Giovanni Cazzani (4 March 1867 – 26 August 1952) was an Italian archbishop of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

who served as the head of the

Diocese of Cremona The Diocese of Cremona () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in northern Italy. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Milan. The bishop of Cremon ...

; he was granted the title of archbishop in 1944 despite leading a diocese. He had led the

Diocese of Cesena The Diocese of Cesena-Sarsina () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Emilia Romagna was created on September 30, 1986, after the Diocese of Sarsina was united with the historic Diocese of Cesena as a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Ravenn ...

prior to his elevation to his new see. Cazzani was hailed as one of the most distinguished to lead the diocese of Cremona for his deep piousness and his vast culture. Cazzani's cause of sainthood commenced on 2 April 2015 thus granting him the posthumous title

Servant of God Servant of God () is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Terminology The expression ''Servant of God'' appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in ...

Life

Cazzani was born in

Pavia Pavia ( , ; ; ; ; ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, in Northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino (river), Ticino near its confluence with the Po (river), Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was a major polit ...

on 4 March 1867 to Vincenzo Cazzani and Amalia Trovati. He had seven siblings and was left motherless at the age of twelve. Cazzani commenced his studies for the priesthood and was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

at the age of 22 on 1 November 1889. Following this he was assigned to teach

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

and at the college of Saint Augustine. He continued his own studies and graduated with honors in philosophical studies in 1892 and then with the completion of his theological studies in 1893 in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

. He also served as the private assistant to the

Archbishop of Ravenna This page is a list of Catholic bishops and archbishops of Ravenna and, from 1947 of the Archdiocese of Ravenna and Cervia, which in 1985 became styled the Archdiocese of Ravenna-Cervia.Pope Pius X Pope Pius X (; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing Modernism in the Catholic Church, modern ...

appointed him as the

Bishop of Cesena The Diocese of Cesena-Sarsina () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Emilia Romagna was created on September 30, 1986, after the Diocese of Sarsina was united with the historic Diocese of Cesena as a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Ravenn ...

on 5 August 1904. He was installed in his new diocese in 1904 and received his

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

as a result of his elevation. He was also an acquainted with the

Archbishop of Bologna The Archdiocese of Bologna (; ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Northern Italy. The cathedra is in the Bologna Cathedral, cathedral church of San Pietro, Bologna. The current archbishop is ...

Cardinal Giacomo della Chiesa who became

Pope Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (; ; born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, ; 21 November 1854 – 22 January 1922) was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His pontificate was largely overshadowed by World War I a ...

in 1914 and appointed him as the

Bishop of Cremona The Diocese of Cremona () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in northern Italy. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Milan. The bishop of Cremon ...

in 1914 during the onslaught of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

which he was opposed to.

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...

granted him the title of archbishop in 1944 "ad personam". As a bishop he published 38

pastoral letters A pastoral letter, often simply called a pastoral, is an open letter addressed by a bishop to the clergy or laity of a diocese or to both, containing general admonition, instruction or consolation, or directions for behaviour in particular circumst ...

and completed a total of six pastoral visits to all parishes across his diocese. Cazzani died on 26 August 1952.

Beatification process

Cazzani gained a strong reputation as a pious and innovative leader who paid strict attention to the needs of the faithful. The beatification process commenced under

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

on 2 April 2015. He has been granted the title

References

External links

Hagiography Circle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cazzani, Giovanni 1867 births 1952 deaths Religious leaders from Pavia Bishops of Cesena 20th-century Italian Roman Catholic archbishops Italian Servants of God Bishops of Cremona