Scopelliti was born in Gallico Superiore, a neighborhood in Reggio Calabria, on 9 April 1939.
He entered the Order of the Holy Trinity, where he was ordained a priest on 18 December 1965, in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie alle Fornaci, by Francesco Vollaro, Bishop of Ambatondrazaka.
[1] Scopelliti was appointed by Pope John Paul II as Coadjutor Bishop of Ambatondrazaka on 21 January 1991.
With the retirement of Vollaro, Scopelliti succeeded him on 6 March 1993 as Bishop of Ambatondrazaka.
[2] Pope Francis accepted Scopelliti's age-related resignation on 11 April 2015.