Archbishop Acerbi was born in Italy on 23 September 1925, in the commune of Sesta Godano, about 37 miles east of Genoa, part of the Diocese of La Spezia-Sarzana-Brugnato, to which he was ordained in 1948.
He later earned degrees in canon law and theology, and in 1954 he entered the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, marking the beginning of his long diplomatic career.
His service to the Vatican included various high-profile and perilous appointments. In March 1974, he was dispatched to Spain to mediate tensions between the Church and Franco’s regime during the so-called “Añoveros case”.
Bishop Antonio Añoveros Ataún, the then bishop of Bilbao in the Basque Country, had written a homily to be read in churches across the diocese on the Sunday of 24 February just before Lent.
The homily stated:
“The Basque people, like the other peoples of the Spanish State, have the right to preserve their own identity, cultivating and developing their spiritual heritage, without prejudice to a healthy exchange with the surrounding peoples.”
This provoked a strong reaction from the Franco regime, which viewed the homily as an attack on national unity, and the government attempted to expel Bishop Añoveros from Spain. Acerbi’s mission involved direct negotiations with Spanish authorities, including then-President Carlos Arias Navarro.
He proposed a compromise whereby Bishop Añoveros would take a “special vacation” abroad, effectively de-escalating the situation without the bishop retracting his statement. This diplomatic intervention was pivotal in preventing the bishop’s expulsion and a potential rupture between the Spanish government and the Vatican.
Later that year, on 22 June 974, Pope Paul VI appointed Acerbi as titular archbishop of Zella and as Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to New Zealand and the Pacific Ocean, with his episcopal consecration following on 30 June.
In 1979, he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Colombia, a position he held until 1990. In February 1980, he was taken hostage by the M-19 Marxist guerrilla group during an assault on the Dominican Republic’s embassy in Bogotá. He was held captive for several weeks before being released.
He subsequently served as the first Apostolic Nuncio to Hungary after the fall of communism and, in 1994, concurrently served as Apostolic Nuncio to Moldova, helping to re-establish relationships between these two countries and the Church after the fall of communism.
In 1997, he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to the Netherlands, a position he held until his retirement from diplomatic life in 2001.
Following his retirement, Archbishop Acerbi was appointed Prelate of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta in 2001, a position he held until 2015.
The archbishop told Vatican News that he received the appointment “with much gratitude and appreciation, and also with a bit of fear because it is always a great surprise for everyone, especially the elderly”.
He also pledged his support to the Pope, saying he would provide it “especially [though] prayer, as I do not see how else I can contribute given my old age”.
Whilst Acerbi will become the oldest living cardinal, he will not – yet – be the oldest cardinal who has ever lived. Cardinal Corrado Bafile, who died on 3 February 2005, lived into his 102nd year.
Pope Francis’ announcement of a Consistory on 8 December will see the creation of 21 new cardinals from all four continents.