Cardinal Paolo Romeo, archbishop emeritus of Palermo and former apostolic nuncio to Italy and the Republic of San Marino, has died. He was 88. He passed away on the morning of Sunday, October 25, at the San Marco hospital in Catania, following a long illness. The news was announced by the Archdiocese of Palermo.
His name is also tied to the history of diplomatic relations between San Marino and the Holy See. On April 17, 2001, Pope John Paul II appointed him apostolic nuncio to Italy and the Republic of San Marino, a role he held until December 2006, when Benedict XVI called him to lead the Archdiocese of Palermo.
For more than five years, then, Romeo served as the Pontiff’s diplomatic representative to the Republic of the Titan as well, playing a role in relations between San Marino’s institutions and the Vatican.
Born in Acireale on February 20, 1938, the fifth of nine children, he was ordained a priest on March 18, 1961. After studying theology and canon law in Rome, he began his diplomatic career with the Holy See in 1967.
Over the years he served in papal representations in the Philippines, Belgium, Luxembourg, Venezuela, Rwanda and Burundi, also handling relations with European institutions.
In 1983 he was appointed apostolic nuncio to Haiti, receiving episcopal ordination directly from John Paul II on January 6, 1984. He later represented the Vatican in Colombia and Canada, before his appointment to Italy and San Marino.
On December 19, 2006, he was named metropolitan archbishop of Palermo, a post he held until 2015. In November 2010, Pope Benedict XVI made him a cardinal. Three years later he took part in the conclave that elected Pope Francis.
In recent years Romeo had returned to live in his hometown of Acireale, maintaining close ties with the Sicilian ecclesial community.
The body will lie in state starting Tuesday, October 27, from 9:30 a.m., at the Cathedral Basilica of Acireale, where a prayer vigil will be held at 8 p.m.
The funeral will be celebrated on Wednesday, October 28, at 11 a.m., also at the Cathedral of Acireale.
