Church Roman Catholic Successor Dennis Joseph Sullivan See Camden, New Jersey | In office 2004 – 2013 Ordination May 16, 1964 Name Joseph Galante | |
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Predecessor Nicholas Anthony DiMarzio | ||
Joseph Anthony Galante (born July 2, 1938) is a retired American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the Bishop of Camden, New Jersey from 2004 to 2013.
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Life and career
Born in Philadelphia, Galante attended Saint Joseph's Preparatory School in Philadelphia, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood (where he received his BA in 1960), and the Pontifical Lateran University (where he received his doctorate in canon law in 1968) in Rome. Galante was ordained to the priesthood on May 16, 1964.
Galante served as Bishop of Beaumont, Texas from 1994 to 1999 and Coadjutor Bishop of Dallas from 1999 to 2004. He was appointed Bishop of Camden in 2004.
In a 2011 letter to Catholics in his diocese, he announced that he was suffering from chronic kidney disease caused by diabetes, but indicated that he could continue to serve as Bishop of Camden. In 2012 he requested to resign for health reasons, and served until his resignation was accepted by Pope Benedict XVI on January 8, 2013.
Church closings
On April 2, 2008, Galante announced large scale mergers and closings of half of the parishes in the Camden diocese.
In January 2011, parishioners of the closed St Mary's Church of Malaga NJ re-entered the church and began an around-the-clock vigil that attracted regional and national media attention.
Involvement in the Vati-Con scandal
On July 18, 2008 the New York Post reported Galante's involvement in the so-called Vati-Con scandal involving Italian real estate developer Raffaello Follieri, billionaire investor Ronald Burkle and Hollywood actress Anne Hathaway. The Post reports that Bishop Galante sold Follieri a private beach house for $400,000 in 2007 and that one of Galante's priests misrepresented himself to potential investors. At the time Follieri was negotiating with the Diocese of Camden and other North American Roman Catholic dioceses to buy churches with Burkle money and sell the properties for later profit. In October, 2008, Follieri pleaded guilty to charges, and Manhattan Federal Judge John Koeltl imposed a 4 1/2 year prison sentence. The Galante/Follieri beach house in North Wildwood, New Jersey was put back on the market in 2008 and sold almost two years later for $310,000. As of January 2013, Galante does not face any charges related to the scandal.