Anthony Bevilacqua facts for kids
Quick facts for kids His Eminence Anthony Joseph Bevilacqua |
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| Cardinal, Archbishop emeritus of Philadelphia | |
| See | Philadelphia |
| Appointed | December 8, 1987 |
| Enthroned | February 11, 1988 |
| Reign ended | July 15, 2003 |
| Predecessor | John Krol |
| Successor | Justin Francis Rigali |
| Other posts | Cardinal-Priest of Santissimo Redentore e Sant'Alfonso in Via Merulan |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | June 11, 1949 |
| Consecration | November 24, 1980 by Francis Mugavero |
| Created Cardinal | June 28, 1991 |
| Rank | Cardinal-Priest |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 17, 1923 Brooklyn, New York |
| Died | January 31, 2012 (aged 88) Wynnewood, Pennsylvania |
| Denomination | Catholic |
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| Alma mater | Cathedral College (BA) Pontifical Gregorian University (JCD) Columbia University (MA) St. John's University (JD) |
| Motto | Ecclesia Mater Nostra (The Church, Our Mother) |
| Coat of arms |  |
| Styles of Anthony Bevilacqua |
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| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
| See | Philadelphia (emeritus) |
Anthony Joseph Bevilacqua (June 17, 1923 – January 31, 2012) was an American cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia from 1988 to 2003. Bevilacqua previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh from 1983 to 1987 and as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn from 1980 to 1983. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 1991.
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Biography
Early life and education
Anthony Bevilacqua was born on June 17, 1923, in Brooklyn, New York, to Luigi (1884–1961) and Maria (née Codella, 1893–1968) Bevilacqua. Luigi was born in Spinazzola, Italy and worked as a bricklayer. and Maria was born in Calitri, Italy. Anthony Bevilacqua had four brothers: Michael, Angelo, Rocco, and Frank; and six sisters, Josephine (died of meningitis at age two), Isabella, Virginia, Mary Jo, Gloria, and Madeline. Luigi immigrated to the United States in 1910, followed by Maria and their oldest son, Michael. The family lived in New Rochelle, New York; Hartford, Connecticut; and Brooklyn before settling in Woodhaven, Queens. Luigi operated a hair dying shop and shoe shine shop in Queens.
Anthony Bevilacqua attended Public School No. 60, St. Thomas the Apostle School, and Richmond Hill High School, all in the Borough of Queens. He then studied at Cathedral College in Queens, where he won prizes in mathematics and science. He earned a trip to Washington, D.C. for an essay on the Immaculate Conception. Bevilacqua graduated from Cathedral College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1943, and then entered the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, New York.
Ordination and ministry
Bevilacqua was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Brooklyn by Bishop Thomas Malloy on June 11, 1949, at St. James Cathedral in Brooklyn. He then served as an associate pastor at Sacred Heart of Jesus and St. Mary Parish in Brooklyn and St. Mary Parish on Long Island until 1950. Bevilacqua taught at Cathedral College from 1950 to 1954, and then entered the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He obtained a Doctor of Canon Law degree summa cum laude from the Gregorian in 1956.
After returning to Brooklyn, Bevilacqua served on the diocesan tribunal and as a chaplain to the Sisters of St. Joseph congregation in Brentwood, New York. He earned a Master of Arts in political science from Columbia University in 1962, and was named vice-chancellor of the diocese in 1965. From 1968 to 1980, Bevilacqua was a visiting professor of canon law at Seminary of the Immaculate Conception. During this time, he also founded the Diocesan Office for Migration and Refugees in 1971. Bevilacqua earned a J.D. from St. John's University in 1975. He was admitted to practice law in the courts of New York and Pennsylvania and before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Bevilacqua was named by the Holy See as honorary prelate of his holiness on January 23, 1976; he became chancellor of the diocese that year also. He remained chancellor of the diocese and director of its Migration and Refugee Office until 1983. From 1977 to 1980, Bevilacqua taught immigration law as an adjunct professor at St. John's University School of Law.
Auxiliary Bishop of Brooklyn
On October 7, 1980, Bevilacqua was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn, and titular bishop of Aquae Albae in Byzacena by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on November 24, 1980, from Bishop Francis Mugavero, with Bishops John J. Snyder and Charles Mulrooney serving as co-consecrators, at the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn. Bevilacqua selected as his episcopal motto: Ecclesia Mater Nostra, meaning "The Church, our Mother."
Bishop of Pittsburgh
Bevilacqua was named by Pope John Paul II as the tenth bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh on October 7, 1983. Succeeding Bishop Vincent Leonard, Bevilacqua was consecrated by Bishop Mugavero on December 12, 1983. He was a member of the 1987 World Synod of Bishops on the role of laity in the church and the world.
Archbishop of Philadelphia
Pope John Paul II appointed Bevilacqua as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia on December 8, 1987. Succeeding Cardinal John Krol, Bevilacqua was installed on February 11, 1988, and named cardinal-priest of Ss. Redentore e S. Alfonso in Via Merulana in the consistory of June 28, 1991.
In 1998, Bevilacqua asked Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge to fund food stamp assistance for immigrants and instituted service centers for Latino and African American Catholics.
Bevilacqua is remembered for his frequent visits to churches in the diocese, his knowledge of fiscal matters, his conservatism, and his closing of schools. Organizationally, he divided the archdiocese into six vicariates, each with a general vicariate, and subdivided the central administration into six secretariats. He hosted a weekly radio call-in program, Live with Cardinal Bevilacqua, which aired on WZZD-AM in Philadelphia. In 2002, he was named to the PoliticsPA "Power 50" list of politically influential personalities.
Within the USCCB, Bevilacqua served as chair of the Committee on Migration from 1983 to 1984, during which time he visited the refugee camps of Southeast Asia and Africa. He also chaired the Committee for Canonical Affairs (1981–1984).
Retirement and death
Upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75 in June 1998, Bevilacqua submitted his letter of resignation to Pope John Paul II, who allowed him to continue in his post. Bevilacqua lost the right to participate in a papal conclave when he reached the age of 80 in June 2003. His resignation was finally accepted by the Pope on July 15, 2003, Bevilacqua served as apostolic administrator of the archdiocese until the installation of his successor, Cardinal Justin Rigali, on October 7, 2003. In retirement, Bevilacqua lived at his home on the grounds of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.
In February 2011 it was reported that Bevilacqua was suffering from cancer and dementia.
Bevilacqua died suddenly on January 31, 2012, at age 88 in his home in Wynnewood.
Viewpoints
In 2000, Bevilacqua testified before the Pennsylvania General Assembly in support of a bill that would enact a moratorium on capital punishment in that state.
Bevilacqua was a frequent critic of LGBT rights, calling it an "...aberration, moral evil...". He also believed that gay men should not be accepted as Catholic priests.
