Carlo Maria Martini


Carlo Maria Martini

Cardinal,
Archbishop Emeritus of Milan
Martini in 1992
ChurchRoman Catholic Church
ArchdioceseMilan
SeeMilan
Appointed29 December 1979
Installed10 February 1980
Term ended11 July 2004
PredecessorGiovanni Colombo
SuccessorDionigi Tettamanzi
Other post(s)Cardinal-Priest of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere (1983–2012)
Previous post(s)
Orders
Ordination13 July 1952
by Maurilio Fossati
Consecration6 January 1980
by Pope John Paul II
Created cardinal2 February 1983
by Pope John Paul II
RankCardinal-Priest
Personal details
Born
Carlo Maria Martini

(1927-02-15)15 February 1927
Died31 August 2012(2012-08-31) (aged 85)
Gallarate, Italy
BuriedCathedral of Milan, Italy
NationalityItalian
ParentsLeonardo Martini
Olga Maggia
Alma mater
MottoPro veritate adversa diligere
("For the love of truth, dare to choose adverse situations")
SignatureCarlo Maria Martini's signature
Coat of armsCarlo Maria Martini's coat of arms

Carlo Maria Martini SJ (15 February 1927 – 31 August 2012) was an Italian Jesuit and Biblical scholar. He served as Archbishop of Milan from 1980 to 2004 and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1983.

Martini entered the Society of Jesus in 1944 and was ordained a priest in 1952. His appointment as Archbishop of Milan in 1980 was an unusual circumstance, as Jesuits are not traditionally named bishops.[1]

A towering intellectual figure, Martini was the liberal contender for the papacy in the 2005 conclave, following the death of Pope John Paul II. According to highly placed Vatican sources, Martini received more votes in the first round than Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the conservative candidate: 40 to 38. Ratzinger ended up with more votes in subsequent rounds and was elected Pope Benedict XVI.

Suffering from a rare form of Parkinson's disease, Martini retired as archbishop in 2004 and moved to the Pontifical Institute in Jerusalem. He died at the Jesuit Aloisianum College in Gallarate near Milan eight years later.

  1. ^ "Is Pope Francis still a Jesuit?". National Catholic Reporter. 18 March 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2018.