Roman Catholic Cardinal. A native of Joaquim Egidio, one of Campinas's four districts, Agnelo Rossi entered seminary in Campinas, later moving to Rome in order to pursue his studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University. One of the thirty three founding students of the Pontifício Colégio Pio Brasileiro, Rossi was ordained priest at the Patriarchal Lateran Basilica in March 1937. Back in Brazil, he served briefly as secretary to the bishop of Campinas until 1938 when he joined the teaching staff of the seminary of São Paulo. Vice rector of the faculty of economic science from 1943 until 1956, he served as director of the "La Tribuna" journal and vice rector of the University of Campinas. Appointed bishop of the diocese of Barra do Pirai, he received his episcopal consecration on April 15, 1956. Promoted to the metropolitan see of Ribeirão Preto on September 6, 1962, he successively served as president of the Episcopal Conference of Brazil between 1963 and 1970. Transferred to the metropolitan see of São Paulo on November 1, 1964, Pope Paul VI created him cardinal priest in the consistory of February 22, 1965 with the title of Gran Madre di Dio. Named president of the First Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops held at the Vatican City in October 1969, Rossi was soon appointed prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals from 1976 until 1977, president of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See between 1984 and 1989, in 1984 he was named bishop of the suburbicarian see of Sabina e Poggio Mirteto and in 1986, dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals with the suburbicarian see of Ostia, while retaining the title of the suburbicarian see of Sabina-Poggio Mirteto. Resigning the deanship in 1993, Rossi returned to Brazil with residence in Campinas and in his last months authored three interesting books on different aspects of the history of the Sacred College of Cardinals. Loosing his second battle with cancer, the Cardinal passed away at the Vila Santa Sílvia and was interred in a shrine built out of his own expenses in Campinas in 1989 after surviving kidney and liver cancer.
Roman Catholic Cardinal. A native of Joaquim Egidio, one of Campinas's four districts, Agnelo Rossi entered seminary in Campinas, later moving to Rome in order to pursue his studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University. One of the thirty three founding students of the Pontifício Colégio Pio Brasileiro, Rossi was ordained priest at the Patriarchal Lateran Basilica in March 1937. Back in Brazil, he served briefly as secretary to the bishop of Campinas until 1938 when he joined the teaching staff of the seminary of São Paulo. Vice rector of the faculty of economic science from 1943 until 1956, he served as director of the "La Tribuna" journal and vice rector of the University of Campinas. Appointed bishop of the diocese of Barra do Pirai, he received his episcopal consecration on April 15, 1956. Promoted to the metropolitan see of Ribeirão Preto on September 6, 1962, he successively served as president of the Episcopal Conference of Brazil between 1963 and 1970. Transferred to the metropolitan see of São Paulo on November 1, 1964, Pope Paul VI created him cardinal priest in the consistory of February 22, 1965 with the title of Gran Madre di Dio. Named president of the First Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops held at the Vatican City in October 1969, Rossi was soon appointed prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals from 1976 until 1977, president of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See between 1984 and 1989, in 1984 he was named bishop of the suburbicarian see of Sabina e Poggio Mirteto and in 1986, dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals with the suburbicarian see of Ostia, while retaining the title of the suburbicarian see of Sabina-Poggio Mirteto. Resigning the deanship in 1993, Rossi returned to Brazil with residence in Campinas and in his last months authored three interesting books on different aspects of the history of the Sacred College of Cardinals. Loosing his second battle with cancer, the Cardinal passed away at the Vila Santa Sílvia and was interred in a shrine built out of his own expenses in Campinas in 1989 after surviving kidney and liver cancer.
Bio by: Eman Bonnici
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