Francesco Repetto
Encyclopedia
Monsignor Francesco Repetto (Genoa
, 1914–1984) was an Italian priest and librarian. He is honored by Jews as a Righteous Among the Nations
for his leading role in the clandestine DELASEM
organization, which contributed to the saving of thousands of Jews during the Holocaust in Italy
during the German occupation.
). He became a priest in 1938 and two years later, in 1940 he obtained a job as secretary to the Archbishop of Genoa
Pietro Boetto
. Genoa in the meantime became the headquarters of DELASEM
, a legal Jewish organization chaired by the lawyer Avvocato Lelio Vittorio Valobra
, dedicated to supporting the growing number of Jewish refugees in Italy.
Starting from on September 8, 1943, during the German occupation of Italy, Jews and foreigners in the territories of the Italian Social Republic
were systematically deported. Before Valobra was expatriated tor Switzerland
, he turned to Cardinal Boetto with the request to merge the activities of DELASEM (forced to go underground) to that of the Genoa Curia
, Repetto was directed to distribute the financial aid Massimo Teglio, known as "primrose red" (primula rossa) to the Jews of Genoa. Teglio organized DELASEM and produced false identity cards in private homes and hideouts in religious houses, while Father Repetto served as treasurer for the collection and distribution of the money that came from Switzerland through the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
.
In 1944, Archbishop Filippo Bernardini, Apostolic Nuncio in Bern, was instrumental in maintaining the relationship between Valobra (settled in Zurich
) and Father Repetto, who was still in Genoa. At the Genoa Curia many letters arrived from the Vatican
by Jews seeking news of relatives and acquaintances in northern Italy.
Father Repetto found support in the Jewish and Catholic religious authorities, in particular the rabbis Riccardo Reuven Pacifici in Genoa and Nathan Cassuto in Florence (until their deportation with a big part of their families: Rav Riccardo Pacifici was deported with his wife Wanda Abenaim, his oncle Rav Samuele Avraham Pacifici, vice-rabbi, and with the wife, Emma Polacco, and the daughter, Elena, of this last one. The burial rests of Elena Pacifici have been recently, miracolously and by chance, discovered in the little catholic cemetery of Swierklany Dolne not far from Auschwitz from an Israeli-polish shoa's researcher: Yaki Gantz. Rav Nathan Cassuto was deported with his wife Anna Di Gioacchino who incredibly saved herself from the deportation but found a terrible death at the end of the war in Palestine where she had meanwhile moved) and the bishops Pietro Boetto in Genoa, Elia Dalla Costa
of Florence
, Giuseppe Placido Nicolini of Assisi
, Maurilio Fossati
in Turin
, Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster
of Milan
, and Antonio Torrini at Lucca
.
To manage the difficult task of distributing funds, Father Repetto would benefit from the cooperation of some willing “couriers of currency,” such as Jewish couriers Raffaele Cantoni
, Giorgio Nissim or Salvatore Jona. Also, a large group of priests acted as couriers such Father Giovanni De Micheli, Father Alessandro Piazza (which was then Bishop of Albenga
), Father Gian Maria Rotondi, Father Carlo Salvi, Father Traverso Natale, Father Raffaele Storace and Father Giuseppe Viola. These priests were sent on missions to various episcopal curiae, in Tuscany
, Umbria
, Marche
, Piedmont
, Valle d'Aosta, Lombardy
and Veneto
, in carefully planned visits by Father Repetto.
