Maurilio Fossati, O.SS.G.C.N., (24 May 1876 – 30 March 1965) was an Italian Cardinal of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

who served as Archbishop of Turin from 1930 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1933.

Biography

Born in Arona, Fossati studied at the

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

in Novara before being

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform var ...

to the priesthood on 27 November 1898. He was private secretary to

Edoardo Pulciano Edoardo is the Italian form of the English male given name Edward. Notable people named Edoardo include: * Edoardo Agnelli (industrialist) (1892–1935), Italian industrialist * Edoardo Alfieri (1913–1998), Italian sculptor * Edoardo Amaldi (1908 ...

, the Bishop of Novara, later the Archbishop of Genoa, from 1901 to 1911, the year when Fossati entered the Oblates of Saints Gaudentius and Charles of Novara, a society of apostolic life of priests of the diocese. Fossati then did pastoral work in Novara until 1914. After serving as a military chaplain during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, he was made

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of his Society in Varallo Sesia in 1919. On 24 March 1924, Fossati was appointed Bishop of Nuoro by

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

. He received his episcopal consecration on the following 27 April from Archbishop Giuseppe Gamba, and was then

Apostolic Administrator An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

of Ogliastra from 1925 to 1927. Fossati was later named Archbishop of Sassari on 2 October 1929, and archbishop of Turin on 11 December 1930. Pope Pius created him Cardinal-Priest of '' San Marcello al Corso'' in the consistory of 13 March 1933. Fossati was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the

1939 papal conclave The 1939 papal conclave was held, following the death of Pope Pius XI on 10 February 1939. All 62 cardinals of the Catholic Church met on 1 March. The next day, on the third ballot, they elected Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli, who was Camerlengo and ...

(at which he was considered '' papabile'') which selected Pope Pius XII, and again

voted Voting is a method by which a group, such as a meeting or an electorate, can engage for the purpose of making a collective decision or expressing an opinion usually following discussions, debates or election campaigns. Democracies elect hold ...

in the

1958 conclave The 1958 papal conclave occurred following the death of Pope Pius XII on 9 October 1958. The College of Cardinals met from 25 to 28 October and on the eleventh ballot elected Cardinal Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, Patriarch of Venice as the new pope. ...

, resulting in the election of Pope John XXIII. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the Cardinal was an outspoken opponent of Fascism, and asked that Catholics take

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and Gypsies into their homes.TIME Magazine
Milestones
9 April 1965 Fossati convinced the German Army to avoid

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) 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. Th ...

, thus sparing the city from devastation, in its 1945 retreat. Of Catholics in the Italian Resistance, Peter Hebblethwaite wrote that, by early 1944, some 20,000 partisans had emerged from Catholic Action. Known as the " Green Flames", they were supported by sympathetic provincial clergy in the North, who pronounced the Germans to be "unjust invaders", whom it was lawful and meritorious to repel. "Bishops tended to be more cautious", wrote Hebblethwaite, but Maurilio Fossati "visited partisan units in the mountains, heard their confessions and said Mass for them."Peter Hebblethwaite; ''Paul VI - the First Modern Pope; Harper Collins Religious; 1993; pp.194-5 From 1962 to 1965, he attended the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...

, and then served as an

elector Elector may refer to: * Prince-elector or elector, a member of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Holy Roman Emperors * Elector, a member of an electoral college ** Confederate elector, a member of ...

at the conclave of 1963, which selected Pope Paul VI. Cardinal Fossati died from pneumonia in Turin, at age 88. He was initially buried at the chapel in the Seminary of Rivoli, but his remains were transferred to the Santuario della Consolata in 1977.

References

External links

Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fossati, Maurilio 1876 births 1965 deaths People from Arona, Piedmont 20th-century Italian cardinals Archbishops of Turin 20th-century Italian Roman Catholic archbishops Participants in the Second Vatican Council Italian military chaplains World War I chaplains World War II chaplains

Biography

See also

References

External links