Aloysius Cardinal Ambrozic
Encyclopedia
Alojzij Matthew Ambrožič (January 27, 1930 – August 26, 2011) was a Roman Catholic cardinal
and Archbishop of Toronto
. He was made a cardinal on 21 February 1998.
, Kingdom of Yugoslavia
as Alojzij Ambrožič as one of seven children of Aloysius Ambrozic and Helen Pecar. In May 1945 he and his family fled to Austria
, where he completed high school in Ljubljana
and various refugee camp
s (Vetrinj, Peggez and Spittal an der Drau). The family went to Canada
in September 1948, studied at St. Augustine's Seminary
and Ambrožič was ordained a priest in Toronto on 4 June 1955. He served first in Port Colborne, Ontario
, and later taught at St. Augustine's Seminary
in Toronto.
He studied theology
in Rome
(he earned a degree in theology from the Angelicum). On his return to Canada, he taught Scripture at St Augustine's Seminary from 1960 to 1967. He then studied at the University of Würzburg
in Germany
and there obtained a doctorate
in theology in 1970. He taught exegesis
at the Toronto School of Theology
from 1970 to 1976, when he was named Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto on 27 May of that year. On 22 May 1986 he became Coadjutor Archbishop of Toronto, and duly succeeded to the position of Archbishop of Toronto on 17 March 1990.
In 1998 he was created cardinal by Pope John Paul II
and assigned the titular church of Santi Marcellino e Pietro
. He became a member of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants
in 1990, the Congregation for the Clergy
in 1991, the Pontifical Council for Culture
in 1993, and the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
in 1999. He was one of the cardinal electors
who participated in the 2005 papal conclave
that selected Pope Benedict XVI
. He retired on 16 December 2006.
During his archiepiscopate, Toronto hosted World Youth Day in 2002
. He was a vocal opponent of same-sex marriage in Canada
. On his retirement for reasons of age, Ambrožič was succeeded as archbishop of Toronto by Thomas Christopher Collins
on 30 January 2007.
Cardinal Ambrozic died on 26 August 2011 after a lengthy illness. His funeral mass was held on 31 August 2011 at Saint Michael's Cathedral in Toronto, with Archbishop Thomas Collins presiding. More than 1000 people attended the mass, including Federal Finance Minister James Flaherty and Mayors Robert Ford and Hazel McCallion.
) to invite the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter
to offer Tridentine Mass
es in the archdiocese http://www.unavocetoronto.com/news/ambroziclettersFeb06.html.
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
and Archbishop of Toronto
Roman Catholic Archbishops of Toronto
This is a list of the Roman Catholic Archbishops of Toronto.The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto was created out of the Diocese of Kingston December 17, 1841....
. He was made a cardinal on 21 February 1998.
Biography
Ambrožič was born near GabrjeGabrje, Dobrova-Polhov Gradec
Gabrje is a settlement north of Dobrova in the Municipality of Dobrova-Polhov Gradec in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia.The local church is dedicated to John the Baptist and was built in 1772 on the site of an earlier church...
, Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
as Alojzij Ambrožič as one of seven children of Aloysius Ambrozic and Helen Pecar. In May 1945 he and his family fled to Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, where he completed high school in Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
and various refugee camp
Refugee camp
A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees. Hundreds of thousands of people may live in any one single camp. Usually they are built and run by a government, the United Nations, or international organizations, or NGOs.Refugee camps are generally set up in an impromptu...
s (Vetrinj, Peggez and Spittal an der Drau). The family went to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in September 1948, studied at St. Augustine's Seminary
St. Augustine's Seminary
St. Augustine's Seminary is the archdiocesan seminary of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto, in Canada. It also welcomes candidates from elsewhere.It is a member of the Toronto School of Theology. It is located by the shore of Lake Ontario in Toronto....
and Ambrožič was ordained a priest in Toronto on 4 June 1955. He served first in Port Colborne, Ontario
Port Colborne, Ontario
Port Colborne is a city on Lake Erie, at the southern end of the Welland Canal, in the Niagara Region of southern Ontario, Canada...
, and later taught at St. Augustine's Seminary
St. Augustine's Seminary
St. Augustine's Seminary is the archdiocesan seminary of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto, in Canada. It also welcomes candidates from elsewhere.It is a member of the Toronto School of Theology. It is located by the shore of Lake Ontario in Toronto....
in Toronto.