The chain of solidarity that extended from Genoa to various localites, allowed for the an almost regular arrival of funds that were essential to the survival of thousands of Jews in central and northern Italy during the German occupation. Father Repetto developed many contacts with Father Giuseppe Bicchierai in Milan who was also secretary to the Cardinal. Schuster was a valuable contact as he was chaplain
at the Milan's prison of San Vittore
. In Turin, contacts were with Monsignor Vincenzo Barale, secretary of the Cardinal. In Florence, Cardinal Dalla Costa delegated his secretary, Monsignor Giacomo Meneghello and the Rector of the Seminary, Monsignor Enrico Bartoletti, along with Father Leto Casini, Father Cipriano Ricotti, Father Giulio Facibeni, Giorgio La Pira and Adone Zoli as contacts.
http://books.google.it/books?id=ZM_pkpZIeLIC&pg=PA161&dq=pacifici+noja+cacciatore+repetto&hl=it&ei=RyZqTZ2vJonCcfWjuI4M&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
The list of local contacts is long: Father Raimondo Viale
in Borgo San Dalmazzo
, Father Bruno Beccari and Giuseppe Moreali in Nonantola, Giorgio Nissim and Father Arturo Paoli in Lucca, Mario Finzi
in Bologna, fathers Aldo Brunacci and Nicacci Rufino in Assisi, Father Maria Benedetto, Angelo De Fiore, Settimio Sorani, and Sorani's assistant Giuseppe Levi in Rome. Among the best known couriers in the project was cyclist and eventual Tour de France
champion Gino Bartali
.
Repetto - who has long been the Prefect
of the Biblioteca Franzoniana - decided to take refuge in the mountains to avoid being captured and tried for his actions, finding safe haven in Val Bisogno at Molassana in July 1944.
On April 29, 1976, Father Repetto then received the honor of Righteous Among the Nations
from the Institute Yad Vashem
in Jerusalem.
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, 1914–1984) was an Italian priest and librarian. He is honored by Jews as a Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous among the Nations of the world's nations"), also translated as Righteous Gentiles is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to save Jews from extermination by the Nazis....
for his leading role in the clandestine DELASEM
DELASEM
Delegation for the Assistance of Jewish Emigrants or DELASEM, was a Jewish resistance organization that worked in Italy between 1939 and 1947...
organization, which contributed to the saving of thousands of Jews during the Holocaust in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
during the German occupation.
Biography
As a young man he studied at Gregorian University. While in Rome he met and became friends with Monsignor Giovanni Battista Montini (known in the future as Pope Paul VIPope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
). He became a priest in 1938 and two years later, in 1940 he obtained a job as secretary to the Archbishop of Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
Pietro Boetto
Pietro Boetto
Pietro Boetto, SJ was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Genoa from 1938 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1935.-Biography:...
. Genoa in the meantime became the headquarters of DELASEM
DELASEM
Delegation for the Assistance of Jewish Emigrants or DELASEM, was a Jewish resistance organization that worked in Italy between 1939 and 1947...
, a legal Jewish organization chaired by the lawyer Avvocato Lelio Vittorio Valobra
Lelio Vittorio Valobra
Lelio Vittorio Valobra is a Jewish Italian lawyer and was the chairman of DELASEM, an exponent of the Jewish resistance. In 1935, Valobra was a leading member of the Jewish community of Genoa, and was the keynote speaker at the new synagogue in the city, stating: "The pride of being able to raise...
, dedicated to supporting the growing number of Jewish refugees in Italy.
Starting from on September 8, 1943, during the German occupation of Italy, Jews and foreigners in the territories of the Italian Social Republic
Italian Social Republic
The Italian Social Republic was a puppet state of Nazi Germany led by the "Duce of the Nation" and "Minister of Foreign Affairs" Benito Mussolini and his Republican Fascist Party. The RSI exercised nominal sovereignty in northern Italy but was largely dependent on the Wehrmacht to maintain control...
were systematically deported. Before Valobra was expatriated tor Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, he turned to Cardinal Boetto with the request to merge the activities of DELASEM (forced to go underground) to that of the Genoa Curia
Curia
A curia in early Roman times was a subdivision of the people, i.e. more or less a tribe, and with a metonymy it came to mean also the meeting place where the tribe discussed its affairs...
