Archbishop Giovanni Accolla

Archbishop Giovanni Accolla, Archbishop of Messina-Lipari-Santa Lucia del Mela, was born on August 29, 1951, in Syracuse, in the Archdiocese of Siracusa. He completed his theological studies at the archiepiscopal seminary of Siracusa. He was ordained a priest for Siracusa on April 16, 1977, and was incardinated in that archdiocese. He served as vicar cooperator in the cathedral parish and as an official of the curia, and held the offices of diocesan bursar and director of Caritas. From 2000 to 2004 he was bursar of the San Paolo Theological Institute of Catania. He also served as parish priest of San Giacomo ai Miracoli in Ortigia from 2001, president of the Sant'Angela Merici Foundation from 2008, a member of the college of consultors, director of the office for architectural heritage and church building, and a member of the Italian Episcopal Conference committee for church building from 2004. On October 20, 2016, he was appointed Archbishop of Messina-Lipari-Santa Lucia del Mela. He received episcopal ordination on December 7, 2016, with Salvatore Pappalardo as principal consecrator and Salvatore Gristina and Corrado Lorefice as co-consecrators. He was installed as Archbishop of Messina-Lipari-Santa Lucia del Mela on January 7, 2017.