- Born:
- December 2, 1934, Romano Canavese, Italy (age 91)
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone
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Who is Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone?
Tarcisio Bertone, born on December 2, 1934, in Romano Canavese, Italy, is an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the Vatican Secretary of State from 2006 to 2013 and Cardinal Camerlengo from 2007 to 2014.
Bertone became a priest in the Salesian order in 1960 and taught moral theology and canon law at Pontifical Salesian University in Rome from 1967 to 1991. He contributed to the 1983 revision of the Code of Canon Law and acted as a consultant to several church organizations. Pope John Paul II made him a cardinal in 2003, and in 2006, Pope Benedict XVI, appointed him secretary of state.
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What important job did Cardinal Bertone have at the Vatican?
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone served as the Vatican secretary of state from 2006 to 2013, a role akin to a prime minister and the second highest position in the church hierarchy. Additionally, he was the cardinal camerlengo from 2007 to 2014, responsible for church finances and property, and he would have overseen the church’s administration during the period between the death of a pope and the election of his successor. During his tenure as secretary of state, Bertone addressed media critiques of the church and faced controversies, including security and financial scandals.
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What duties does a Secretary of State have at the Vatican?
The Cardinal Secretary of State at the Vatican, a role once held by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, is a high-ranking position, often likened to that of a prime minister.
The Secretary of State administers the Secretariat of State, which handles both the internal operations of the church and its diplomatic relations with other countries. This includes overseeing the activities of the Roman Curia, managing the Holy See's communications, and maintaining important church documents. The Secretariat also manages the Holy See's diplomatic efforts, including establishing treaties with other nations and representing the Vatican in international organizations. Additionally, they address the working conditions and career development of the Holy See's diplomatic staff.
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How did Cardinal Bertone help lead the Catholic Church?
As Vatican Secretary of State (2006-2013), Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, born December 2, 1934, functioned as a prime minister and held the second-highest position in the Catholic Church hierarchy. As cardinal camerlengo (2007-2014), he managed church finances and property, and he oversaw the church’s administration during the interregnum between the death of a pope and the election of his successor.
Bertone addressed media and secular critiques of the church. In 2006, he diffused criticism over comments made by Benedict about Islam. He also defended Pope Pius XII against claims that he had appeased Adolf Hitler during the Holocaust.
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What challenges did Cardinal Bertone face during his time in office?
During his time as Vatican Secretary of State (2006-2013), Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone faced numerous challenges. He had to address mounting criticism over comments made by Pope Benedict XVI that were interpreted as insensitive toward Islam. Bertone also refuted claims of Catholic proselytizing by the Russian Orthodox Church.
Additional challenges included defending Pope Pius XII against accusations of not intervening on behalf of Jews during the Holocaust and addressing the church's sexual abuse scandal, criticizing media coverage as disproportionately negative. Bertone's tenure was further marked by security and financial scandals, including the "Vatileaks" scandal involving the theft of confidential Vatican documents. Later, he faced scrutiny for using funds from a Vatican-owned children's hospital for renovations to his apartment.
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How did Cardinal Bertone influence the Vatican's relationships with other countries and communities?
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, as Vatican Secretary of State (2006-2013), significantly influenced the Vatican's relationships with other countries and communities. Bertone addressed critiques against the Church, especially from the media. In 2006, he diffused criticism after Pope Benedict's comments on Islam. Bertone also refuted claims of Catholic proselytizing by the Russian Orthodox Church. His defense of Pope Pius XII against claims of indifference during the Holocaust and his criticism of media coverage of the Church's sexual abuse scandal also demonstrate his approach to external relations. Bertone's controversial statement linking pedophilia and male homosexuality in response to the Church's sexual abuse scandal sparked widespread criticism.
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Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone (born December 2, 1934, Romano Canavese, Italy) is an Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the Vatican secretary of state (2006–13) and cardinal camerlengo (2007–14).
Bertone was ordained a priest in the Salesian order in 1960. He was professor of moral theology and canon law at Pontifical Salesian University in Rome between 1967 and 1991. Meanwhile, he contributed to the 1983 revision of the Code of Canon Law and served as consultant to several church bodies, including the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (now called the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith), the Vatican office responsible for preserving Catholic doctrine and evaluating according to canon law the warrant for disciplinary action against clergy.
In 1995 Bertone was appointed secretary of the Congregation, a position in which he worked closely with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who at that time was the body’s prefect. Bertone also served as archbishop of Vercelli (1991–95) and then of Genoa (2002–06). In 2003 he was created a cardinal by Pope John Paul II, and in 2006 Ratzinger, then Pope Benedict XVI, appointed him secretary of state, the functional equivalent of a prime minister and the second highest position in the church hierarchy. In 2007 he was also appointed cardinal camerlengo, a position that placed him in charge of church finances and property and would require him to oversee the church’s administration during an interregnum (i.e., the period between the death of a pope and the election of his successor).
Before becoming Vatican secretary of state, Bertone repudiated what he perceived as outside attacks against the church, especially by the media and in popular culture. As secretary of state, Bertone continued to respond to media and secular critiques of the church. His tenure in office was marked by several controversies. His first task upon assuming office in September 2006 was to issue a public statement intended to defuse rapidly mounting criticism over comments Benedict had made in Germany only days before that many in the Islamic world had interpreted as being critical of the Prophet Muhammad and insensitive toward Islam. Later that year Bertone rebutted claims by Aleksey II, patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, that Catholics had been proselytizing its members in Russia, Ukraine, and other republics that had been part of the former Soviet Union.
In 2007 Bertone denounced claims that Pope Pius XII (reigned (1939–45) had appeased Adolf Hitler and had not intervened on behalf of Jews who suffered and died during the Holocaust. That year he also criticized media coverage of the church’s sexual abuse scandal as being disproportionately negative and biased. In 2010 the tradition of celibacy among Catholic priests attracted scrutiny after reports emerged of decades of sexual abuse of parishioners, particularly of children, by priests in Ireland, Austria, and Germany. In response, Bertone issued a widely criticized statement that not only defended celibacy among priests but was interpreted as generally linking pedophilia and male homosexuality.
Bertone’s tenure as secretary of state was marked by security and financial scandals that prompted criticism of his management of the Roman Curia (the church’s administrative body) and the Vatican central bank. The most-notable security incident, the so-called “Vatileaks” scandal, involved the arrest in 2012 of Benedict’s butler for stealing confidential Vatican correspondence and documents. Bertone remained in office following the resignation of Benedict in February 2013 and the installation of Francis in March. He retired as secretary of state in October. The following year the 80-year-old Bertone stepped down as camerlengo.
Bertone attracted further scrutiny beginning in 2014 for expensive renovations made to his apartment in the Vatican Palace. The scandal involved money that had been rerouted from a foundation belonging to a Vatican-owned children’s hospital and used to pay contractors. Bertone had drawn from his personal savings to cover construction costs but had also donated to the hospital foundation early on in the project. In 2017 a Vatican court fined the former president of the hospital for abuse of office and sentenced him to a one-year jail term, which was later suspended. Bertone was not charged in connection with the misused funds.
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