He studied theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
(he earned a degree in theology from the Angelicum). On his return to Canada, he taught Scripture at St Augustine's Seminary from 1960 to 1967. He then studied at the University of Würzburg
University of Würzburg
The University of Würzburg is a university in Würzburg, Germany, founded in 1402. The university is a member of the distinguished Coimbra Group.-Name:...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and there obtained a doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in theology in 1970. He taught exegesis
Exegesis
Exegesis is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially a religious text. Traditionally the term was used primarily for exegesis of the Bible; however, in contemporary usage it has broadened to mean a critical explanation of any text, and the term "Biblical exegesis" is used...
at the Toronto School of Theology
Toronto School of Theology
The Toronto School of Theology is an ecumenical centre for graduate theological education and the largest of its kind in Canada. Affiliated with the University of Toronto, the TST comprises seven member colleges in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Reformed traditions, as well as four affiliated...
from 1970 to 1976, when he was named Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto on 27 May of that year. On 22 May 1986 he became Coadjutor Archbishop of Toronto, and duly succeeded to the position of Archbishop of Toronto on 17 March 1990.
In 1998 he was created cardinal by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
and assigned the titular church of Santi Marcellino e Pietro
Santi Marcellino e Pietro
Santi Marcellino e Pietro al Laterano is a Roman catholic parish and titular church in Rome on the Via Merulana. It is dedicated to Saints Marcellinus and Peter, 4th century Roman martyrs, whose relics were brought here in 1256.-History:...
. He became a member of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants
Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants
The Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants is a dicastery of the Roman Curia...
in 1990, the Congregation for the Clergy
Congregation for the Clergy
The Sacred Congregation for the Clergy is the congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for overseeing matters regarding priests and deacons not belonging to religious orders...
in 1991, the Pontifical Council for Culture
Pontifical Council for Culture
The Pontifical Council for Culture is a department of the Roman Curia charged with fostering the relationship of the Catholic Church with different cultures. Pope John Paul II founded it on 20 May 1982...
in 1993, and the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments is the congregation of the Roman Curia that handles most affairs relating to liturgical practices of the Latin Catholic Church as distinct from the Eastern Catholic Churches and also some technical matters relating to the...
in 1999. He was one of the cardinal electors
Cardinal electors in Papal conclave, 2005
The following is a list of the 115 cardinal electors in the 2005 papal conclave, arranged by region and, within each region, alphabetically. Two cardinals who were eligible to participate in the conclave, namely Adolfo Suarez Rivera and Jaime Sin, did not attend due to ill health.-Roman...
who participated in the 2005 papal conclave
Papal conclave, 2005
The Papal conclave of 2005 was convened as a result of the death of Pope John Paul II on 2 April 2005. After his death, the cardinals who were in Rome met and set a date for the beginning of the conclave to elect John Paul's successor. The conclave began on 18 April 2005 and ended on the following...
that selected Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
. He retired on 16 December 2006.
During his archiepiscopate, Toronto hosted World Youth Day in 2002
World Youth Day 2002
The 17th World Youth Day 2002 was a Catholic youth festival held from July 23 to July 28, 2002 in Toronto, Canada. World Youth Day is a celebration of faith begun by Pope John Paul II held on an international level every two to three years, and WYD2002 was the tenth such event. It was also Pope...
. He was a vocal opponent of same-sex marriage in Canada
Same-sex marriage in Canada
On July 20, 2005, Canada became the fourth country in the world and the first country in the Americas to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide with the enactment of the Civil Marriage Act which provided a gender-neutral marriage definition...
. On his retirement for reasons of age, Ambrožič was succeeded as archbishop of Toronto by Thomas Christopher Collins
Thomas Christopher Collins
Thomas Christopher Collins is a Canadian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the tenth and current Archbishop of Toronto, having previously served as Bishop of Saint Paul in Alberta and Archbishop of Edmonton .-Early life and education:Collins was born in Guelph, Ontario, the son of the...
on 30 January 2007.
Cardinal Ambrozic died on 26 August 2011 after a lengthy illness. His funeral mass was held on 31 August 2011 at Saint Michael's Cathedral in Toronto, with Archbishop Thomas Collins presiding. More than 1000 people attended the mass, including Federal Finance Minister James Flaherty and Mayors Robert Ford and Hazel McCallion.
Views
Ambrožič was a somewhat contentious figure in Canadian Catholicism, and the subject of vocal opposition from some liberal or progressive Catholics and ex-Catholics for his conservative stands. At the same time, he rejected a request from the Toronto Traditional Mass Society (the local chapter of Una VoceUna Voce
Una Voce is an international federation of Catholic lay organizations attached to the Tridentine Mass....
) to invite the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter
Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter
The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter is a traditionalist Catholic Society of Apostolic Life of priests and seminarians in good standing with the Holy See.-Canonical status:...
to offer Tridentine Mass
Tridentine Mass
The Tridentine Mass is the form of the Roman Rite Mass contained in the typical editions of the Roman Missal that were published from 1570 to 1962. It was the most widely celebrated Mass liturgy in the world until the introduction of the Mass of Paul VI in December 1969...
es in the archdiocese http://www.unavocetoronto.com/news/ambroziclettersFeb06.html.