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Ernest Simoni
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| Cardinal-Deacon of Santa Maria della Scala | |
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| Church | Catholic Church (Latin Church) |
| Appointed | 19 November 2016 |
| Installed | 11 February 2017 |
| Predecessor | Stanisław Nagy |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 7 April 1956 |
| Created cardinal | 19 November 2016 byPope Francis |
| Rank | Cardinal-Deacon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ernest Simoni (1928-10-18) 18 October 1928 (age 95) |
| Nationality | Albanian |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Motto | Albanian: Zemra jeme dotë triumfojë (My Immaculate Heart will Triumph) |
| Coat of arms |  |
| Styles of Ernest Simoni | |
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| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
Ernest Simoni Troshani (born 18 October 1928) is an Albanian cardinal of the Catholic Church.
He was created a cardinal in a consistory held on 19 November 2016 by Pope Francis.[1]
Ernest Simoni was born in 1928 in Troshani in the Albanian Kingdom.[2]
On 24 December 1963, he was imprisoned by the Communist authorities after offering a Mass for the repose of assassinated President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Ernest Simoni was tortured and even offered marriage to leave his faith.[3] He was sentenced to death, but the sentence was converted into a prison term and he spent 28 years at penal labour, first in a mine and then in a sewage canal.[4]
On 21 September 2014, he met Pope Francis during his apostolic visit to Albania and provided the pope with his own testimony on his experiences under the Communist regime.[5]
On 9 October 2016,[6] Pope Francis announced that he would create Simoni a cardinal in the consistory held on 19 November of the same year.[7] Canon 351 of the Code of Canon Law requires that all cardinals must be bishops, but Simoni was given a papal dispensation from the requirement of episcopal consecration.[8]
At the consistory, he was assigned the titular church of Santa Maria della Scala. As of 2019, he had not yet received episcopal consecration.[9]
In 2017, he received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement presented at an awards ceremony in London.[10][11]
Two members of the Class of 2017: fashion designer Valentino Garavani, the "Living Martyr" of Albania, Cardinal Ernest Simoni, with the Academy's 52nd annual International Achievement Summit Host, Catherine B. Reynolds.
Quotations related to Ernest Simoni at Wikiquote
Media related to Ernest Simoni at Wikimedia Commons| Catholic Church titles | ||
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| Preceded by | Cardinal Deacon of Santa Maria della Scala 19 November 2016– present |
Succeeded by incumbent |
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