Sebastiano Baggio

His Eminence Sebastiano Baggio
President Emeritus for the Pontifical Commission of the Vatican State
Church	Roman Catholic Church
Appointed	8 April 1984
Term ended	31 October 1990
Predecessor	Agostino Casaroli
Successor	Rosalio José Castillo Lara
Other post(s)	Cardinal-Bishop of Velletri-Segni (1974–93) Patron of the Order of Malta (1984–93) Camerlengo of the Apostolic Camera (1985–93) Vice-Dean of the College of Cardinals (1986–93)
Orders
Ordination	21 December 1935 by Ferdinando Rudolph
Consecration	26 July 1953 by Adeodato Giovanni Piazza
Created cardinal	28 April 1969 by Pope Paul VI
Rank	Cardinal-Deacon (1969–73) Cardinal-Priest (1973–74) Cardinal-Bishop (1974–93)
Personal details
Birth name	Sebastiano Baggio
Born	(1913-05-16)16 May 1913 Rosà, Vicenza, Kingdom of Italy
Died	22 March 1993(1993-03-22) (aged 79) Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic, Rome, Italy
Previous post(s)	Titular Archbishop of Ephesus (1953–69) Apostolic Nuncio to Chile (1953–59) Apostolic Delegate to Canada (1959–64) Apostolic Nuncio to Brazil (1964–69) Cardinal-Deacon of Santi Angeli Custodi a Città Giardino (1969–73) Archbishop of Cagliari (1969–73) Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops (1973–84) President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America (1973–84) Cardinal-Priest of San Sebastiano alle Catacombe (1973–74)
Alma mater	Pontifical Gregorian University
Motto	Operando custodire

Styles of Sebastiano Cardinal Baggio
Reference style	His Eminence
Spoken style	Your Eminence
Informal style	Cardinal
See	Velletri-Segni

Sebastiano Baggio (16 May 1913 – 22 March 1993)^[1] was an Italian cardinal, often thought to be a likely candidate for election to the Papacy, and the President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State in 1984 and the prefect of the Sacred Congregation for Bishops in 1973.

Early Life and Priestly Ministry[]

Born in Rosà, Veneto, Sebastiano was ordained a priest on 21 December 1935, at the age of 22, in Vicenza. He took postgraduate studies and joined the Holy See's diplomatic service with a first posting as attaché to the Apostolic nunciature in Austria in 1938.

Episcopal Ministry[]

In 1953 he was consecrated Archbishop and became in succession, Apostolic Nuncio, Chile 1953-59; Apostolic Delegate, Canada 1959-64; and Apostolic Nuncio, Brazil 1964-69. In 1969 he was appointed to the College of Cardinals in 1969 by Pope Paul VI and left the diplomatic service to become Archbishop of Cagliari, Sardinia. Four years later, in 1973, he returned to Rome to take up a series of appointments in the Roman Curia.

One of the most influential posts he held in Rome - between 1973 and 1984 - was Prefect of the Congregation of Bishops, whose task is to prepare lists of candidates for the episcopacy. One obituary in the London Independent noted that: "though Baggio always insisted that he was not the bishop-maker - he proposed while the Pope alone disposed - he did in effect have considerable powers of patronage. He had immense knowledge of the dossiers of possible candidates, and knew their weaknesses for drink or women.".^[2] He was credited as a talent spotter in furthering the episcopal career of Cardinal Alfonso López Trujillo who shared many of Baggio's concern at the direction of the Church in South America.^[3]

The same obituary, written by the respected Catholic journalist Peter Hebblethwaite, drew attention to Baggio's relationship with Opus Dei and his battles with Fr Pedro Arrupe, the Jesuit General, over the future of Central American policy: "Baggio - and Pope John Paul - wanted a 'unitary policy' for Central America which the Jesuits and other religious thought impossible in view of the different situations: civil war in El Salvador, dictatorship in Panama, a post-revolutionary regime in Nicaragua, and a persecuting born-again General in Guatemala."^[4]

He participated in the two conclaves of 1978 and when he died in 1993 at Rome at age 79 was both Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, and a sub dean of the College of Cardinals. He had been a priest for 57 years, a bishop for 39 years and a cardinal for 23 years. Described as "affable, smiling, squat and somewhat worldly, Baggio was deeply attached to his native Rosà and not only willed that his remains were to be buried in the family tomb but inside the local cemetery."

References[]

• Catholic Hierarchy
• Bishop-maker Baggio is dead