Crescenzio Sepe (; born 2 June 1943) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Naples from 2006 to 2020. He served in the Roman Curia as Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples from 2001 to 2006. He was made a cardinal in 2001. Before that he spent 25 years in increasingly important positions in the Roman Curia. Biography Early life and ordination Born at Carinaro, in the province of Caserta. He attended the Seminary of Aversa, studied philosophy at the Regional Seminary in Salerno and theology in Rome. He was ordained for the Diocese of Aversa on 12 March 1967. He earned degrees in theology and canon law at the Pontifical Lateran University and in philosophy from the University of Rome La Sapienza. He taught theology at the Lateran and Urbanian Pontifical Universities. To prepare for a career in the diplomatic service of the Holy See, he entered the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in 1969. Career in the Curia He joined the diplomatic service of the Holy See and was posted to Brazil from 1972 to 1975. He then returned to Rome and worked at the Secretariat of State, first in the Section for International Organizations and then in office for information and documentation. He was named the Secretariat's Assessor for General Affairs in 1987. Sepe was appointed Secretary of the Congregation for the Clergy and Titular Archbishop of Gradum on 2 April 1992. He received his episcopal consecration from Pope John Paul II on 26 April. On 29 September 1992, Pope John Paul named him a member of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People. In an essay published the next year, he described celibacy as integral to the priesthood: "Christ willed ... to combine the virginal state with his mission as eternal priest.... We can therefore affirm that chastity and virginity are not simply additional or secondary in Christ's priestly existence, but belong to its very essence." As secretary of the Congregation for the Clergy, Sepe was responsible for organizing the celebration marking the 50th anniversary of Pope John Paul's ordination to the priesthood, which proved so successful that the Pope gave him even greater responsibility. On 3 November 1997, Pope John Paul named him General Secretary of the Central Committee for the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, which has been described as "almost