In Belgrade in June of 1966, Casaroli signed the first be keen on a series of agreements go off at a tangent gave some degree of accordance with the law to the Catholic Church sight several countries in Central put forward Eastern Europe.

The following generation he was able to give back all Catholic dioceses in Polska for an onsite analysis gradient the situation. In 1970 let go went back in Belgrade put on sign the establishment of regular diplomatic relations with a Pol country where the Catholics were a minority. By then explicit had been made an archbishop with the titular church souk Carthage and appointed to tendency the Vatican Congregation for Astonishing Church Affairs.

About that over and over again he addressed his activity road to Moscow, the center of replica Communism. He went there primed a week at the dot of February of 1971 decide express the adhesion of significance Holy See to the pretend to have of non-proliferation of nuclear armed struggle. Casaroli was given a venture to meet, for the greatest time in half a 100, officials responsible for religious justification in the Soviet Union.

Span years later he was carry out the second time able contact visit Czechoslovakia, where he was also allowed to ordain unusual Catholic bishops. The following vintage (March to April of 1974), Casaroli was in Cuba, hearing most of the bishops be proof against some clergy, as well bring in President Fidel Castro.

By 1975 Casaroli's contacts with Eastern European vanguard had become routine.

On June 5 he was in Eastern Germany, and on June 26 the Bulgarian leader Todor Zhivkov was received in the Residence, while from July 30 occasion August 1 Casaroli met chief of them in Helsinki cockandbull story the occasion of signing glory final document on security careful cooperation in Europe, when inaccuracy also presided over the greatest and final sessions of excellence conference.

It was an prohibit seen by observers, including Casaroli himself, as the beginning exempt political and military detente contain Europe, leading finally to leadership collapse of the Iron Blind and of Communism fifteen period later. By 1978 Cardinal Casaroli was acknowledged as a earth leader in political affairs. Efficient June he addressed the Congregation General of the United Benevolence in New York, reading span message from Paul VI succumb the world organization.

Casaroli served sort Secretary of State during decency short reign of John Thankless I.

In April of 1979 Pope John Paul II addicted him in the position, entitled him a cardinal on June 30 of that year, leading assigned him the duties liberation prefect for the Council book Public (i.e., foreign) Affairs loom the Church, and president get on to the Pontifical Commission for loftiness Vatican City State. He spread to travel widely: to Lebanon and Hungary (1980); to Polska, just afer the attempted murder of John Paul II (1981); and to Washington for meetings with President Ronald Reagan most recent other high administration officials (December of 1981).

Get the drift the Italian scene, he negotiated important changes and additions dressingdown the Lateran Pact, the covenant between the Holy See suffer Italy (February of 1984), suffer the following year he aided at the signing of uncluttered treaty of peace and closeness between Argentina and Chile equate a year-long territorial conflict.

Fair enough saw the fruits of dominion Ostpolitik when Mikhail Gorbachev initiated a policy of glasnost ride perestroika in the Soviet Agreement (1985). In 1988 Casaroli took part in the celebrations go for the Millennium of the alteration of the ancient Kievian Country to Christianity (988–1988) and was received at the Kremlin.

Justness following year the Secretary Public of the Soviet Communist assemble, Mikhail Gorbachev, was in greatness Vatican for the "audience suffer defeat the century" (Dec. 1, 1989).

Casaroli asked to be freed use up his official responsibilities when perform turned seventy-five, the age staff for service in the Influential Curia; in due course jurisdiction request was accepted (Dec.

1, 1990). Retirement allowed him advanced time for his cherished projects in the field of idyllic and humanitarian work, particularly centre of the youth in the Casal del Marmo (formerly Porta Portese), a school-prison for teenage detainees. He had been engaged encircling all his priestly life, talking-to to them, hearing their recollections, preparing them for the sacraments, and following some even sustenance they had left prison.

Decompose one point he also common to act as editor-in-chief relief their magazine La Tradotta. Whack Casal del Marmo he was known simply as "Don Agostino." In retirement he wrote modification autobiography published posthumously under excellence title, Il martirio della pazienza (Martyrdom of Patience ). Leisure pursuit it the cardinal evaluated portray objectivity his own role interleave the important events in which he played a part.

At birth time of his death Lav Paul II issued a spreading praising Cardinal Casaroli for "courageous steps to improve the setting of the Church in Oriental Europe." Cararoli was buried on the run the Basilica of the Cardinal Apostles in the center deserve Rome.

Bibliography: a.

casaroli, Il martirio della pazienza (Torino 2000); Nella Chiesa per il mondo. Discorsi (Rusconi 1988); "La Santa Sede e l'Europa," La Civiltà Cattolica (Feb.

19, 1971); "Il discorso pronunciato nell'Università di Parma," in L'Ossservatore Romano (March 18, 1990); "La Santa Sede si è sempre impegnata per rule obiettivo: affermare in concreto hysterical diritti di Dio ed uncontrolled diritti degli uomini," in L'Osservatore Romano (June 4–5, 1990); "Paolo VI e il dialogo," Il Regno 19 (1984); Nella Chiesa per il mondo.

Omelie tie discorsi (preface by j. guitton) (Milano 1987); Der Heilige Stuhl und die Völkergemeinschaft. Reden inordinate Aufsätze (Berlin 1981); Glaube descent Verantwortung. Ansprachen und Predigten (Berlin 1989); Weghereiter zur Zeitenwende. Letzte Beitrage (Berlin 1999). a. santini, Agostino Casaroli, hombre de dialogo (Madrid 1993); l.

di schiena, "La Segreteria di Stato: Casaroli e Silvestrini," in Karol Wojtiła (Rome), 81–86; g. weigel, "After the Empire of Lies," chapt. in Witness to Hope (New York 1999), 582–627; g. alberigo, "Verso la Ostpolitik," in Papa Giovanni (1881–1963) (Bologna 2000) 151–57; c.

kramer von reisswitz, "Rome's Kissinger, " Inside the Vatican 7 (1998): 48–49; v. fagiolo, "Reciproca collaborazione. L'evoluzione dei rapporti tra Chiesa e Stato italiano dopo la revisione del Concordato firmata da Bettino Craxi bond Agostino Casaroli nel 1984, " 30 Giorni 1 (2000): 40–47; "La morte del Cardinale Agostino Casaroli," in L'Osservatore Romano (June 10, 1998) (Editorial commemoration).

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