1. Luigi Ventura was born on 9 December 1944 and is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See, ending his career as Apostolic Nuncio to France from 2009 to 2019.
21 Facts About Luigi Ventura
1. 2.
Luigi Ventura became a nuncio and archbishop in 1995 and served in several African countries, Chile, and Canada before being posted to Paris.
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Luigi Ventura was allowed to relocate to Rome; Pope Francis accepted his resignation in December 2019.
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However, Luigi Ventura was denied a motion to postpone the trial, which proceeded with many of his accusers testifying.
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Luigi Ventura was born on 9 December 1944 in Borgosatollo, Italy.
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Luigi Ventura was ordained a priest on 14 June 1969 for the Diocese of Brescia.
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Luigi Ventura joined the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1978.
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Luigi Ventura earned a doctor of letters and holds a licentiate in canon law.
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Luigi Ventura then worked in Rome with the Section for Relations with States at the Secretariat of State until 1995.
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Luigi Ventura was consecrated a bishop on 29 April 1995 by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Secretary of State.
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Luigi Ventura was made nuncio to Chile on 25 March 1999.
12.
French European Minister Nathalie Loiseau said she expects the Vatican to allow Luigi Ventura to be tried.
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On 22 February a Canadian man, Christian Vachon, charged Luigi Ventura had touched him improperly in July 2008 when he was 32.
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Vachon said Ventura's successor as Nuncio to Canada, Archbishop Luigi Bonazzi, called him the day he registered his complaint to discuss it.
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At the time his France trial was announced in July 2020, Luigi Ventura was still under investigation for the alleged 2008 incident in Ottawa, Canada as well.
16.
Pope Francis accepted his resignation on 17 December 2019, which Luigi Ventura had submitted as required on his 75th birthday.
17.
The fact that Luigi Ventura resignation was announced on the same day as Francis' abuse reforms does not seem to be a coincidence.
18.
Liberation, which published some of the earliest complaints against Luigi Ventura, called the idea of retiring without referencing the criminal charges against Luigi Ventura "a beautiful example of Jesuitry".
19.
Luigi Ventura's lawyer stated that the former nuncio agreed to return to Paris and make in-person court appearances during his trial.
20.
Luigi Ventura's verdict was scheduled to be delivered on 16 December 2020, with prosecution seeking only a 10-month suspended prison sentence.
21.
On 18 January 2021, Luigi Ventura's lawyer said he would not appeal his conviction.