, Repetto was directed to distribute the financial aid Massimo Teglio, known as "primrose red" (primula rossa) to the Jews of Genoa. Teglio organized DELASEM and produced false identity cards in private homes and hideouts in religious houses, while Father Repetto served as treasurer for the collection and distribution of the money that came from Switzerland through the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee is a worldwide Jewish relief organization headquartered in New York. It was established in 1914 and is active in more than 70 countries....
.
In 1944, Archbishop Filippo Bernardini, Apostolic Nuncio in Bern, was instrumental in maintaining the relationship between Valobra (settled in Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
) and Father Repetto, who was still in Genoa. At the Genoa Curia many letters arrived from the Vatican
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
by Jews seeking news of relatives and acquaintances in northern Italy.
Father Repetto found support in the Jewish and Catholic religious authorities, in particular the rabbis Riccardo Reuven Pacifici in Genoa and Nathan Cassuto in Florence (until their deportation with a big part of their families: Rav Riccardo Pacifici was deported with his wife Wanda Abenaim, his oncle Rav Samuele Avraham Pacifici, vice-rabbi, and with the wife, Emma Polacco, and the daughter, Elena, of this last one. The burial rests of Elena Pacifici have been recently, miracolously and by chance, discovered in the little catholic cemetery of Swierklany Dolne not far from Auschwitz from an Israeli-polish shoa's researcher: Yaki Gantz. Rav Nathan Cassuto was deported with his wife Anna Di Gioacchino who incredibly saved herself from the deportation but found a terrible death at the end of the war in Palestine where she had meanwhile moved) and the bishops Pietro Boetto in Genoa, Elia Dalla Costa
Elia Dalla Costa
Elia Angelo Dalla Costa was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of Florence from 1931 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1933.-Biography:...
of Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Giuseppe Placido Nicolini of Assisi
Assisi
- Churches :* The Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi is a World Heritage Site. The Franciscan monastery, il Sacro Convento, and the lower and upper church of St Francis were begun immediately after his canonization in 1228, and completed in 1253...
, Maurilio Fossati
Maurilio Fossati
Maurilio Fossati was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as archbishop of Turin from 1930 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1933.-Biography:...
in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster
Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster
Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster, O.S.B. was a Benedictine monk and Cardinal Archbishop of Milan during World War II...
of Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, and Antonio Torrini at Lucca
Lucca
Lucca is a city and comune in Tuscany, central Italy, situated on the river Serchio in a fertile plainnear the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Lucca...
.
To manage the difficult task of distributing funds, Father Repetto would benefit from the cooperation of some willing “couriers of currency,” such as Jewish couriers Raffaele Cantoni
Raffaele Cantoni
Raffaele Cantoni was an anti-fascist Italian Jew who is best known for his efforts, perhaps daring, in saving Italian Jews from the Holocaust. He was a DELASEM executive before and during the German occupation of World War II. He was also President of the pro-Zionist UCEI or Union of Italian...
, Giorgio Nissim or Salvatore Jona. Also, a large group of priests acted as couriers such Father Giovanni De Micheli, Father Alessandro Piazza (which was then Bishop of Albenga
Albenga
Albenga is a city and comune situated on the Gulf of Genoa on the Italian Riviera in the Province of Savona in Liguria, northern Italy.left|thumb|220px|Towers of Albenga.The economy is mostly based on tourism, local commerce and agriculture-History:...
), Father Gian Maria Rotondi, Father Carlo Salvi, Father Traverso Natale, Father Raffaele Storace and Father Giuseppe Viola. These priests were sent on missions to various episcopal curiae, in Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
, Umbria
Umbria
Umbria is a region of modern central Italy. It is one of the smallest Italian regions and the only peninsular region that is landlocked.Its capital is Perugia.Assisi and Norcia are historical towns associated with St. Francis of Assisi, and St...
, Marche
Marche
The population density in the region is below the national average. In 2008, it was 161.5 inhabitants per km2, compared to the national figure of 198.8. It is highest in the province of Ancona , and lowest in the province of Macerata...
, Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
, Valle d'Aosta, Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
and Veneto
Veneto
Veneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 5 million, ranking 5th in Italy.Veneto had been for more than a millennium an independent state, the Republic of Venice, until it was eventually annexed by Italy in 1866 after brief Austrian and French rule...
, in carefully planned visits by Father Repetto.
The chain of solidarity that extended from Genoa to various localites, allowed for the an almost regular arrival of funds that were essential to the survival of thousands of Jews in central and northern Italy during the German occupation. Father Repetto developed many contacts with Father Giuseppe Bicchierai in Milan who was also secretary to the Cardinal. Schuster was a valuable contact as he was chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
at the Milan's prison of San Vittore
San Vittore
San Vittore may refer to:* San Vittore, Switzerland, a municipality in Graubünden, Switzerland* San Vittore del Lazio, a comune in Lazio, Italy* San Vittore Olona, a comune in Lombardy, Italy...
. In Turin, contacts were with Monsignor Vincenzo Barale, secretary of the Cardinal. In Florence, Cardinal Dalla Costa delegated his secretary, Monsignor Giacomo Meneghello and the Rector of the Seminary, Monsignor Enrico Bartoletti, along with Father Leto Casini, Father Cipriano Ricotti, Father Giulio Facibeni, Giorgio La Pira and Adone Zoli as contacts.
http://books.google.it/books?id=ZM_pkpZIeLIC&pg=PA161&dq=pacifici+noja+cacciatore+repetto&hl=it&ei=RyZqTZ2vJonCcfWjuI4M&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
The list of local contacts is long: Father Raimondo Viale
Raimondo Viale
"... resistance is a mature man's dowry, the man who rejects everything that is unjust, and rebels, rebels ... The Bible is full of resistance. Resistance is a sacred thing, is part of life that preserves life, and rejects everything that is contrary to human dignity and life itself " – The Just...
in Borgo San Dalmazzo
Borgo San Dalmazzo
Borgo San Dalmazzo is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 80 km south of Turin and about 8 km southwest of Cuneo...
, Father Bruno Beccari and Giuseppe Moreali in Nonantola, Giorgio Nissim and Father Arturo Paoli in Lucca, Mario Finzi
Mario Finzi
Mario Finzi was born in Bologna, Italy, from an Italian Jewish family: both his father Amerigo Finzi, and his mother, Ebe Castelfranchi, were teachers....
in Bologna, fathers Aldo Brunacci and Nicacci Rufino in Assisi, Father Maria Benedetto, Angelo De Fiore, Settimio Sorani, and Sorani's assistant Giuseppe Levi in Rome. Among the best known couriers in the project was cyclist and eventual Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
champion Gino Bartali
Gino Bartali
Gino Bartali, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was the most renowned Italian cyclist before the Second World War, having won the Giro d'Italia twice and the Tour de France in 1938...
.
Repetto - who has long been the Prefect
Prefect
Prefect is a magisterial title of varying definition....
of the Biblioteca Franzoniana - decided to take refuge in the mountains to avoid being captured and tried for his actions, finding safe haven in Val Bisogno at Molassana in July 1944.
Acknowledgements
In 1955, he was awarded a gold medal by the Union of Italian Jewish Communities, the justification states:
“Father Francesco Repetto, secretary of the Archbishop of Genoa, after September 8, 1943, assumed the arduous and difficult task of continuing the underground work to assist Jews through DELASEM during the Nazi occupation. In this his most noble work, defied their (the Nazis) numerous complaints, threats and arrest orders which he fortunately evaded successfully, and created a real organization for the distribution of food supplies, shelters for emigration, hospitalization, and succeeded to help persecuted hundreds.”
On April 29, 1976, Father Repetto then received the honor of Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous among the Nations of the world's nations"), also translated as Righteous Gentiles is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to save Jews from extermination by the Nazis....
from the Institute Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, established in 1953 through the Yad Vashem Law passed by the Knesset, Israel's parliament....
in Jerusalem.