Paolo Dezza
Encyclopedia
Paolo Dezza, S.J. was a Roman Catholic Jesuit cardinal
who led the Pontifical Gregorian University
during the pontificate of Pope Pius XII
, whom he aided in the preparation of the dogma
of the Assumption of Mary
. He was confessor to Pope Paul VI
and Paul's successor, Pope John Paul I
, and was a teacher of Pope John Paul I's successor, Pope John Paul II
. In 1981, Pope John Paul II appointed Dezza and an assistant, then-Father (later Archbishop) Giuseppe Pittau, S.J., to head the Jesuit order, which would have preferred a liberal American, Father Vincent O'Keefe
. In 1991, Dezza was named a cardinal by Pope John Paul II out of gratitude for his services to the Church in the management of the crisis and for his work as a theologian and university president. Pope John Paul II personally conducted the Mass of Christian Burial for the funeral of Paolo Cardinal Dezza on December 20, 1999.
Aged seventeen, Dezza entered the Jesuit order on December 2, 1918. He studied both in Madrid
, Spain Naples
, Italy and Innsbruck
, Austria. On March 25, 1928, he was ordained priest. A brilliant scholar, he was named professor of philosophy at the Gregorian University, but had to spent several years in Switzerland because of health complications. In 1935, he was named Provincial for the region Venice
and Milan
, and in 1941, he was named head of the Gregorian University With Robert Leiber
, Augustin Bea
, Otto Faller
G. Hentrich and R. G. de Moos he assisted in the preparation of the dogma
of the Assumption of Mary
As head of the University during the war years, after Croatian students started a nationalistic riot, he ruled that in future only the diocesis of origin not nationality is to be given by students of the University.
In 1945 he baptized Israel Zolli
, the Chief Rabbi
of Rome and head of the Jewish community, who, in recognition of the interventions of Pope Pius XII
for the Jews in Rome during German occupation, took on the name Eugenio Zolli. Eugenio Zolli worked for the rest of his life in the Gregorian University. Dezza was said to be a leading candidate in the election for a new Jesuit General in 1946. From 1951 on he headed as General Secretary the International Federation of Catholic Universities (FIUC). He was confessor to two popes, Paul VI and John Paul I. He arrived at the Vatican every Friday evening at seven P.M. The only words he ever spoke about his long service to Pope Paul VI during his pontificate were, that this pope is a man of great joy.
After the death of Pope Paul VI
, Dezza was more outspoken, saying that "if Paul VI was not a saint, when he was elected Pope, he became one during his pontificate. I was able to witness not only with what energy and dedication he toiled for Christ and the Church but also and above all, how much he suffered for Christ and the Church. I always admired not only his deep inner resignation but also his constant abandonment to divine providence.". In 1981, as the battle between conservatives and liberals in the Jesuits intensified, the order's superior general, Pedro Arrupe
, suffered a stroke. The Jesuits nominated the Rev. Vincent O'Keefe
, an ardent American liberal, to run the order until a successor could be found. The pope, in a highly unusual and historic decision intervened and appointed instead Father Dezza, who was known as a brilliant scholar and also a traditionalist, as a special pontifical delegate to serve as the Jesuits' interim leader. Already in 1979 the newly elected pope warned a gathering of Jesuits that their order was causing confusion among the Christian people and anxieties to the church. The pope knew Dezza personally as his teacher. As a student in the Belgian College in Rome after the war, he had attended Dezza's lectures at the Gregorian Pontifical University. In 1983 the Jesuits elected Peter Hans Kolvenbach
, a Dutch academic as their new superior general.
The pope elevated Father Dezza, aged 90, to cardinal in 1991 as Cardinal-Deacon of S. Ignazio di Loyola a Campo Marzio
. In 1999, the Pope personally celebrated the funeral mass and gave a moving homily of Cardinal Dezza in which he said:
Cardinal Paolo Dezza is buried in the Church Sant'Ignazio
in Rome, near the grave of Robert Bellarmin.
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...
who led the Pontifical Gregorian University
Pontifical Gregorian University
The Pontifical Gregorian University is a pontifical university located in Rome, Italy.Heir of the Roman College founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola over 460 years ago, the Gregorian University was the first university founded by the Jesuits...
during the pontificate of Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
, whom he aided in the preparation of the dogma
Dogma (Roman Catholic)
In the Roman Catholic Church, a dogma is an article of faith revealed by God, which the magisterium of the Church presents to be believed. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the basic truth from which salvation and life is derived for Christians. Dogmata regulate the language, how the truth of...
of the Assumption of Mary
Assumption of Mary
According to the belief of Christians of the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, and parts of the Anglican Communion and Continuing Anglicanism, the Assumption of Mary was the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her life...
. He was confessor to Pope Paul VI
Pope 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...
and Paul's successor, Pope John Paul I
Pope John Paul I
John Paul I , born Albino Luciani, , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and as Sovereign of Vatican City from 26 August 1978 until his death 33 days later. His reign is among the shortest in papal history, resulting in the most recent Year of Three Popes...
, and was a teacher of Pope John Paul I's successor, Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
. In 1981, Pope John Paul II appointed Dezza and an assistant, then-Father (later Archbishop) Giuseppe Pittau, S.J., to head the Jesuit order, which would have preferred a liberal American, Father Vincent O'Keefe
Vincent O'Keefe
Father Vincent O'Keefe S.J. is the former Vicar General of the Society of Jesus and a past President of Fordham University.In 1981, as the battle between conservatives and liberals in the Jesuits intensified, the order's superior general, Pedro Arrupe, suffered a stroke. The Jesuits nominated the...
