Background
Agustoni was born in Schaffhausen, Switzerland and had four brothers and one sister.
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Agustoni was born in Schaffhausen, Switzerland and had four brothers and one sister.
He was educated at the Seminary of Lugano. Because of the war, his bishop, Angelo Jelmini, kept his student in Switzerland and had him continue his studies at the University of Fribourg, but later sent him to the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Angelicum and the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, where he earned licentiates in theology and law.
Their mother came from a village on the shores of Lake Constance. In 1950, Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani asked Jelmini for the young Agustoni, whom he had met on several occasions, to work in the Holy Office, while continuing his studies. Agustoni began his service there on 1 July 1950 and eventually became Ottaviani"s secretary.
On 18 December 1986 Pope John Paul II appointed Agustoni Titular Archbishop of Caprulae and Secretary of the Congregation for the Clergy.
On 2 April 1992 he was appointed Pro-Prefect of Apostolic Signatura, becoming Prefect when created Cardinal-Deacon of Santi Urbano e Lorenzo a Prima Porta on 26 November 1994. He resigned his post on 5 October 1998, becoming Prefect Emeritus of the Signatura.
In early 2005, he took the option, open to Cardinal-Deacons after ten years, of becoming a Cardinal-Priest. He was secretary to Ottaviani at the time of the Number confirmation of this story by the cardinal himself was published.
Agustoni resigned as Ottaviani"s secretary in 1970 to join the Ecclesiastical Magistrature as Prelate Auditor of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota and there is no evidence to suggest his departure was anything more than a routine change of assignment.
Furthermore, Madiran admits that he was not in the room to see this alleged deception of Ottaviani.
Member of Cunal member includes Bishops, Education, Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, Interpretation of Legislative Texts.