Italian cardinal-designate longtime voice for refugees, world's poor

Published: 2003-10-16

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Italian Cardinal-designate Renato R. Martino has used his longtime status as a Vatican diplomat as a strong voice for the world's poor and disenfranchised. But he's also used his position to ensure the Vatican's position on the right to life is heard in the corridors of the United Nations. The president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace was named a cardinal by Pope John Paul II Sept. 28 and will receive his red hat at an Oct. 21 consistory at the Vatican. He completed a 16-year tenure as nuncio and the Vatican's permanent observer to the United Nations in 2002 before being appointed to his current post. During his tenure at the United Nations, he spoke against the humanitarian disaster caused by war and emphasized the plight of refugees.

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