SW News: Fr Aldo Berardi OSST has been appointed the new Apostolic Vicar to succeed the late Bishop Camilo Ballin, who passed away in April 2020. Fr Berardi is presently serving as the vicar general of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity for the Redemption of Captives also known as Trinitarians.

A native of Longeville-les-Metz, the bishop-elect was born on September 30, 1963. After his schooling at the Lycee Georges de la Tour de Metz, he joined the Foyer-Seminaire of Montigny-les-Metz. He did his philosophy at the Grand Seminaire di Villiers-les-Nancy. It was a missionary experience in the African island nation of Madagascar that led him to the Trinitarian congregation. He joined the order in Cerfroid, France, and made his first profession in 1987.

Over the next three years, he undertook theology studies at the Grand Seminaire in Montreal, Canada, after which he bagged a licentiate in moral theology from the Alphonsianum Academy in Rome. On December 17, 1990, he made his final profession and received priestly ordination in Ars-sur-Moselle on July 20 the following year.

Fr Berardi’s first posting was at Caritas in Rome until 1992. He then went to his home country to serve as the director of formation in Cerfroid. He also served as vicar and chaplain for Scouts, Catholic Action and a psychiatric facility until 1998. He then went on to pursue psychiatric studies at the Chretiens en Sante Mentale in Paris from 1995 until 1997. The following year, he enrolled at the Dar Comboni School in Cairo, Egypt, for a two-year course in Arabic and Islamology.

After his course in the Egyptian capital, Fr Berardi became the director of the Saint Bakhita Center for Sudanese refugees in Cairo. He remained in that capacity for six years. He also served as chaplain for expatriates in the Sacred Heart parish in Bahrain from 2007 to 2010. In 2008, he obtained a licentiate in language science from the Open Arab University in Manama, the capital of Bahrain.

Fr Berardi became counselor of his order from 2009 to 2012 and then went to Quebec in Canada to study practical theology at the Universite Laval de Quebec. From 2019, he has been serving as the vicar general of the congregation and the president of the general secretariat of formation and legal representative of the General Curia in Rome.