His Eminence

Ernest Simoni
Cardinal-Deacon of Santa Maria della Scala
Cardinal Ernest Simoni in 2016.
ChurchCatholic Church (Latin Church)
Appointed19 November 2016
Installed11 February 2017
PredecessorStanisław Nagy
Orders
Ordination7 April 1956
Created cardinal19 November 2016
by Pope Francis
RankCardinal-Deacon
Personal details
Born
Ernest Simoni

(1928-10-18) 18 October 1928
Troshani, Albanian Kingdom
NationalityAlbanian
DenominationCatholic Church
MottoAlbanian: Zemra jeme dotë triumfojë (My Immaculate Heart will Triumph)
Coat of armsErnest Simoni's coat of arms
Styles of
Ernest Simoni
Reference styleHis Eminence
Spoken styleYour Eminence
Informal styleCardinal

Ernest Simoni Troshani (born 18 October 1928) is an Albanian cardinal of the Catholic Church.

He was created a cardinal in a consistory held on 19 November 2016 by Pope Francis.[1]

Life

Ernest Simoni was born in 1928 in the Albanian Kingdom.

On 24 December 1963, he was imprisoned by the Communist authorities after offering a Mass for the repose of assassinated President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Ernest Simoni was tortured and even offered marriage to leave his faith.[2] He was sentenced to death, but the sentence was converted into a prison term and he spent 28 years at penal labour, first in a mine and then in a sewage canal.[3]

On 21 September 2014, he met Pope Francis during his apostolic visit to Albania and provided the pope with his own testimony on his experiences under the Communist regime.[4]

On 9 October 2016,[5] Pope Francis announced that he would create Simoni a cardinal in the consistory held on 19 November of the same year.[6] Canon 351 of the Code of Canon Law requires that all cardinals must be bishops, but Simoni was given a papal dispensation from the requirement of episcopal consecration.[7]

At the consistory, he was assigned the titular church of Santa Maria della Scala. As of 2019, he had not yet received episcopal consecration.[8]

Honors

In 2017, he received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement presented at an awards ceremony in London.[9][10]

References

  1. ↑ "Il Papa annuncia un concistoro per il 19 novembre" (in Italian). La Stampa. 9 October 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  2. ↑ Koleka, Benet (2016). "Lifetime of privation made Albanian priest a Catholic cardinal". Reuters. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  3. ↑ Glatz, Carol (11 October 2016). "This priest's story of persecution brought Pope Francis to tears. Now he's making him a cardinal". America. Catholic News Service. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  4. ↑ "Paoline Ufficio Stampa – Don Ernest Simoni". paoline.it. 9 October 2016. Archived from the original on 9 May 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  5. ↑ "Mgr Ernest Simoni, simple curé nommé cardinal albanais". lalibre.be. 21 November 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  6. ↑ "Da sacerdote a cardinale: ecco chi è Ernest Simoni, uno dei 17 nuovi porporati voluti dal Papa" (in Italian). ilsole24ore.com. 9 October 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  7. ↑ Cardinale, Gianni (27 November 2020). "Ecco i nuovi cardinali: nomi, storie, numeri e novità" (in Italian). Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  8. ↑ "Don Ernest Simoni all'ospedale San Giovanni". Diocese of Rome. 25 March 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  9. ↑ "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement.
  10. ↑ "2017 Summit Highlights Photo". Two members of the Class of 2017: fashion designer Valentino Garavani, the "Living Martyr" of Albania, Cardinal Ernest Simoni, with the Academy's 52nd annual International Achievement Summit Host, Catherine B. Reynolds.
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