He is one of the longest serving cardinals in the Vatican. Cardinal Mauro Piacenza has been in the Curia since 1990. At that time, Pope John Paul II appointed him to serve in the Congregation for the Clergy.
Now, almost 35 years later, he is 80 years old, so he loses his right to vote in the event of a conclave.
Since he began his career at the Holy See, Cardinal Piacenza has held numerous positions. For a time, he was also prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops.
When Pope Francis was elected, Piacenza was one of his first appointments. The Pope put him in charge of the Apostolic Penitentiary, a post he left in April.
Currently, the Italian cardinal is the president of the foundation Aid to the Church in Need, which monitors religious freedom around the world.
CARD. MAURO PIACENZA
President, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN)
Religious freedom is the founding core of all freedom, of all freedoms, because it touches conscience. Freedom of conscience is the freedom inherently linked to the dignity of every human being. It cannot be trampled upon for any reason, nor by any government, political philosophy or particular platform.
As Cardinal Piacenza celebrates his 80th birthday, the number of cardinal electors drops to 123.
CA
TR: JD
