Luigi Dossena (28 May 1925 – 9 September 2007) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who spent his career 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 ...

Biography

Luigi Dossena was born in Campagnola Cremasca, Italy, on 28 May 1925. He was ordained a priest of the

Diocese of Crema The Diocese of Crema () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Lombardy in northern Italy. It has existed since 1579. It is suffragan to the Archdiocese of Milan.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 1953. His early assignments in the diplomatic service include a stint in the Dominican Republic. On 27 February 1973,

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 ...

appointed him a titular archbishop and Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Korea. He received his episcopal consecration on 25 March 1973 from Cardinal

Jean-Marie Villot Jean-Marie Villot (11 October 1905 – 9 March 1979) was a French prelate and Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Lyon from 1965 to 1967, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy from 1967 to 1969, Vatican Secret ...

. On 24 October 1978,

Pope 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 ...

named him Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to

Cape Verde Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about . These islands ...

Niger Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

, and Upper Volta and also Apostolic Delegate to

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

Guinea-Bissau Guinea-Bissau, officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, is a country in West Africa that covers with an estimated population of 2,026,778. It borders Senegal to Guinea-Bissau–Senegal border, its north and Guinea to Guinea–Guinea-Bissau b ...

, and

Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...

. His responsibilities changed as the Vatican reorganized its diplomatic presence in Africa. The posts of Pro-Nuncio to Upper Volta and to Niger were assigned to

Justo Mullor García Justo Mullor García (8 May 1932 – 30 December 2016) was a Spanish prelate of the Catholic Church who spent his career in the diplomatic service of the Holy See and then headed the Vatican's academy for training diplomats. Biography Born in lo ...

on 2 May and 25 August 1979. And Dossena's title in Mali was raised to Apostolic Pro-Nuncio on 3 June 1980. On 30 December 1985, he was appointed

Apostolic Nuncio to Peru The Apostolic Nunciature to the Republic of Peru is an ecclesiastical office of the Roman Catholic Church in Peru. It is a diplomatic post of the Holy See, whose representative is called the Apostolic Nuncio with the rank of an ambassador. Papal ...

by Pope John Paul. Though viewed as more moderate than his predecessor

Mario Tagliaferri Mario Tagliaferri (1 June 1927 – 21 May 1999) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who spent his career in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He became an archbishop in 1970 and served as an Apostolic Nuncio from then until his dea ...

, his took similar positions with respect to his role as nuncio and the Church's role in civic life. Some in the Church hierarchy in Peru complained he had excessive influence over episcopal appointments. He urged the Peruvian bishops to publicly support

Mario Vargas Llosa Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa, 1st Marquess of Vargas Llosa (28 March 1936 – 13 April 2025) was a Peruvian novelist, journalist, essayist and politician. Vargas Llosa was one of the most significant Latin American novelists and essayists a ...

in the 1990 presidential election. On 2 March 1994, he was named Apostolic Nuncio to Slovakia. His service as nuncio ended when he was replaced in Slovakia by

Henryk Józef Nowacki Henryk Józef Nowacki (born 11 August 1946) is a Polish prelate of the Catholic Church who has spent his career in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. Biography Nowacki was born on 11 August 1946 in Gunzenhausen. He was ordained a priest ...

on 8 February 2001. He died on 9 September 2007.

References

External links

Catholic Hierarchy: Archbishop Luigi Dossena
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dossena, Luigi 1925 births 2007 deaths Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy alumni Apostolic nuncios to South Korea Apostolic nuncios to Cape Verde Apostolic nuncios to Niger Apostolic nuncios to Senegal Apostolic nuncios to Burkina Faso Apostolic nuncios to Mali Apostolic nuncios to Guinea-Bissau Apostolic nuncios to Mauritania Apostolic nuncios to Peru Apostolic nuncios to Slovakia Clergy from the Province of Cremona