Luigi Ventura

His Excellency, The Most Reverend

Luigi Ventura
Apostolic Nuncio emeritus of France
Titular Archbishop of Equilium
Appointed22 September 2009
Retired17 December 2019
PredecessorFortunato Baldelli
SuccessorCelestino Migliore
Other post(s)Titular Archbishop of Equilium
Previous post(s)
Orders
Ordination14 June 1969
by Luigi Morstabilini
Consecration29 April 1995
by Angelo Sodano, Bruno Foresti and Giovanni Battista Re
Personal details
Born (1944-12-09) 9 December 1944 (age 79)
Borgosatollo, Italy
DenominationRoman Catholic
MottoUnitatem Spiritus Servare
Coat of armsLuigi Ventura's coat of arms
Styles of
Luigi Ventura
Reference styleThe Most Reverend
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleArchbishop

Luigi Ventura (born 9 December 1944) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See, ending his career as Apostolic Nuncio to France from 2009 to 2019. He became a nuncio and archbishop in 1995 and served in several African countries, Chile, and Canada before being posted to Paris.

Beginning in January 2019 he was under investigation by French authorities for sexual crimes. In July 2019, the Vatican lifted his diplomatic immunity to allow him to face criminal charges.[1] He was allowed to relocate to Rome; Pope Francis accepted his resignation in December 2019.[2] Ventura's criminal trial began in Paris on 10 November 2020 without him present,[3][4] despite previous pledges that he would appear in-person.[5][6][7] However, Ventura was also denied a motion to postpone the trial, which proceeded with many of his accusers testifying.[8][9] A verdict was handed down on 16 December 2020,[10][11][12] which resulted in Ventura receiving an eight-month suspended prison sentence which includes fines and probation.[13][10] He has agreed to not appeal his sentence.[14]

  1. ^ "Holy See waives diplomatic immunity for accused nuncio to France". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  2. ^ "Pope accepts resignation of archbishop accused of molestation". Reuters. 17 December 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference notpledge was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference trialbegins was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Samuel, Henry (23 July 2020). "Pope's former French ambassador to stand trial for sexual assault in Paris". The Telegraph.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference venturatrial was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference inperson was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Pope's ex-envoy tried in Paris for sex assaults, without him". 10 November 2020.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference testimonies was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ a b "L'Ancien nonce apostolique en France condamné à huit mois de prison avec sursis pour "agressions sexuelles"". 16 December 2020.
  11. ^ "▷ Columna de Fréderic Martel: Juan Pablo II, el "Papa malo", su legado en debate - Noticias Chile". Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  12. ^ "Pope's ex-envoy tried in Paris for sex assaults, without him". 10 November 2020.
  13. ^ "Archbishop Ventura sentenced to eight months' probation – Vatican News". 17 December 2020.
  14. ^ "Lawyer confirms ex-nuncio to France will not appeal court verdict". Catholic News Agency. 18 January 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2021.