He obtained a license in
prophetic pastoral theology at the
Pontifical Theological Faculty of Southern Italy. On 15 July 1978 he was ordained
priest by the
bishop Umberto Altomare.
Bishop On 18 March 2000, he was elected bishop of
Teggiano-Policastro. On 13 May of the same year, he received the
episcopal consecration from
Cardinal Michele Giordano. He is a member of the
Episcopal Commission for Family and Life. In 2006, he closed the
diocesan synod with the theme "I called you friends". On 5 June 2007, the diocesan museum of
Teggiano reopened after a long closing period. In the same year, at the conclusion of the 18th diocesan pastoral convention, on 19 September 2007, the diocesan beatification process was opened for its predecessor
Federico Pezzullo,
bishop of
Policastro. In 2009, he founded the diocesan magazine Mete magazine. In the same year he defended the work of two priests of his diocese who came into conflict with their parishioners: Don Pasquale Pellegrino, from
Torre Orsaia, unjustly accused of being the lover of local women, and Don Gianni Citro Lentiscosa, already in shock for the management of a village party with his parishioners who later wanted to remove him after his registration with the
PD Italian party. The bishop reminds Fr Gianni Citro that canon law limits the possibilities of political commitment of priests. On 15 January 2011, he was elected bishop of
Aversa, succeeding the archbishop, personal title,
Mario Milano. On 22 May 2012, he was elected, from the 64th General Assembly, vice president, for the south, of the
Italian Episcopal Conference, remaining in office for five years. On 3 January 2013, he was awarded the honorary citizenship of
Monte San Giacomo, a small town in the
province of Salerno where he had previously been parish priest from 1983 to 1991. Since September of the same year, he also held the office of apostolic administrator of
Caserta until 18 May 2014. == References ==