Ernest Simoni

His Eminence

Ernest Simoni
Cardinal-Deacon of Santa Maria della Scala
Cardinal Ernest Simoni in 2016.
ChurchCatholic Church (Latin Church)
Appointed19 November 2016
Installed11 February 2017
PredecessorStanisław Nagy
Orders
Ordination7 April 1956
Created cardinal
19 November 2016
by Pope Francis
RankCardinal-Deacon
Personal details
Born (1928-10-18) 18 October 1928 (age 98)
Troshani, Albanian Kingdom
DenominationCatholic Church
MottoZemra jeme dotë triumfojë
(Albanian for 'My Immaculate Heart will triumph')
Styles
Reference styleHis Eminence
Spoken styleYour Eminence
Religious styleCardinal
Informal styleCardinal

Ernest Simoni Troshani (born 18 October 1928) is an Albanian Catholic prelate known for being one of the few recent appointees to the College of Cardinals who, prior to his appointment, was not a bishop. He is known for his resistance to persecution under the Albanian Hoxha regime. He was created a cardinal by Pope Francis in a consistory held on 19 November 2016.

Life

Simoni was born in 1928 in Troshani [sq] in the Albanian Kingdom.

On 24 December 1963, he was imprisoned by the Communist authorities after offering a Mass for the repose of assassinated U.S. President John F. Kennedy. Simoni was tortured and even offered marriage to leave his faith. He was sentenced to death by firing squad, but ultimately spent 28 years at penal labour after his sentence was converted into a prison term: 18 years working in various mines, followed by a decade in Shkodër's sewage canals.

On 21 September 2014, he met Pope Francis during his apostolic visit to Albania and provided the pope with his own testimony on his experiences under the Communist regime.

On 9 October 2016, Pope Francis announced that he would create Simoni a cardinal in the consistory held on 19 November of the same year. Canon 351 of the Code of Canon Law requires that all cardinals must be bishops, but Simoni was given a papal dispensation from the requirement of episcopal consecration. At the consistory, he was assigned a titular church, becoming Cardinal-Deacon of Santa Maria della Scala. His motto as cardinal is "My Immaculate Heart will triumph" (Zemra jeme dotë triumfojë in his native Albanian) in reference to Our Lady of Fátima.

On 25 October 2025, during the Pontifical High Mass celebrated by Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke as part of the 14th annual Summorum Pontificum Pilgrimage, Simoni offered Pope Leo XIII’s Exorcism against Satan and the Apostate Angels, invoking St. Michael the Archangel.

Simoni returned to Spaç Prison, where he and other political prisoners were once forced to mine copper and pyrite under brutal conditions, to celebrate Mass in remembrance of those who had suffered or died at the camp on 31 July 2026.

Thieves broke into Simoni's residence on Florence's Piazza del Duomo, an apartment Simoni shares with a nephew and his wife, between 1 pm and 11 pm on 18 September 2026. Among the items stolen were Simoni's Italian residence permit, along with some medals, cash, a gold seal and other gold items, plus jewellery and an old PlayStation cable belonging to his nephew's family. Simoni was out of the country at the time of the robbery, having travelled to attend a meeting with King Charles III at Balmoral Castle on the morning of 15 September 2026.

Honors

In 2017, he received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement at an awards ceremony in London.

References

  1. ↑ "Il Papa annuncia un concistoro per il 19 novembre" (in Italian). La Stampa. 9 October 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  2. ↑ "SIMONI Card. Ernest". press.vatican.va. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  3. ↑ Koleka, Benet (2016). "Lifetime of privation made Albanian priest a Catholic cardinal". Reuters. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  4. ↑ Glatz, Carol (11 October 2016). "This priest's story of persecution brought Pope Francis to tears. Now he's making him a cardinal". America. Catholic News Service. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  5. ↑ "Paoline Ufficio Stampa – Don Ernest Simoni". paoline.it. 9 October 2016. Archived from the original on 9 May 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  6. ↑ "Mgr Ernest Simoni, simple curé nommé cardinal albanais". lalibre.be. 21 November 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  7. ↑ "Da sacerdote a cardinale: ecco chi è Ernest Simoni, uno dei 17 nuovi porporati voluti dal Papa" (in Italian). ilsole24ore.com. 9 October 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  8. ↑ Cardinale, Gianni (27 November 2020). "Ecco i nuovi cardinali: nomi, storie, numeri e novità" (in Italian). Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  9. ↑ "Don Ernest Simoni all'ospedale San Giovanni". Diocese of Rome. 25 March 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  10. ↑ "Cardinal Ernest Simoni". The College of Cardinals Report. 23 November 2024. Retrieved 2 September 2026.
  11. ↑ Blake, Jordan. "Cardinal Ernest Simoni Recites Exorcism During Latin Mass at St. Peter's Basilica". catholiconline.news. Catholic Online News. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  12. ↑ "Pope to Cardinal Simoni: No prison can separate a person from God's love - Vatican News". www.vaticannews.va. 1 August 2026. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  13. ↑ Mollica, Antonella (18 September 2026). "Colpo in casa del cardinale (mentre lui è da re Carlo), sfondata la porta a scalpellate: bottino da circa 30 mila euro". Corriere della sera (in Italian). Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  14. ↑ "Court Circular". www.royal.uk. 15 September 2026. Retrieved 29 September 2026.
  15. ↑ "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement.
  16. ↑ "2017 Summit Highlights Photo". Two members of the Class of 2017: fashion designer Valentino Garavani, the "Living Martyr" of Albania, Cardinal Ernest Simoni, with the Academy's 52nd annual International Achievement Summit Host, Catherine B. Reynolds.
Additional sources