Rino Passigato
| His Excellency, The Most Reverend Rino Passigato GCC GCSE | |
|---|---|
| Apostolic Nuncio[1] | |
| Appointed | 8 November 2008 (Nuncio to Portugal) |
| Retired | 4 July 2019 |
| Predecessor | Alfio Rapisarda |
| Successor | Ivo Scapolo |
| Other post | Titular Archbishop of Nova Caesaris |
| Previous posts | Apostolic Pro-Nuncio of Burundi (1991-1996) Apostolic Nuncio of Bolivia (1996-1999) Apostolic Nuncio of Peru (1999-2008) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 29 June 1968 |
| Consecration | 6 January 1992 by Pope John Paul II, Giovanni Battista Re, and Josip Uhac |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 29, 1944 Bovolone, Italy |
Rino Passigato (born 29 March 1944) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church, who was the Apostolic Nuncio to Portugal from 2008 to 2019. He joined the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1973. He has been an archbishop since 1992 and served as an apostolic nuncio in Burundi, Bolivia, and Peru.
Biography
Rino Passigato was born in Bovolone, Italy, on 29 March 1944. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Verona on 29 June 1968.[2] He entered the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, the Vatican school for diplomats, in 1969.[3]
He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1973. His early assignments included postings in Cameroon, Australia, Egypt, Great Britain,[4] and the United States.[5] In 1982 he earned a doctorate in canon law at the Pontifical Gregorian University with a dissertation titled "The regime of religious freedom and the relations between the political community and the Catholic Church in Vatican II".[5][6]
On 16 December 1991, Pope John Paul II appointed titular archbishop of Nova Caesaris and Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Burundi.[7] He received his episcopal consecration on 6 January 1992 from Pope John Paul.[8] In Burundi he witnessed the beginnings of genocidal violence between Hutus and Tutsis, and sheltered hundreds of refugees in the garden of the nunciature in Bujumbura.[9]
On 18 March 1996, he was named Apostolic Nuncio to Bolivia.[10]
On 17 July 1999, he was named Apostolic Nuncio to Peru.[11]
On 8 November 2008, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Apostolic Nuncio to Portugal.[12] He presented his credentials to Aníbal Cavaco Silva, President of Portugal, on 11 November.[13]
In October 2017, the weekly newspaperExpresso published a lengthy attack on Passigato citing mostly anonymous priests and bishops accusing him of incompetence and lack of consideration for personal circumstances in episcopal appointments. He declined to comment.[14]
Celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of his priestly ordination in July 2018, the Salesians of Portugal praised his:[13]
...enlightened vision of the world and the intricate problems that power generates and confronts... wisdom more biblical and prophetic than diplomatic and worldly, that makes him a master of the spirit capable of traversing the opacity and contradictions of each moment with... lucidity and humility.
Pope Francis accepted his resignation on 4 July 2019, a few months after he turned 75.[5][15]
Honours
- Grand Cross of the Order of Christ of the Portuguese Republic (11 March 2010).[16]
- Grand Cross of the Order of Saint James of the Sword of the Portuguese Republic (6 June 2009).[16]
- Medal of the Cross of Saint George (June 2019).[17]
References
- Back to citation "Audiences, 10.06.2025" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 10 June 2025. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- Back to citation "Papa Francisco aceita renúncia do Núncio Apostólico em Portugal" (in Portuguese). ACI Digital. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- Back to citation "Pontificia Accademia Ecclesiastica, Ex-alunni 1950 – 1999" (in Italian). Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy. Archived from the original on 12 July 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- Back to citation While based in London, Passigato provided the Congregation for Bishops with information that discredited a critic of Opus Dei. Hutchison, Robert (2014). Their Kingdom Come: Inside the Secret World of Opus Dei. St. Martin's Publishing. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- Back to citation occurrence 5.0 Back to citation occurrence 5.1 Back to citation occurrence 5.2 López, Larissa I. (4 July 2019). "Portugal: El Papa Francisco acepta la renuncia de Mons. Rino Passigato". Zenit (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- Back to citation Passigato, Rino. "Regime di libertà religiosa e le relazioni tra la comunità politica e la Chiesa cattolica nel Vaticano II". Pontifical Gregorian University. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- Back to citation Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. LXXXIV. 1992. p. 94. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- Back to citation "ORDINAZIONE DI 11 NUOVI VESCOVI NELLA SOLENNITÀ DELL'EPIFANIA" (in Italian). Holy See. 6 January 1982. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- Back to citation "Le radici del conflitto etnico in Burundi e Ruanda. Mons. Passigato: "diedi asilo a 721 profughi nel giardino della nunziatura di Bujumbura"". Faro di Roma (Interview) (in Italian). Interviewed by Stefano Lorenzetto. 7 March 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- Back to citation Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. LXXXVIII. 1996. p. 358. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- Back to citation Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. XCI. 1999. p. 1004. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- Back to citation "Rinunce e Nomine, 08.12.2008" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 8 November 2008. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
- Back to citation occurrence 13.0 Back to citation occurrence 13.1 Antunes, Joaquim (12 July 2018). "Igreja: Homenagem ao Sr. Núncio Apostólico nos 50 anos de sacerdócio". Salesianos.pt (in Portuguese). Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- Back to citation Marujo, António (14 October 2017). "Bispos e padres acusam núncio em Lisboa de ser pouco humano e nada 'franciscano'". Expresso (in Portuguese). Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- Back to citation "Resignations and Appointments, 04.07.2019" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 4 July 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- Back to citation occurrence 16.0 Back to citation occurrence 16.1 Portuguese Presidency Website, Orders search form: type "Joan-Enric Vives i" in "nome", then click "Pesquisar"
- Back to citation "Papa aceitou renúncia ao cargo do Núncio Apostólico em Portugal". Voz Portugalense (in Portuguese). 4 July 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2025.