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.

Appointed nuncio to China on 6 July 1946, he once 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".[1] He was later expelled by the People's Republic of China in September of that year for "espionage activities", remarking, "I leave with sorrow, and my prayer is constantly for the Chinese people, for our priests, for our sisters and the faithful".[2] 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. ^ "Catholics in China". Time. 2 July 1951.
2. ^ "Prayer for China". Time. 17 September 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