Mario Zenari

{{short description|Italian prelate of the Catholic Church (born 1946)}}

{{Infobox Christian leader

| type = Cardinal

| honorific-prefix = His Eminence

| name = Mario Zenari

| honorific-suffix =

| title = Cardinal
Apostolic Nuncio to Syria

| image = Mario Zenari.jpg

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption = Zenari in 2022.

| church = Roman Catholic Church

| archdiocese =

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| elected =

| appointed = 30 December 2008

| enthroned =

| retired =

| predecessor = Giovanni Battista Morandini

| successor =

| other_post = Cardinal-Deacon of Santa Maria delle Grazie alle Fornaci fuori Porta Cavalleggeri

| ordination = 5 July 1970

| ordained_by = Giuseppe Carraro

| consecration = 25 September 1999

| consecrated_by = Angelo Sodano

| cardinal = 19 November 2016

| created_cardinal_by = Pope Francis

| rank = Cardinal Deacon

| birth_name = Mario Zenari

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1946|01|05|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Rosegaferro, Verona, Italy

| death_date =

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| previous_post = {{bulleted list | Apostolic Nuncio to Sri Lanka (2004–08) | Apostolic Nuncio to Côte d'Ivoire, Niger and Burkina Faso (1999–2004)| Permanent Observer to the Office of the U.N. and Specialized Institutions in Vienna (1994–99) | Permanent Observer to the U.N. Industrial Development Organization (1994–99) | Permanent Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (1994–99) | Permanent Representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (1994–99) | Titular Archbishop of Iulium Carnicum (1999–2016) }}

| education =

| alma_mater =

| motto = {{lang|la|Levate Oculos Vestros}}
(Lift up your eyes)

| signature =

| signature_alt =

| coat_of_arms = Coat of arms of Mario Zenari.svg

| coat_of_arms_alt =

}}

{{Ordination

| ordained deacon by =

| date of diaconal ordination =

| place of diaconal ordination =

| ordained priest by =

| date of priestly ordination = 5 July 1970

| place of priestly ordination =

| consecrated by = Angelo Sodano

| co-consecrators = Flavio Roberto Carraro, OFM Cap.
Marcello Zago, OMI

| date of consecration = 25 September 1999

| place of consecration =

| elevated by = Pope Francis

| date of elevation = 19 November 2016

| bishop 1 =

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}}

{{Infobox cardinal styles

|name = Mario Zenari

|image = Coat of arms of Mario Zenari.svg

|image_size = 180px

|dipstyle = His Eminence

|offstyle = Your Eminence

|relstyle = Cardinal

|deathstyle =

}}

Mario Zenari (born 5 January 1946) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who has been a cardinal since 2016. He has served his entire ecclesiastical career in the diplomatic service of the Holy See, holding senior positions beginning in 1999. He has been Apostolic Nuncio to Syria since 30 December 2008. He was nuncio to Sri Lanka from 2004 to 2008.

Life

Mario Zenari was born in 1946 in Rosegaferro. He received his ordination to the priesthood on 5 July 1970 in Verona from Bishop Giuseppe Carraro.

To prepare for a diplomatic career he entered the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in 1976.{{cite web|publisher=Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy|language =it|access-date = 2 February 2020 | title = Pontificia Accademia Ecclesiastica, Ex-alunni 1950 – 1999 |url = https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_academies/acdeccles/documents/1950-1999.htm }}

Diplomatic career

On 7 February 1994, Pope John Paul II appointed him to several diplomatic positions as papal representative to non-governmental organizations in Vienna.{{cite book | title= Acta Apostolicae Sedis | url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-86-1994-ocr.pdf | date = 1994 | volume = LXXXVI | page= 452 | quote = Rappresentante Permanente della Santa Sede presso l'Agenzia Internazionale dell'Energia Atomica, Osservatore Permanente della Santa Sede presso l'Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per lo Sviluppo Industriale e presso l'Ufficio delle Nazioni Unite e Capo della Delegazione della Santa Sede presso le Istituzioni della Conferenza sulla Sicurezza e Cooperazione in Europa a Vienna |language=it }} And on 15 June he was given the title monsignor as a Prelate of Honour of His Holiness.{{cite book | title= Acta Apostolicae Sedis | url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-86-1994-ocr.pdf | date = 1994 | volume = LXXXVI | page= 1014}}

