The Pope made the appointment after he accepted the resignation of Cardinal Silvano Piovanelli for reasons of age. The cardinal was 77 on Feb. 21, and had led the Florence Archdiocese since 1983.
Archbishop Antonelli, 64, was named bishop of Gubbio in 1982 and, six years later, was transferred to the Archdiocese of Perugia. He has been secretary-general of the bishops´ conference since 1995.
