Roman Catholic Cardinal. Genoa born Alberto Ballestrero received his elementary studies in Genoa between 1919 and 1922 at the local Collegio Belimbau before entering the seminary of the Discalced Carmelites at the Deserto di Varazze on October 2, 1924. Joining the named Order of the Discalced Carmelites through the province of Liguria, in Loana, Savona, he received his religious habit on October 12, 1928 along with the religious name of Anastasio del Santissimo Rosario. Taking his first vows on October 17, 1929, he was transferred to the convent of Sant'Anna in Genoa in September 1932 in order to undergo further studies in philosophy and theology. After recovering in a local hospital from a life-threatening infection, he made his solemn profession on October 5, 1934 at the named convent of Sant'Anna of Genoa, receiving the subdiaconate in March 1935 and the diaconate on the following December. Ordained to the priesthood on June 6, 1936 in the metropolitan cathedral of San Lorenzo of Genoa, he was successively named professor of philosophy at the studentiate of Sant'Anna, on August 13. Initiating his preaching apostolate at the Bertani hospital of Genoa on January 1, 1937, he was elected prior of the convent of Sant'Anna on April 22, 1945, occupying the post until 1948, when he was elected minister provincial of Liguria on April 3, holding the post until May 7, 1954, when he was again elected prior of the convent of Sant'Anna. Elected Preposito Generale of his Order on April 9, 1955, he was again reelected on April 21, 1961, occupying the post until May 20, 1967. During his two terms in the office, he visited all the 350 Carmelite convents and 850 Carmelite monasteries in the world except Hungary, which did not allow him to enter the country. Serving furthermore as President of the Union of Superior Generals, at sixty years of age, Ballestrero was appointed archbishop of the metropolitan see of Bari-Canosa on December 21, 1973 by Pope Paul VI, receiving his episcopal consecration on February 2 of the following year in Rome from Cardinal Sebastiano Baggio, prefect of Sacred Congregation for Bishops. Transferred to the metropolitan see of Turin on August 1, 1977, following the retirement of Cardinal Michele Pellegrino, the archbishop was elected vice-president of Italian Episcopal Conference on May 25, 1978 and was later named its president by Pope John Paul II on May 18, 1979, occupying the post until July 3, 1985. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of June 30, 1979 with the title of Santa Maria sopra Minerva by Pope John Paul II, he acted as special Papal envoy to the inaugural ceremonies of the Teresian Year commemorating the fourth centennial of the death of St. Teresa of Ávila, held between October 14 and 15, 1981 at Alba de Tormes and Avila, Spain. Resigning the pastoral government of the archdiocese on January 31, 1989, he retired to the monastery of Santa Croce in Bocca di Magra, La Spezia. The Cardinal died on June 21, 1998, in his residence of Fortino Santa Maria, Bocca di Magra, following a lengthy illness aged 84. After the celebration of a solemn funeral mass at the metropolitan cathedral of Turin, he was buried in accordance with his wishes, in the crypt of the chapel of the Eremo di San Giuseppe del Deserto in Varazze, Savona, where he matured his vocation to enter the Carmelite Discalced Order. On February 4, 2014, the Council of Bishops of Piedmont announced the opening of the process for his beatification.