Background
Ezzati Andrello was born in Campiglia Berici, Vicenza, Italy.
archbishop bishop cardinal Catholic priest
Ezzati Andrello was born in Campiglia Berici, Vicenza, Italy.
He entered the Novitiate of the Salesians in Quilpué, Valparaíso where he studied philosophy at the Catholic University of Valparaíso, and theology at the Pontifical Salesian University in Rome, where he obtained the licentiate.
He had previously served as Archbishop of Concepción. He arrived in Chile in 1959. He made his final vows as a Salesian on 30 December 1966, and was ordained as a priest of the Salesian order on 18 March 1970.
After his ordination he received a Licentiate in Religious Studies at the Institut de Pastoral Catéchetique in Strasbourg and the title of Professor of Religion and Philosophy at the Catholic University of Valparaísouthern
In 1991, he was appointed an official of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. He was appointed as the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Valdivia, Chile, on 28 June 1996 by Pope John Paul II and was consecrated on 8 September 1996.
On 10 July 2001 he was appointed Titular Bishop of Louisiana Imperial and Auxiliary Bishop of the much larger Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile. He served as an Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile until 27 December 2006, when he was appointed as the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Concepción.
In June 2009, Archbishop Ezzati Andrello was named by the Pope, Pope Benedict XVI, along with four other prelates, to be Apostolic Visitors to the Legionaries of Christ.
Andrello will carry out the investigation of the order in Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Brazil and Venezuela, where the Legion has 20 houses, 122 priests and 122 religious seminarians. As the archbishop of Concepción, Ezzati Andrello played a crucial role in ending the 82-day hunger strike of 34 Mapuche prisoners, which ended on 1 October 2010. He replaced Cardinal Errázuriz Ossa, whose resignation was accepted having reached the canonical age limit of 75.
Archbishop Ezzati Andrello took responsibility for the city of Santiago de Chile on 15 January 2011, during a mass at the Archdiocesan Cathedral.
He received the pallium from Pope Benedict as a new Metropolitan Archbishop on 29 June 2011, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. The Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile has an area of 9,132 square miles (23,650 km2), total population of 5,791,000, Catholic population of 4,019,000, 854 priests, 295 permanent deacons, and 3,100 religious.
In January 2014 it was announced that he will be elevated to the cardinalate at the next consistory on 22 February 2014.
As a Salesian priest he held the following positions: Director for Youth Ministry in the Salesian School in Valdivia, Director of Community for the Salesians in Concepcion, Chile, Member of the Provincial Council of the Chilean Salesians, Director of the Salesian Seminary of Santiago de Chile, and Inspector Provincial of the Salesians in Chile. Archbishop Ezzati Andrello was named a Member of the Congregation for Catholic Education by Pope Francis in November 2013.