Sergio Cardinal Sebastiani
Sergio Cardinal Sebastiani (born
April 11,
1931) is an Italian
cardinal of the
Roman Catholic Church and the most recent President of
Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See.
Sebastiani was born in
Montemonaco,
Italy and was ordained in
1956. In
1976, he became Titular Archbishop of
Caesarea in Mauretania, as well as Apostolic
Pro-Nuncio to
Mauretania and
Mauricius. Sebastiani became Apostolic Nuncio (
ambassador of the
Holy See), to
Turkey in
1985. In
1994, he was appointed General Secretary of the Central Committee for the Great
Jubilee of the Year 2000.
In
1997, Sebastiani was made President of Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See, part of the government of
Vatican City, responsible for overseeing and managing the Vatican's temporal possessions. He served in this position until the death of
Pope John Paul II; because it is customary for most Vatican officials to resign in the absence of a pope, Sebastiani resigned his presidency on
April 2,
2005.
Sergio Sebastiani was made a
Cardinal Deacon in
2001, and was one of the
cardinal electors who participated in the
2005 papal conclave that selected
Pope Benedict XVI.