He was named Titular Archbishop of Iulium Carnicum and apostolic nuncio to Burkina Faso, Niger, and Côte d'Ivoire on 12 July 1999.{{cite book | title= Acta Apostolicae Sedis | url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-91-1999-ocr.pdf | date = 1999 | volume = LXXXXI | page= 920 }} He received his episcopal consecration on 25 September 1999 from Cardinal Angelo Sodano.{{Cite web|title=Mario Cardinal Zenari [Catholic-Hierarchy]|url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bzenari.html|website=www.catholic-hierarchy.org|access-date=2020-05-30}}

On 10 May 2004, he was named the nuncio to Sri Lanka.{{cite press release |language=it | url = http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2004/05/10/0226/00719.html |title= Rinunce e Nomine, 10.05.2004| date= 10 May 2004| access-date = 6 July 2019 | publisher = Holy See Press Office }} On 30 December 2008, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him nuncio to Syria{{cite press release |language=it | url = http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2008/12/30/0816/02008.html |title= Rinunce e Nomine, 30.12.2008| date= 30 December 2008| access-date = 6 July 2019 | publisher = Holy See Press Office }} where he was stationed during the Syrian Civil War that began in 2011.

Pope Francis on 9 October 2016 announced that he would make Zenari a cardinal in a papal consistory scheduled for 19 November 2016, citing his work for the "beloved and martyred Syria".{{cite press release |url= http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2016/10/09/0723/01609.html|title=Annuncio di Concistoro il 19 novembre per la creazione di nuovi Cardianali|date=9 October 2016| publisher=Holy See Press Office| access-date=10 October 2016}} He was made a Cardinal Deacon on that day and assigned to the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie alle Fornaci fuori Porta Cavalleggeri.{{cite press release| publisher=Holy See Press Office | date = 19 November 2016 | access-date= 19 November 2016| url= http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2016/11/19/161119b.html | title=Titular churches and diaconates of the new cardinals, 19.11.2016}} Francis made him a member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches on 23 December 2017.{{cite press release| publisher =Holy See Press Office | date= 23 December 2017 | url = http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2017/12/23/171223a.html | access-date =25 December 2017| title = Resignations and Appointments, 23.12.2017}}

Zenari participated as a cardinal elector in the 2025 papal conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV.{{cite web| url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/scardc3.html| title=Cardinal Electors|date=6 May 2025|publisher=Catholic-Hierarchy.org|language=en|access-date=6 May 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250506193115/https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/scardc3.html|archive-date=6 May 2025|url-status=live}} He later bestowed the pallium on Pope Leo at his inaugural Mass.{{cite web| url=https://www.usccb.org/news/2025/pope-leo-begins-papacy-calling-united-church-wounded-world| title=Pope Leo begins papacy calling for 'united church' in a wounded world|date=18 May 2025|publisher=United States Conference of Catholic Bishops|language=en|access-date=18 May 2025}}

References

External links

{{cite web| access-date = 24 October 2017| title= Zenari Card. Mario |publisher= Holy See Press Office | url = https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_zenari_m.html | url-status=live | archive-date= 20 November 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161120085240/https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_zenari_m.html }}
{{cite news|title=Msgr. Zenari, Cardinal in Damascus: Amid war and violence, Pope points to peace through diplomacy|url=http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Msgr.-Zenari,-Cardinal-in-Damascus:-Amid-war-and-violence,-Pope-points-to-peace-through-diplomacy-38814.html|access-date=24 October 2017|work=Asia News|date=10 October 2016}}
[http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bzenari.html Catholic Hierarchy]

{{s-ttl|title=Titular Archbishop of Iulium Carnicum|years=1999–2016}}

{{s-ttl|title=Cardinal Deacon of Santa Maria delle Grazie alle Fornaci fuori Porta Cavalleggeri|years=2016–present}}

{{s-ttl|title=Apostolic Nuncio to the Ivory Coast, Niger and Burkina Faso|years=1999–2004}}