Rome – H.R.H. Prince Charles of Bourbon Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro, Grand Master of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George and Head of the Royal House, has appointed His Eminence Cardinal Marcello Semeraro as Grand Prior of the Order. His Eminence Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, Protodeacon of the Holy Roman Church, appointed as Grand Prior Emeritus, has been succeeded by His Eminence Cardinal Semeraro.
H.R.H. the Duke of Castro expresses the most sincere devotion and gratitude also on behalf of the whole Order to His Eminence Cardinal Martino who, in the exercise of his duties as spiritual guide since 2010, has carried out his mission with dedication to safeguard and increase the life of faith of all the Knights and Dames of the Order.
The Grand Master also wishes to thank His Eminence Cardinal Semeraro for his willingness to assume the spiritual guidance of the Order, in the wake of the tradition traced by many Princes of the Holy Roman Church who have enriched with their pastoral commitment the heritage of faith the Knights and Dames of the Order must be living witnesses of.
Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Archbishop-Bishop emeritus of Albano, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, was born in Monteroni di Lecce on 22 December 1947 and was ordained a priest on 8 September 1971.
He received his initial formation in the Pontifical Regional Seminary “Pius XI” of Apulia and subsequently completed his theological studies in the Faculty of Theology of the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, where he was awarded a licentiate and a doctorate in sacred theology. He then began his ministry teaching dogmatic theology in the Theological Institute of Apulia and ecclesiology in the Faculty of Theology of the Pontifical Lateran University.
He was appointed to the episcopal see of Oria on 25 July 1998. He was transferred to the suburbicarian Church of Albano on 1 October 2004. On 15 October 2020, he was appointed by Pope Francis as Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. He is currently also the Apostolic Administrator ad nutum Sanctae Sedis of the exarchial monastery of Santa Maria di Grottaferrata and Pontifical Delegate of the Basilian Order in Italy.
Over the years he has served as special secretary of the X General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on The Bishop, Servant of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the Hope of the World. He participated as a Papal appointee in the XIV Ordinary General Assembly on The Vocation and Mission of the Family in the Church and in the Contemporary World; in the XV General Assembly on Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment, and in the Special Assembly for the Pan-Amazon region in 2019.
He is President of the Regional Commission for the Doctrine of the Faith, Proclamation and Catechesis of the Episcopal Conference of Lazio; a member of the CEI Episcopal Commission for the Doctrine of the Faith, Proclamation and Catechesis; and President of the Board of Directors of “Avvenire – Nuova Editrice SpA”. He is a member of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the Dicastery for Communication and a consultor to the Congregation for the Oriental Churches.
On 13 April 2020 he was appointed secretary of the “Council of Cardinals” to aid the Holy Father in the governance of the Universal Church and to draw up a plan for the revision of the Apostolic Constitution “Pastor Bonus” on the Roman Curia. He has published a number of books, articles and dictionary entries on the theme of ecclesiology.
On 15 October 2020 Pope Francis appointed him Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
Created and proclaimed Cardinal by Pope Francis in the consistory of 28 November 2020, of the Deaconry of Santa Maria in Domnica.
Member of Dicasteries for the Oriental Churches; for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments; for Communication.