The Reverend Gherardo Gambelli | |||||||||||||||
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Roman Catholic priest Archbishop-elect of Florence | |||||||||||||||
Church | Roman Catholic Church | ||||||||||||||
See | Florence | ||||||||||||||
Appointed | 18 April 2024 | ||||||||||||||
Installed | 24 June 2024 | ||||||||||||||
Predecessor | Giuseppe Betori | ||||||||||||||
Orders | |||||||||||||||
Ordination | 2 June 1996 by Silvano Piovanelli | ||||||||||||||
Consecration | 24 June 2024 (scheduled) | ||||||||||||||
Personal details | |||||||||||||||
Born | Viareggio, Italy | 23 June 1969||||||||||||||
Denomination | Roman Catholic | ||||||||||||||
Coat of arms | |||||||||||||||
Ordination history | |||||||||||||||
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Source(s):[1] |
Styles of Gherardo Gambelli | |
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Reference style | The Reverend |
Informal style | Father |
Gherardo Gambelli (born 23 June 1969) is a Roman Catholic priest for the Archdiocese of Florence. He was appointed as Archbishop of Florence on 18 April 2024. He devoted more than a decade of his time as a priest to missionary work in Chad.
Gambelli was born in Viareggio on 23 June 1969[1] and raised in Castelfiorentino.[2] He studied at the major seminary in Florence and on 2 June 1996, he was ordained to the Catholic priesthood for the Archdiocese of Florence by Cardinal Silvano Piovanelli, the archbishop of Florence at the time.[1][3]
Gambelli's first pastoral assignment was as parish vicar of the Chiesa di Santo Stefano in PanePontifical Gregorian University, graduating with a licentiate in biblical theology in 2000. He then served as the administrator of the Pieve di Sant'Andrea in Cercina until 2006,[1] while also teaching as a visiting professor at the Major Seminary of N'Djamena in Chad from 2001 to 2006.[4]
in the district of Rifredi. After four years as an assistant priest, he undertook studies at theAfter being awarded a doctorate from the Theological Faculty of Central Italy in 2007, Gambelli became a full-fledged pastor of Immacolata e San Martino in Montughi.[1] He served in that capacity for four years before being sent as a missionary priest to the Archdiocese of N'Djaména in Chad in 2011.[1][5] There, he served as parish priest of Sainte Joséphine Bakhita, was in charge of vocational pastoral care, and taught at the national minor seminary. Gambelli became rector of the Cathédrale Saint-Ignace in the neighbouring Apostolic Vicariate of Mongo in 2018, before being appointed vicar general of the vicariate following year. His years in Chad included two stints as a prison chaplain, from 2011 to 2017 at N'Djaména prison and from 2018 to 2022 at the prison in the Mongo Vicariate.[1]
Upon his return to Italy in 2023, Gambelli became pastor of Madonna della Tosse.[1][5] He was also assistant spiritual director of the seminary and a prison chaplain.[6]
Gambelli was appointed Archbishop of Florence on 18 April 2024.[1] His appointment was described by Il Messaggero as part of a pattern in which Pope Francis chooses dark horse candidates with experience in parish and missionary work for important sees.[5] Avvenire referred to him as "the priest of the peripheries, from Africa to prison".[6] Gambelli's episcopal consecration and installation are scheduled for 24 June.[6]