Guglielmo Massaia
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Guglielmo Massaia, OFM Cap. (born Lorenzo; 9 June 1809 - 6 August 1889) was an Italian cardinal of the
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 a
missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...
and a Capuchin friar.
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 ...
named him
Venerable ''The Venerable'' often shortened to Venerable is a style, title, or epithet used in some Christianity, Christian churches. The title is often accorded to holy persons for their spiritual perfection and wisdom. Catholic In the Catholic Churc ...
on 1 December 2016.


Life

Guglielmo Massaia was born on 9 June 1809 in Piedmont as Lorenzo Antonio Massaia. He was first educated at the Collegio Reale at
Asti Asti ( , ; ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) of 74,348 inhabitants (1–1–2021) located in the Italy, Italian region of Piedmont, about east of Turin, in the plain of the Tanaro, Tanaro River. It is the capital of the province of Asti and ...
under the care of his elder brother Guglielmo who served as a canon and precentor of Asti Cathedral. On the death of his brother he passed as a student to the diocesan seminary in 1824; but at the age of sixteen entered the Capuchin Franciscan Order, receiving the habit on 25 September 1825. He completed his studies at the seminary in 1826. He took the name "Guglielmo" around this time. Massaia was ordained to the priesthood on 16 June 1832 in
Vercelli Vercelli (; ) is a city and ''comune'' of 46,552 inhabitants (January 1, 2017) in the Province of Vercelli, Piedmont, northern Italy. One of the oldest urban sites in northern Italy, it was founded, according to most historians, around 600 BC. ...
and served as a spiritual director at a hospital in
Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...
from 1834 to 1836. He served also as the confessor and advisor of Giuseppe Benedetto Cottolengo - future saint. He was appointed as a lector of theology; but even whilst teaching he acquired some fame as a preacher and was chosen confessor to Prince Victor Emmanuel, afterwards King of Italy, and Ferdinand, Duke of Genoa. The royal family of Piedmont would have nominated him on several occasions to an episcopal see, but he wanted to join the foreign missions of his order. He obtained his wish in 1846. That year the Congregation of Propaganda, at the instance of the traveller Antoine d'Abbadie, determined to establish the Apostolic Vicariate of Galla for the Oromo in
Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...
. The mission was confided to the Capuchins, and Massaia was appointed as the first vicar-apostolic. He received
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 ...
in Rome on 24 May of that year in the church of San Carlo al Corso. On his arrival in Ethiopia in 1856, he found the country in a state of religious agitation. The titular head of the
Ethiopian Orthodox Church The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church () is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Christian churches in Africa originating before European colonization of the continent, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church dates bac ...
, Abuna Qerellos III, had been dead for about 20 years and there was a movement amongst the native Christians towards union with Rome. Massaia, who had received plenary faculties from
Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...
, ordained a number of native priests for the
Coptic Rite The Coptic Rite is an Alexandrian liturgical rite. It is practiced in the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Coptic Catholic Church. The term ''Coptic'' derives from Arabic , a corruption of Greek ''Aígyptos'' (, “Egyptian”). The Coptic Rit ...
; he also obtained the appointment 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 ...
of a vicar-apostolic for the Copts, and himself consecrated the missionary
Justin de Jacobis Giustino Sebastiano Pasquale de Jacobis, CM (9 October 1800 – 31 July 1860) was an Italian Catholic bishop and member of the Congregation of the Mission who served as Apostolic Vicar of Abyssinia and the Titular Bishop of Nilopolis. He is of ...
to this office. But this act aroused the enmity of the Coptic Patriarch of Alexandria, who sent a bishop of his own, Abuna Salama III, to Ethiopia. As a result of the ensuing political agitation, Massaia was banished from the country and had to flee under an assumed name. In 1850 he visited Europe to gain a fresh band of missionaries and means to develop his work: he had interviews with the
French Minister of Foreign Affairs The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (, MEAE) is the ministry of the Government of France that handles France's foreign relations. Since 1855, its headquarters have been located at 37 Quai d'Orsay, close to the National Assembly. The ter ...
in Paris, and with
Lord Palmerston Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston (20 October 1784 – 18 October 1865), known as Lord Palmerston, was a British statesman and politician who served as prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1855 to 1858 and from 1859 to 1865. A m ...
in London. On his return to the Oromos, he founded a large number of missions; he also established a school at
Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
for the education of Oromo boys freed from slavery; besides this, he composed a grammar of the
Oromo language Oromo, historically also called Galla, is an Afroasiatic language belonging to the Cushitic branch, primarily spoken by the Oromo people, native to the Ethiopian state of Oromia; and northern Kenya. It is used as a lingua franca in Oromia an ...
which was published at Marseilles in 1867.


