A life as a theologian

by Gianni Cardinale

Don Angelo Amato painting an icon in the monastery of Moní Vlatádon in Salonika

Angelo Amato was born in Molfetta, in the province of Bari. Ordained priest in Rome in 1967, he studied at the Pontifical Salesian University (UPS) and the Gregorian. He held a bursary for two years in Salonika in Greece, at the Orthodox monastery of Moní Vlatádon. Professor of Dogmatics at the UPS, for twelve years (1981-1987 and 1993-1997), he was dean of the faculty of Theology. He was also Pro-rector (1991) and Vice-rector (1997-2000) of the UPS. Before being appointed Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in December 2002, he was Consultor of the same ministry and of the Pontifical Council for the promotion of Christian Unity. He is author, among other publications, of a successful handbook of Christology (Jesus the Lord, Edb, Bologna, 689 pp.) that reached its sixth edition in Italy in 2003 and second in Spain (Bac, Madrid). Apart from being, ex officio, Consultor of the Congregation for the Bishops, since the start of the year he is again Consultor of the Council for Christian Unity. Monsignor Amato is a great music-lover. His favorites are Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Burt Bacharach and George Gershwin.