Giacomo Maria Radini-Tedeschi (12 July 1857 - 22 August 1914) was the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bergamo. Today he is famous for his strong involvement in social issues at the beginning of 20th century.

Biography

Radini-Tedeschi was born in

Piacenza Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...

, the son of a wealthy and noble family. Ordained as a priest in 1879, he became professor of

Church law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

in the diocesan

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

of Piacenza. In 1890 he joined the Secretariat of State of the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

and was involved in many diplomatic missions. On 5 January 1905 he was named Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bergamo by Pope Pius X and consecrated by him in the

Sistine Chapel The Sistine Chapel (; la, Sacellum Sixtinum; it, Cappella Sistina ) is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the pope in Vatican City. Originally known as the ''Cappella Magna'' ('Great Chapel'), the chapel takes its nam ...

. A strong supporter of Catholic

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...

s, he strongly backed the workers of a textile plant in Ranica during a labor dispute. Radini-Tedeschi fell ill with cancer and died in the early days of the

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. During his episcopal ministry in Bergamo, Radini-Tedeschi had as his secretary a young priest named Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, who later became

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 Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...

. The bishop's last words were, "Angelo, pray for peace". For the late Pope John XXIII, Radini-Tedeschi was a teacher who was never forgotten by his one time follower.

Notes

External links and additional sources

* (for Chronology of Bishops) * (for Chronology of Bishops) {{DEFAULTSORT:Radini Tedeschi, Giacomo 1857 births 1914 deaths People from Piacenza 20th-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops Bishops of Bergamo Deaths from cancer in Lombardy Burials in Lombardy Pope John XXIII