Rome, Italy, Jun 3, 2011 / 15:02 pm
The three names on the short list for Archbishop of Milan were revealed in the Italian press June 3.
The trio of Italian clerics are Cardinal Angelo Scola of Venice, Bishop Francesco Lambasi of Rimini, and Monsignor Aldo Giordano, the Vatican’s representative to the Council of Europe.
The details were published in the Italian paper La Stampa by journalist Andrea Tornielli, who is based in both Milan and Rome. He claims the final decision will be made on Thursday, June 9. The present incumbent, Archbishop Dionigi Tettamanzi, is 77 years-old and due for retirement.
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Milan is the most populous in Italy and one of the most influential in the Catholic Church. In the 20th century, two holders of the office have gone onto the papacy – Pope Pius XI and Pope Paul VI. Being a metropolitan see, it also has jurisdiction over nine other dioceses in the north of Italy.