Comastri served as vice-rector of the minor seminary of Pitigliano and, at the same time, did pastoral work in the parish of San Quirico'. He was later assigned to the Roman Curia as an official of the Congregation for Bishops. He served as spiritual director of the Pontifical Minor Roman Seminary and a chaplain at Roman jails before returning to Pitigliano, where he became rector of the seminary in 1971. In 1979, he was named pastor of the parish of San Stefano Protomartire in Porto Santo Stefano. He was also a member of the diocesan college of consultors, and served as episcopal delegate for the seminarians residing outside of the diocese and professor of religion at the Professional Institute for Maritime Activities in Porto Santo Stefano.
Comastri participated in the papal conclave that elected Pope Francis.[11] After ten years as a cardinal-deacon, he was raised to the rank of cardinal-priest on 19 May 2018.[12]
In a 2020 television interview, Comastri objected to Turkey's decision to turn Hagia Sophia, once a church and long a museum, into a mosque. He said:[13]
No mosque was ever turned into a Catholic Church, and no Catholic has ever shot at an imam. They’ve even shot the pope himself, on May 13, 1981, in St. Peter’s Square: If they want dialogue, it must be done with fair and honest weapons, with the honesty of looking into each other’s eyes and answering with facts.
Comastri said COVID-19 "does not come from God" and that powerful states are "organizing world wars, including bacteriological wars"; he said it was possible that Chinese government research was the source of COVID-19, a charge China has denied.[13]
Pope Francis accepted Comastri's resignation as vicar general, archpriest, and president of the Fabric on 20 February 2021.[14]
References
^"Comastri Card. Angelo". College of Cardinals Biographical Notes, 13 June 2008. Press Office of the Holy See. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
.JPG)
