Antonio Riberi

Catholic cardinal and apostolic nuncio

His Eminence

Antonio Riberi

Apostolic Nuncio Emeritus to Spain
Church| Roman Catholic Church
Appointed| 28 April 1962
Term ended| 26 June 1967
Predecessor| Ildebrando Antoniutti
Successor| Luigi Dadaglio
Other post(s)| Cardinal-Priest of San Girolamo della Carità pro hac vice (1967)
Previous post(s)|

* Apostolic Delegate to Eastern Africa (1934–45)
* Titular Archbishop of Dara (1934–67)
* Apostolic Internuncio to China (1946–59)
* Apostolic Nunciature to Ireland (1959–62)

Orders
Ordination| 29 June 1922
by Giuseppe Castelli
Consecration| 28 October 1934
by Pietro Fumasoni Biondi
Created cardinal| 26 June 1967
by Pope Paul VI
Rank| Cardinal-Priest
Personal details
Born|

Antonio Riberi

15 June 1897

Montecarlo, Monaco

Died| 16 December 1967(1967-12-16) (aged 70)
Rome, Italy
Alma mater| Pontifical Gregorian University
Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy
Motto| Sicut rivus aquarium in site
Coat of arms|
Styles of
Antonio Riberi

Reference style| His Eminence
Spoken style| Your Eminence
Informal style| Cardinal

Antonio Riberi (15 June 1897 – 16 December 1967) was a Monegasque prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the fifth apostolic nuncio to Ireland and later as the nuncio to Spain from 1962 until his death. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 1967.

## Biography

[edit]

Born in Monte Carlo, Riberi studied at the seminary in Cuneo, Italy, and the Pontifical Gregorian University and Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in Rome, where he was ordained to the priesthood on 29 June 1922. He then furthered his studies until 1925 at the Institute of Social Sciences in Bergamo. From 1925 to 1930, Riberi served as attaché and secretary of the Bolivian nunciature. He was raised to the rank of an honorary chamberlain of his holiness on 1 May 1925, and made counselor of the nunciature to Ireland in 1930.

On 13 August 1934, Riberi was appointed titular archbishop of Dara. He received his episcopal consecration on the following 28 October from Cardinal Pietro Fumasoni Biondi, with Archbishops Giuseppe Pizzardo and Carlo Salotti serving as co-consecrators. Riberi was later named nuncio to the African missions dependent of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith on 4 November of that same year. During this time, he resided in Mombasa, Kenya. Archbishop Riberi, from 1939 to 1946, headed the Vatican's assistance service for the prisoners of war and wounded soldiers of the Second World War.

Riberi arrived in China in 1942.[1]: 182

In summer 1949, during the Chinese Civil War, the Communist forces captured the Nationalist capital, Nanjing.[1]: 183  The Nationalist government of China retreated to Guangzhou.[1]: 183  Although most of the diplomatic corps in Nanjing also went to Guangzhou, Riberi remained in Nanjing.[1]: 183

In 1950, the Holy See stated that participation in certain Communist Party-related organizations would result in excommunication from the Church.[2]: 33  In response, initiatives including Fr. Wang Liangzuo's "Guangyuan Declaration of Catholic Self-Reformation" gained support from Chinese Catholics.[2]: 33  Riberi in turn denounced these initiatives.[2]: 33  Riberi declared in 1951, following petitions (from the Chinese Communist Party) for an independent Catholic Church in that country, that "the Catholic religion ... is superpolitical, indivisible by national boundaries or political differences ... Any so-called Independent Catholic Church ... is simply a schismatic church and not the true and one Catholic Church".[3]

Chinese authorities arrested Riberi on allegations of colluding with American intelligence and false accusations of participating in a plot to kill Mao Zedong.[1]: 184  Under police guard, Riberi was deported to British Hong Kong.[1]: 184  Riberi stayed in Hong Kong for two years, and after lobbying from the Republic of China (ROC), Bishop Yu Bin, and Cardinal Francis Spellman, moved his nunciature to Taipei.[1]: 187

Riberi became nuncio to Ireland on 19 February 1959, and to Spain on 28 April 1962. From 1962 to 1965, he attended the Second Vatican Council.

He was created cardinal-priest of San Girolamo della Carità by Pope Paul VI in the consistory of 26 June 1967, but died some months later in Rome, at age 70. Cardinal Riberi is buried in his family's tomb in Limone Piemonte.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g Moody, Peter (2024). "The Vatican and Taiwan: An Anomalous Diplomatic Relationship". In Zhao, Suisheng (ed.). The Taiwan Question in Xi Jinping's Era: Beijing's Evolving Taiwan Policy and Taiwan's Internal and External Dynamics. London and New York: Routledge. ISBN 9781032861661.
2. ^ a b c Yeh, Alice (1 June 2023). "Social Mobility, Migratory Vocations, and the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association". China Perspectives (133): 31–41\. doi:10.4000/chinaperspectives.15216. ISSN 2070-3449. S2CID 259562815.
3. ^ "Catholics in China". Time. 2 July 1951.

## External links

[edit]

* Catholic-Hierarchy
* "The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church". Archived from the original on 3 January 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2015.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
* Cardinal Riberi's sermon to the Legionaries of Christ

Catholic Church titles

Preceded by

Mario Zanin

|  Nuncio to China
1949–1958  | Succeeded by

Giuseppe Caprio

Preceded by

Albert Levame

|  Nuncio to Ireland
1959–1962  | Succeeded by

Giuseppe Sensi

Preceded by

Ildebrando Antoniutti

|  Apostolic Nuncio to Spain
1962–1967  | Succeeded by

Luigi Dadaglio

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* Italy
* Spain
* 2
* Vatican

Other|

* IdRef