New Cardinal of Sant’Onofrio al Gianicolo Appointed

His Eminence, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, is the new titular Cardinal of Sant’Onofrio al Gianicolo, the see of the Procurator General and the Rome community of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement. The new Cardinal publicly received the appointment during the September 30 consistory, convened by Pope Francis.

Pierbattista Pizzaballa was born in Cologno al Serio, Italy, on April 21, 1965. He entered the Order of Friars Minor at age 19, made his temporary profession in 1985 and his solemn vows in 1989. In 1990, he received a bachelor’s degree in Theology from the Studio Teologico S. Antonio in Bologna, and was ordained a priest on September 15 that same year.

He then moved to Jerusalem, where he enrolled in the “Studium Biblicum Franciscanum,” attaining a licentiate in Theology with biblical specialization in 1993.

An assistant professor of biblical Hebrew and Judaism since 1998, he formally entered the service of the Custody of the Holy Land in 1999, becoming first assistant general to the auxiliary of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, then parochial vicar for the Hebrew-speaking Catholic community. He then became superior of the “Convento dei Santi Simeone e Anna” in Jerusalem.

In 2004, he was appointed Custos of the Holy Land and Guardian of Mount Zion, being confirmed for 12 consecutive years, until 2016, when he was appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem of the Latins, with the dignity of Archbishop, and Pro-Grand Prior of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem.

On October 24, 2020, His Holiness, Pope Francis officially appointed him Patriarch of Jerusalem of the Latins.

On July 9, 2023, the Feast of Our Lady of the Atonement, at the end of the customary Sunday “Angelus,” the Supreme Pontiff announced that he would be appointed as Cardinal in the consistory on September 30.

The Atonement fraternity all around the world, with great gladness and deep gratitude, supports the new Cardinal with fervent prayers and pray that he may continue his commitment to the cause of unity with ever greater enthusiasm and dedication.