Guglielmo Piani, S.D.B. (16 September 1875 – 27 September 1956) also known as William Piani, was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who worked in 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 ...

. He was Apostolic Delegate to the Philippines from 1922 to 1948 and then played a similar role in Mexico until his death in 1956.

Biography

Guglielmo Piani was born on 16 September 1875 in Martinengo, Italy. He was ordained a priest of the Salesians of Don Bosco on 15 May 1898. On 16 December 1921, Pope Benedict XV appointed him titular bishop of Palaeopolis in Pamphylia and auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Puebla de los Ángeles. This was quickly revised because of intense conflict between the Church and the Mexican government, and on 17 March 1922 he was named titular archbishop of Dramas and Apostolic Delegate to the Philippines. He received his episcopal consecration in Rome on 14 May 1922. His service in the Philippines was interrupted in 1936 when he visited Mexico as an Apostolic Visitor to develop an independent assessment of the ongoing conflict between the government and the Church. He arrived in June shortly after the death of Pascual Díaz y Barreto, Archbishop of Mexico, on 19 May 1936 and it fell to him to recommend a successor. He continued from Mexico to Rome on other business, and there he provided intelligence that led

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI (; born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, ; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939) was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 until his death in February 1939. He was also the first sovereign of the Vatican City State u ...

to address an encyclical to the bishops of Mexico that directed them to adopt a less confrontational posture. On 5 October 1948,

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 ...

named him Apostolic Visitor to Mexico with the authority of Apostolic Delegate. He received the title of Apostolic Delegate to Mexico on 13 April 1951. He still held that title when he died on 27 September 1956 at the age of 81.

Notes

References

External links

Catholic Hierarchy: Archbishop Guglielmo Piani, S.D.B.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Piani, Guglielmo 1875 births 1956 deaths Clergy from the Province of Bergamo Apostolic nuncios to the Philippines Apostolic nuncios to Mexico