Giovanni Bonzano
Encyclopedia
Giovanni Vincenzo Cardinal Bonzano PIME
(27 September 1867 – 26 November 1927) was an Italian
Cardinal
of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Apostolic Delegate to United States from 1912 to 1922, and was elevated to the cardinalate
in 1922.
to Giuseppe and Agostina (née Vescovo) Bonzano. He attended the seminary
in Vigevano
before going to Rome to study at the Mastai College for Chinese Missions and Pontifical Urbanian Athenaeum De Propaganda Fide
. He was ordained
a priest
of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions
by Cardinal Lucido Parocchi
on 21 May 1890, and then did missionary
work in China until 1897. Upon returning to Italy
, Bonzano was made vicar general
(26 August 1899) and chancellor
(10 February 1900) of Vigevano. He then taught at the Pontifical Urbanian Athenaeum De Propaganda Fide from 1901 to 1904, becoming its rector
on 16 May.
On 2 February 1912, Bonzano was appointed Apostolic Delegate to United States and Titular Archbishop
of Melitene by Pope Pius X
. He received his episcopal consecration
on the following 3 March from Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val, with Bishops Pietro Barruti and Thomas Kennedy serving as co-consecrators
, in Rome. Bonzano, in addition to his duties in Washington, D.C., was temporarily placed in charge of the Apostolic Delegation
to Mexico
on 22 June 1915.
Pope Pius XI
created him Cardinal-Priest
of San Pancrazio
in the consistory
of 11 December 1922, whereupon he ceased to serve as Apostolic Delegate. Cardianl Bonzano opted to assume the titular church of Santa Susanna
on 18 December 1924, and later presided over the initial renovation of the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli
in Assisi
on 19 April 1925. He also served as papal legate
to the twenty-eighth International Eucharistic Congress
in Chicago on 20–24 June 1926. He arrived at the Congress aboard the "Cardinal's Train", a special New York Central/Pullman train painted cardinal red and gold to carry Bonzano and several other cardinals from the port in New York to Chicago.
Cardinal Bonzano died in Rome, at age 60. He is buried in the church of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary
in Grottaferrata
.
Pime
The Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions is a society of secular priests and lay people who dedicate their lives to missionary activities in: Algeria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Guinea-Bissau, Hong Kong, India, Ivory Coast, Japan, Mexico, Myanmar , Papua New Guinea, Philippines and...
(27 September 1867 – 26 November 1927) was an Italian
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...
Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Apostolic Delegate to United States from 1912 to 1922, and was elevated to the cardinalate
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
in 1922.
Biography
Giovanni Bonzano was born in Castelletto MonferratoCastelletto Monferrato
Castelletto Monferrato is a comune in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 70 km east of Turin and about 8 km northwest of Alessandria...
to Giuseppe and Agostina (née Vescovo) Bonzano. He attended the seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
in Vigevano
Vigevano
Vigevano is a town and comune in the province of Pavia, Lombardy, northern Italy, which possesses many artistic treasures and runs a huge industrial business. It is at the center of a district called Lomellina, a great rice-growing agricultural centre...
before going to Rome to study at the Mastai College for Chinese Missions and Pontifical Urbanian Athenaeum De Propaganda Fide
Pontifical Urbaniana University
The Pontifical Urbaniana University or Pontifical Urban University is a pontifical university under the authority of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.-History:...
. He was ordained
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
a priest
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions
Pime
The Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions is a society of secular priests and lay people who dedicate their lives to missionary activities in: Algeria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Guinea-Bissau, Hong Kong, India, Ivory Coast, Japan, Mexico, Myanmar , Papua New Guinea, Philippines and...
by Cardinal Lucido Parocchi
Lucido Parocchi
Lucido Maria Parocchi S.T.D. was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Secretary of the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office.-Biography:...
on 21 May 1890, and then did missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
work in China until 1897. Upon returning to 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...
, Bonzano was made vicar general
Vicar general
A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular...
(26 August 1899) and chancellor
Chancellor (ecclesiastical)
Two quite distinct officials of some Christian churches have the title Chancellor.*In some churches, the Chancellor of a diocese is a lawyer who represents the church in legal matters....
(10 February 1900) of Vigevano. He then taught at the Pontifical Urbanian Athenaeum De Propaganda Fide from 1901 to 1904, becoming its rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
on 16 May.
On 2 February 1912, Bonzano was appointed Apostolic Delegate to United States and Titular Archbishop
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Melitene by Pope Pius X
Pope Pius X
Pope Saint Pius X , born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, was the 257th Pope of the Catholic Church, serving from 1903 to 1914. He was the first pope since Pope Pius V to be canonized. Pius X rejected modernist interpretations of Catholic doctrine, promoting traditional devotional practices and orthodox...
. He received his episcopal consecration
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
on the following 3 March from Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val, with Bishops Pietro Barruti and Thomas Kennedy serving as co-consecrators
Consecrator
Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...
, in Rome. Bonzano, in addition to his duties in Washington, D.C., was temporarily placed in charge of the Apostolic Delegation
Nuncio
Nuncio is an ecclesiastical diplomatic title, derived from the ancient Latin word, Nuntius, meaning "envoy." This article addresses this title as well as derived similar titles, all within the structure of the Roman Catholic Church...
to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
on 22 June 1915.
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
created him Cardinal-Priest
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
of San Pancrazio
San Pancrazio
San Pancrazio is a basilica church in Rome, founded in the 6th century. It stands in via S. Pancrazio, westward beyond the Porta San Pancrazio that opens in a stretch of the Aurelian Wall on the Janiculum....
in the consistory
Consistory
-Antiquity:Originally, the Latin word consistorium meant simply 'sitting together', just as the Greek synedrion ....
of 11 December 1922, whereupon he ceased to serve as Apostolic Delegate. Cardianl Bonzano opted to assume the titular church of Santa Susanna
Santa Susanna
The Church of Saint Susanna at the baths of Diocletian is a Roman Catholic parish church on the Quirinal Hill in Rome, with a titulus associated to its site that dates back to about 280...
on 18 December 1924, and later presided over the initial renovation of the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli
Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli
The Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli is a church situated in the plain at the foot of the hill of Assisi, Italy, in the frazione of Santa Maria degli Angeli....
in 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...
on 19 April 1925. He also served as papal legate
Papal legate
A papal legate – from the Latin, authentic Roman title Legatus – is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic Church. He is empowered on matters of Catholic Faith and for the settlement of ecclesiastical matters....
to the twenty-eighth International Eucharistic Congress
International Eucharistic Congress
In the Roman Catholic church, a Eucharistic Congress is a gathering of clergy, religious, and laity to bear witness to the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, which is an important Roman Catholic doctrine...
in Chicago on 20–24 June 1926. He arrived at the Congress aboard the "Cardinal's Train", a special New York Central/Pullman train painted cardinal red and gold to carry Bonzano and several other cardinals from the port in New York to Chicago.
Cardinal Bonzano died in Rome, at age 60. He is buried in the church of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary
Franciscan Missionaries of Mary
Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, or the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Mary is a Roman Catholic order founded by Sister Mary of the Passion, Helene de Chappotin, in 1877 at Ootacamund, India....
in Grottaferrata
Grottaferrata
Grottaferrata, Italy is a small town and comune in the province of Rome, situated on the lower slopes of the Alban Hills, 20 km south east of Rome. It is bounded by other communes, Frascati, Rocca di Papa, Marino, and Rome.-History:...
.