Eugenio Corecco (3 October 1931 – 1 March 1995) was a Swiss

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of the

diocese of Lugano The Diocese of Lugano (Latin: ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Switzerland covering the canton of Ticino. The diocese immediately subject to the Holy See. In 2004, there were 233,017 baptised perso ...

. He was a notable 20th-century canonist who wrote about the theology of canon law.

Biography

Son of Peter, born in

Bodio Bodio is a municipality in the district of Leventina in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. History Bodio was first mentioned in 1227 as ''Boidi''. During the Middle Ages, Bodio and the now abandoned village of Simbra (or Saimola) formed a '' ...

and Margaret Beffa of Airolo, he was ordained

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

on October 2, 1955, studied in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, at the

Pontifical Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, where he received his PhD in

canon law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...

and

Fribourg or is the capital of the Cantons of Switzerland, Swiss canton of Canton of Fribourg, Fribourg and district of Sarine (district), La Sarine. Located on both sides of the river Saane/Sarine, on the Swiss Plateau, it is a major economic, adminis ...

, where in 1969 was appointed professor of canon law. In 1982, shortly before the publication of the new Code of Canon Law (CIC), exhibited his critical comments to

John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

, the Pope called him to Rome to be part of a committee that assists him in the examination of the code, prior to its promulgation. Appointed consultant to the Committee on the interpretation of CIC, Eugenio Corecco holds conferences around the world. Active in the pastoral, from the years 1960–1970 he worked in Switzerland for the spread of the ecclesial movement of

Communion and Liberation Communion and Liberation (, often shortened to CL), since 1980 officially Fraternity of Communion and Liberation (), it is an international Catholic movement founded in 1954 by Fr. Luigi Giussani as Student Youth (), with the aim of presentin ...

. The pope

on June 5, 1986, made him

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

Diocese of Lugano The Diocese of Lugano (Latin: ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Switzerland covering the canton of Ticino. The diocese immediately subject to the Holy See. In 2004, there were 233,017 baptised perso ...

and he was consecrated in Lugano Cathedral on June 29 by bishop Henri Schwery, bishop of the Diocese of Sion, with concelebrating bishops Pierre Mamie and Ernesto Togni. The April 29, 1992, he founded in

Lugano Lugano ( , , ; ) is a city and municipality within the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. It is the largest city in both Ticino and the Italian-speaking region of southern Switzerland. Lugano has a population () of , and an u ...

the Institute Academic

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

which. in the following year, precisely on November 20, 1993, was elevated by the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

to the status of a university faculty of theology – Faculty of Theology of Lugano (FTL), giving an opportunity to build in the city of Lugano, USI ( University of Italian Switzerland). However, the FTL did not join USI, choosing instead to remain autonomous. He died on March 1, 1995, as a result of a rare form of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

, and was buried in the

crypt A crypt (from Greek κρύπτη (kryptē) ''wikt:crypta#Latin, crypta'' "Burial vault (tomb), vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, Sarcophagus, sarcophagi, or Relic, religiou ...

of Church of the Sacred Heart in Lugano.

Thought

About charity

"Whatever should be the nature of the industry and its interventions in the social field, Caritas is called, with ever greater urgency, to express in society two specific values of Christianity, whose social significance can not be measured purely rational. The first is the gratuity to the man in trouble, because it was free also the redemption offered to us by Christ. The second is to oversupply, excess is the love of Christ for us. The charity has so far as the needs of others, but the richness of God's love limiting it to look and evaluate it from man's need, because man is more than its needs".

About canon law

"...all the laws of the Church and finally appear first of all as an expression of faith of the People of God, and not only of reason abstractly understood." (Eugenio Corecco, Pamplona 1976. In "Siate forti nella fede", AA.VV., p. 347ss.)

Notes

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