Giovanni Nerbini

Nerbini, September 2019

Giovanni Nerbini (born 2 June 1954) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who became Bishop of Prato in 2019.

Biography

Giovanni Nerbini was born on 2 June 1954 in Figline Valdarno, Province of Florence. He earned a degree in school supervision and was an elementary schoolteacher from 1973 to 1989.[1] He then entered the seminary of the Diocese of Fiesole and studied philosophy and theology at the Theological Faculty of Central Italy. He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Fiesole by Bishop Luciano Giovannetti on 22 April 1995 and in that diocese filled a variety of pastoral and administrative assignments. Appointed by Bishop Mario Meini, he was vicar general of the diocese from 2015 to 2018.[2]

On 15 May 2019, Pope Francis named him Bishop of Prato.[2] He received his episcopal consecration from Cardinal Giuseppe Betori, Archbishop of Florence, on 30 June[1] and was installed in Prato on 7 September.

In December 2019, Nerbini notified civil authorities of charges of sexual abuse of two brothers—one less than 14 years old[3]—on the part nine priests and brothers of the Disciples of the Annunciation,[4] an order founded in Prato in 2010 and suppressed by the Vatican's Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life on 24 December 2019.[5] His predecessor, Bishop Franco Agostinelli, had only notified Vatican authorities of the allegations and Italian law does not require bishops to notify the police.[4] He is the first Italian bishop to take such an action.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b "Nerbini ordinato vescovo, il "battesimo" di Agostinelli e Simoni". La Nazione (in Italian). 30 June 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Resignations and Appointments, 15.05.2019" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 15 May 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  3. ^ Rossi, Gianni (29 January 2020). "Prato. Violenza a minori, 9 avvisi di garanzia a "Discepoli dell'Annunciazione"". Avvenire (in Italian). Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  4. ^ a b Winfield, Nicole (29 January 2020). "Priests in group shut down by Vatican accused of sex abuse". Associated Press. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  5. ^ "Comunità religiosa sciolta dalla Santa Sede". La Nazione (in Italian). 25 December 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  6. ^ Mickens, Robert (30 January 2020). "An Italian bishop goes rogue and blows the whistle". La Croix International. Retrieved 31 January 2020.