. In 1991, Dezza was named a cardinal by Pope John Paul II out of gratitude for his services to the Church in the management of the crisis and for his work as a theologian and university president. Pope John Paul II personally conducted the Mass of Christian Burial for the funeral of Paolo Cardinal Dezza on December 20, 1999.
Aged seventeen, Dezza entered the Jesuit order on December 2, 1918. He studied both in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, Italy and Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
, Austria. On March 25, 1928, he was ordained priest. A brilliant scholar, he was named professor of philosophy at the Gregorian University, but had to spent several years in Switzerland because of health complications. In 1935, he was named Provincial for the region Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
and 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 in 1941, he was named head of the Gregorian University With Robert Leiber
Robert Leiber
Robert Leiber, S.J. , close advisor to Pope Pius XII, a Jesuit priest from Germany was Professor for Church History at the Gregorian University in Rome from 1930-1960...
, Augustin Bea
Augustin Bea
Augustin Bea, SJ was a German scholar at the Gregorian University specializing in biblical studies and biblical archeology. He was confessor of Pope Pius XII. In 1959, Pope John XXIII made him cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first President of the Secretariat for Promoting...
, Otto Faller
Otto Faller
Rev.Otto Faller SJ was Provincial Superior of the Jesuit order in Germany, educator, teacher and Dean at Stella Matutina in Feldkirch, Austria and Kolleg St. Blasien in Germany, professor of patristic studies at the Gregorian University. He was life-long editor of the works of St. Ambrose...
G. Hentrich and R. G. de Moos he assisted in the preparation of the dogma
Dogma (Roman Catholic)
In the Roman Catholic Church, a dogma is an article of faith revealed by God, which the magisterium of the Church presents to be believed. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the basic truth from which salvation and life is derived for Christians. Dogmata regulate the language, how the truth of...
of the Assumption of Mary
Assumption of Mary
According to the belief of Christians of the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, and parts of the Anglican Communion and Continuing Anglicanism, the Assumption of Mary was the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her life...
As head of the University during the war years, after Croatian students started a nationalistic riot, he ruled that in future only the diocesis of origin not nationality is to be given by students of the University.
In 1945 he baptized Israel Zolli
Israel Zolli
Israel Zolli was from 1939 to 1945 Chief Rabbi of Rome. After the war, he converted to Roman Catholicism, taking the name Eugenio in honor of Pope Pius XII.-Early years/rabbinate:...
, the Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities...
of Rome and head of the Jewish community, who, in recognition of the interventions of Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
for the Jews in Rome during German occupation, took on the name Eugenio Zolli. Eugenio Zolli worked for the rest of his life in the Gregorian University. Dezza was said to be a leading candidate in the election for a new Jesuit General in 1946. From 1951 on he headed as General Secretary the International Federation of Catholic Universities (FIUC). He was confessor to two popes, Paul VI and John Paul I. He arrived at the Vatican every Friday evening at seven P.M. The only words he ever spoke about his long service to Pope Paul VI during his pontificate were, that this pope is a man of great joy.
After the death of Pope Paul VI
Pope 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...
, Dezza was more outspoken, saying that "if Paul VI was not a saint, when he was elected Pope, he became one during his pontificate. I was able to witness not only with what energy and dedication he toiled for Christ and the Church but also and above all, how much he suffered for Christ and the Church. I always admired not only his deep inner resignation but also his constant abandonment to divine providence.". In 1981, as the battle between conservatives and liberals in the Jesuits intensified, the order's superior general, Pedro Arrupe
Pedro Arrupe
Fr. Pedro Arrupe, S.J. was the twenty eighth Superior General of the Society of Jesus. He was born in Bilbao, Spain.-Education and training:...
, suffered a stroke. The Jesuits nominated the Rev. Vincent O'Keefe
Vincent O'Keefe
Father Vincent O'Keefe S.J. is the former Vicar General of the Society of Jesus and a past President of Fordham University.In 1981, as the battle between conservatives and liberals in the Jesuits intensified, the order's superior general, Pedro Arrupe, suffered a stroke. The Jesuits nominated the...
, an ardent American liberal, to run the order until a successor could be found. The pope, in a highly unusual and historic decision intervened and appointed instead Father Dezza, who was known as a brilliant scholar and also a traditionalist, as a special pontifical delegate to serve as the Jesuits' interim leader. Already in 1979 the newly elected pope warned a gathering of Jesuits that their order was causing confusion among the Christian people and anxieties to the church. The pope knew Dezza personally as his teacher. As a student in the Belgian College in Rome after the war, he had attended Dezza's lectures at the Gregorian Pontifical University. In 1983 the Jesuits elected Peter Hans Kolvenbach
Peter Hans Kolvenbach
Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., S.T.D. , was the 29th Superior General of the Society of Jesus, the largest male religious order of the Catholic Church.-Life:...
, a Dutch academic as their new superior general.
The pope elevated Father Dezza, aged 90, to cardinal in 1991 as Cardinal-Deacon of S. Ignazio di Loyola a Campo Marzio
Sant'Ignazio
The Church of Saint Ignatius of Loyola at Campus Martius is Roman Catholic titular church dedicated to Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order, located in Rome, Italy...
. In 1999, the Pope personally celebrated the funeral mass and gave a moving homily of Cardinal Dezza in which he said:
Cardinal Paolo Dezza is buried in the Church Sant'Ignazio
Sant'Ignazio
The Church of Saint Ignatius of Loyola at Campus Martius is Roman Catholic titular church dedicated to Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order, located in Rome, Italy...
in Rome, near the grave of Robert Bellarmin.
Selected publications
- Adnotationes in tractatum de ontologia. - Rome, 1930
- La filosophia del christianesimo. -Milan, 1949
- Metaphysica generalis. - Rome, 1964