Mennini was born in Rome, in a family that has strong links with the Holy See. His father, Luigi Mennini, who died in 1997, was managing director of the Holy See's Institute for Works of Religion at the time allegations of money laundering were made against Archbishop Paul Marcinkus, the Institute's sometime president. Antonio Mennini has 13 siblings, among them Pietro Mennini, who is the Procuratore della Repubblica di Chieti. Mennini was ordained to the priesthood on 14 December 1974. Mennini obtained a Doctor of Theology degree from the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome. Mennini is known in Italy as the priest who heard the final confession of the country’s murdered Prime Minister, Aldo Moro, in the 1970s. Moro had been kidnapped and was being held captive in a secret location by the Red Brigades, a leftist Italian militant group. Archbishop Mennini, then an assistant priest, is believed to have delivered a letter to the terrorists from Pope Paul VI and a letter to Mr Moro from his wife. Shortly after his secret mission, the Prime Minister was killed and his body dumped in central Rome. The Vatican shielded the priest from ever having to testify in subsequent state hearings concerning Moro’s abduction and murder, until Pope Francis authorized him to do so in 2015.
On 6 November 2002, Mennini was named Nuncio to Russia and from 26 July 2008 was also Nuncio to Uzbekistan. He is credited with notably improving the Holy See’s relations with the former Soviet countries in the Federation and with the Russian Orthodox Church. As recently as 2001 Rome was criticised by the Russian Orthodox for establishing dioceses without adequate consultation in Russia. However, through the nuncio’s fence-mending efforts the situation gradually began to change and in December 2009 President Dmitry Medvedev approved the establishment of full diplomatic relations between the two states. On 13 February 2011 Dmitry Medvedev awarded Mennini the Order of Friendship for his contribution to the development of Russian-Vatican relations.
Mennini was named Nuncio to Great Britain on 18 December 2010 following the early retirement of Archbishop Faustino Sainz Muñoz on 2 December 2010. He presented his credentials to The Queen on 2 March 2011. One of the most important duties facing Mennini as Nuncio was to oversee the vetting process for the appointment of a substantial number of new bishops for England, Wales and Scotland. Most significantly, Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Cardinal Keith O'Brien, Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh and Britain's then most senior cleric, on 25 February 2013. Two days later, the Pope likewise accepted that of Patrick Altham Kelly, Archbishop of Liverpool. Mennini played a central role in the appointment of their successors. A writer in the English Catholic publication The Tablet considered it likely that Mennini's appointment was recognition that delicate diplomatic work was required for the establishment of the personal ordinariate for former Anglicans in Britain.
Secretariat of State
On 20 January 2017 it was announced that Mennini was to be transferred to the Variant to serve in the Secretariat of State. His tenure in Britain ended on 6 February. In his new post he is responsible for relations between the Holy See and Italy.
