Francesco Montenegro was born in Messina, Italy, on 22 May 1946, and was ordained a priest on 8 August 1969. After parish ministry on the outskirts of Messina he served as secretary to two archbishops, then as parish priest of San Clemente (1978–1988) and director of diocesan Caritas — the start of a lifelong association with the Church's charitable arm. He was pro-vicar general of Messina from 1997 to 2000.
On 18 March 2000 he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Messina, and from May 2003 to May 2008 he was president of Caritas Italiana, a post he would hold again from 2015. On 23 February 2008 Benedict XVI appointed him Metropolitan Archbishop of Agrigento — the diocese that includes Lampedusa. From 2013 he chaired the Italian bishops' commission for migration and the Migrantes Foundation.
On 8 July 2013 he welcomed Pope Francis to Lampedusa on the first journey of the pontificate, a visit that put migration at the centre of the Francis years. Francis created him a cardinal on 14 February 2015, with the titular church of Santi Andrea e Gregorio al Monte Celio. He retired as Archbishop of Agrigento on 22 May 2021.
Major Works & Initiatives
President of Caritas Italiana
Twice led the Italian Church's national charitable organisation.
President of the Migrantes Foundation
Chaired the bishops' migration commission and foundation through the Mediterranean migration crisis.
Archbishop of Agrigento
Shepherd of the diocese of Lampedusa, front line of migrant arrivals in Europe.
Controversies
On the record
No significant public controversies reported.