Menelik's advisor

Massaia would find himself reunited with Menelik after ten years, now a king in his hereditary
Shewa Shewa (; ; Somali: Shawa; , ), formerly romanized as Shua, Shoa, Showa, Shuwa, is a historical region of Ethiopia which was formerly an autonomous kingdom within the Ethiopian Empire. The modern Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa is located at it ...
. However, the two men would meet again under strange circumstances. Massaia came during the
British expedition to Abyssinia The British Expedition to Abyssinia was a rescue mission and punitive expedition carried out in 1868 by the armed forces of the British Empire against the Ethiopian Empire (also known at the time as Abyssinia). Emperor Tewodros II of Ethiopia, ...
, and was to deliver a letter from the British vice-consul to Menelik; with the demand that Menelik should refuse asylum in the event Tewodros escaped to Shewa. Massaia would remain at Menelik court as counsellor, for the next decade, with invaluable contributions to Menelik's diplomatic endeavours to Europeans. In 1877, father Massaia was instrumental in the reconciliation between
Menelik II Menelik II ( ; horse name Aba Dagnew (Amharic: አባ ዳኘው ''abba daññäw''); 17 August 1844 – 12 December 1913), baptised as Sahle Maryam (ሣህለ ማርያም ''sahlä maryam'') was king of Shewa from 1866 to 1889 and Emperor of Et ...
and Masasha Sayfu, Menelik's first cousin. This intervention helped abort an attempted coup, and paved the way for the exile of the sly conspirator, Bafena, Menelik's ex-consort.


Return to Europe

During his thirty-five years as a missionary he was exiled seven times, but he always returned. However, in 1880 he was compelled by ill health to resign his mission. In recognition of his merit,
Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...
raised him to the titular Archbishopric of Stauropolis. Leo XIII also raised him into the cardinalate in 1884 as the Cardinal-Priest of Ss. Vitale, Gervasio e Protasio. At the command of the pope, he wrote an account of his missionary labours, under the title, "I miei trentacinque anni di missione nell' alta Etiopia", the first volume of which was published simultaneously at Rome and
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 ...
in 1883, and the last in 1895. In this work, he deals not only with the progress of the mission, but with the political and economic conditions of Ethiopia as he knew them. He lived his last decade at a Capuchin friary in
Frascati Frascati () is a city and in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital in the Lazio region of central Italy. It is located south-east of Rome, on the Alban Hills close to the ancient city of Tusculum. Frascati is closely associated with science, ...
and died on 6 August 1889 at 4:30am of cardio-circulatory collapse. His remains were buried in Frascati after the funeral on 10 August 1889, celebrated by Ignazio Perrsico, the Titular Archbishop of Damiata.


Legacy

In 1940 his native village of Piovà was renamed
Piovà Massaia Piovà Massaia is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Asti in the Italy, Italian region Piedmont, located about east of Turin and about northwest of Asti. Piovà Massaia borders the following municipalities: Capriglio, Cerreto d'Asti, ...
in his honour. In 1952, Italy issued a commemorative stamp celebrating his mission to Ethiopia. Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue Italy #612, issued 21 November 1952 Many streets and buildings in Italy are named after Guglielmo Massaia, for example, the ''Via Cardinale Guglielmo Massaia'' in Rome and
Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...
or the ''Museo Etiopico Guglielmo Massaia'' in
Frascati Frascati () is a city and in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital in the Lazio region of central Italy. It is located south-east of Rome, on the Alban Hills close to the ancient city of Tusculum. Frascati is closely associated with science, ...
(Rome). He was the subject of the 1939 biopic '' Cardinal Messias'' directed by
Goffredo Alessandrini Goffredo Alessandrini (20 November 1904 – 16 May 1978) was an Italian scriptwriter and film director. He also acted, edited, and produced some films. He practiced athletics (sport), athletics in his youth, and won a title of Italian Athletics ...
and starring Camillo Pilotto as Massaia. It was awarded the Mussolini Cup at the 1939
Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...
.


Cause for beatification

The process for beatification had its origins as far back as 1914 when documents were collected in a diocesan process. The cause was formally opened on 5 December 1941, granting Massaia the title of
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 ...
. The
Positio A ''positio'' (short for the Latin ''positio super virtutibus'': "position on the virtues") is a document or collection of documents used in the process by which a Catholic person is declared Venerable, the second of four steps on the path to can ...
was submitted to the
Congregation for the Causes of Saints In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, passi ...
in 2014 while historians voiced their approval of the cause in a vote undertaken on 21 October 2014.
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 ...
titled him as
Venerable ''The Venerable'' often shortened to Venerable is a style, title, or epithet used in some Christianity, Christian churches. The title is often accorded to holy persons for their spiritual perfection and wisdom. Catholic In the Catholic Churc ...
on 1 December 2016 upon the confirmation of his life of
heroic virtue Heroic virtue is the translation of a phrase coined by Augustine of Hippo to describe the virtue of early Christian martyrs. The phrase is used by the Roman Catholic Church. The Greek pagan term hero described a person with possibly superhuman a ...
.


Notes


References

* Massaia, ''I miei trentacinque anni di missione nell'alta Etiopia; memorie storiche''; Analecta Ordinis FF. Min. Capp., V, 291 seq. *
Volumes 1-4
from Internet Archive *
Volumes 5-8
from Internet Archive *
Volumes 9-12
from Internet Archive


External links


Cardinam Massaja
;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Massaia, Guglielmo Capuchins Italian Roman Catholic missionaries 19th-century Italian cardinals Cardinals created by Pope Leo XIII Roman Catholic missionaries in Ethiopia 1809 births 1889 deaths 19th-century Italian Roman Catholic titular archbishops 19th-century venerated Christians 19th-century Neapolitan people Italian expatriates in Ethiopia Venerated Catholics by Pope Francis Catholic missionaries in Arabia