Giovanni Gravelli (12 March 1922 – 11 December 1981) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who joined the diplomatic service of 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 ...

in 1950 and became an archbishop and

Apostolic Nuncio An apostolic nuncio (; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is ...

in 1967.

Biography

Giovanni Gravelli was born on 12 March 1922 in

Città Sant'Angelo Città Sant'Angelo () is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Pescara, Abruzzo, Italy. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). History The origins of Città Sant'Angelo are uncertain and have always ...

, Italy. He studied at the seminaries of Penne and Chieti and was ordained a priest on 29 October 1944. He performed parish work and then continued his studies at the Pontifical University of Rome. To prepare for a diplomatic career he entered the

Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy The Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy (, ) is one of the Roman Colleges of the Catholic Church. The academy is dedicated to training priests to serve in the diplomatic corps and the Secretariat of State of the Holy See. Despite its name, the P ...

in 1948. He entered the diplomatic service of the

in 1950 and worked on the staff of the Secretariat of State in Rome until 1955. He was secretary at the nunciature to Egypt from 1955 to 1957; councilor in France from 1957 to 1963; he was councilor in France; councilor in Colombia from 1963 to 1964; and nunciature officer in El Salvador and Guatemala from 1964 to 1967. On 24 December 1967,

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul 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 State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

named him

titular archbishop 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 an ...

of Suas and

Apostolic Nuncio to Bolivia Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles *Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Churc ...

. He received his episcopal consecration on 21 January 1968 from Cardinal

Amleto Cicognani Amleto Giovanni Cicognani (24 February 1883 – 17 December 1973) was an Italian Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Vatican Secretary of State from 1961 to 1969, and Dean of the College of Cardinals from 1972 until his death. Cicogn ...

. On 12 July 1973, Pope Paul named him Apostolic Nuncio to the Dominican Republic. He died of a heart attack in Città Sant'Angelo on 11 December 1981 having just arrived on vacation.

References

External links

Catholic Hierarchy: Archbishop Giovanni Gravelli
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gravelli, Giovanni 1922 births 1981 deaths People from the Province of Pescara Apostolic nuncios to Bolivia Apostolic nuncios to the Dominican Republic Bishops appointed by Pope Paul VI Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy alumni 20th-century Italian Roman Catholic titular archbishops