Ferdinando Baldelli (September 26, 1886 – September 20, 1963) was an Italian Catholic

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

. He was President of the

Pontificia Commissione di Assistenza Pontificia Commissione di Assistenza (PCA), also known as “Pontificia Commissione di Assistenza ai Profughi”, “Vatican mission” and “Vatican Relief”, was a papal ad hoc commission, created by Pope Pius XII on April 18, 1944, to provide ...

(1944–1959) and President of

Caritas (charity) Caritas Internationalis is a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development and social service organizations operating in over 200 countries and territories worldwide. Collectively and individually, their missions are to work to build a bet ...

Internationalis (1951–1962).

Biography

A native of

Pergola A pergola is most commonly an outdoor garden feature forming a shaded walkway, passageway, or sitting area of vertical posts or pillars that usually support cross-beams and a sturdy open lattice, often upon which woody vines are trained. T ...

, Ferdinando Baldelli was ordained as Catholic priest in 1909. In 1944 he suggested to Pope Pius XII the creation of a Papal Charity.

Pascalina Lehnert Madre (Mother) Pascalina Lehnert (25 August 1894 – 13 November 1983), born Josefina Lehnert, was a German Roman Catholic sister who served as Pope Pius XII's housekeeper and secretary from his period as Apostolic Nuncio to Bavaria in 1917 u ...

credits Baldelli with the idea of a papal aid organization, which Pope Pius XII supported enthusiastically until his death. He founded Pontificia Commissione di Assistenza, sometimes called ''Pontificia Opera di Assistenza'', together with Carlo Egger and

Otto Faller Rev.Otto Faller SJ (18 February 1889 – 16 May 1971) was Provincial Superior of the Jesuit order in Germany, educator, teacher and Dean at Stella Matutina in Feldkirch, Austria and Kolleg St. Blasien in Germany, professor of patristic studies ...

. The Pope was personally involved, constantly asking Cardinals and

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

from the

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Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

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, and other countries for help. The commissione existed until 1959. During the Holy Year of 1950, Pope Pius XII decided to link and internationalize Catholic charity work. Following a suggestion by Monsignor

Giovanni Battista Montini Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...

, a study week, with participants from 22 countries, was held in Rome to examine the problems of Christian Caritas work. As a result, the decision was made to set up an international conference of Catholic charities. In December 1951, upon approval of the statutes by the Holy See, the first constitutive General Assembly of

took place. Ferdinando Baldelli was elected as the first president. Founding members came from organisations in 13 countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States. In 1957, the confederation changed its name to Caritas ''Internationalis''.

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Roman Catholic Church, Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 28 Oc ...

appointed him to be President of the Curia and

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox a ...

of Aperlae. October 25, 1959 he was ordained.bishop www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bbaldell.html Baldelli died September 20, 1963 in Rome.

Notes

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baldelli, Ferdinando 1886 births 1963 deaths People from Pergola, Marche Participants in the Second Vatican Council 20th-century Italian titular bishops Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany