Raimondo Spiazzi
Encyclopedia
Raimondo Spiazzi OP was an Italian
Catholic
theologian, advisor to Pius XII, and Mariologist with over 2,500 publications.
, province of Genoa
.
He met Cardinal Secretary of State
Eugenio Pacelli in 1937, who left a major impression on him and facilitated his entry in the seminary. March 25, 1944, he was ordained to the priesthood. During the war years he taught religion in a secondary school in Turin
. After the war, he studied at the Pontifical International Athenaeum Angelicum in Rome
and graduated in 1947 with the title “The Christian Perfection of Man.” He taught in Rome at the Angelicum until 1972.
Spiazzi, a tireless scholar authored 2.500 publications of which are 150 publications in book format. l'Edizione Marietti dell'Opera Omnia di San Tommaso d'Aquino, l'Enciclopedia Moderna del Cristinesimo, l'Enciclopedia Mariana "Theotòcos". Many of his later publications are in the area of Mariology.
In 1959, Spiazzi published an article, which costs him banning from Rome and the wrath of Pope John XXIII
. Aware of discussions on the continued mandatory priestly celibacy, most prominently by the Cardinal Archbishop Emmanuel Célestin Suhard
of Paris, Spiazzi argued in Monitor Ecclesiasticus, that historical evidence for mandatory priestly celibacy was extremely shaky. He pointed out, that even at he Ecumenical Council of Trent
, the fathers did not consider clerical celibacy a matter of divine positive law, “nor could they since there were validly ordained married priests in communion with Rome.
Pope John XXIII was not amused. He could not punish the Cardinal of Paris, but Spiazzi had to leave his teaching position and Rome within 24 hours. At the Roman synod January 27, 1960, the Pontiff affirmed mandatory celibacy as a permanent reminder of the heroic age, in which the Church had to do battle and succeeded to the extent that it won the triple title and emblem of its victory: The Church of Christ, free, chaste Catholic
Spiazzi was theological advisor to Pope Pius XII
from 1954 until his death October 1958. During this time, the Pontiff issued two Marian encyclicals, Ad caeli reginam
and Fulgens Corona
. After the death of the Pope he wrote several books, in which he illustrated the modern nature and applicability of the Magisterium
of Pius XII. He participated in two seminars in the Vatican on the theology and ecclesiology of the late pontiff. A bitter disagreement developed in an October 9, 1992 seminar, when Cardinal
Fiorenzo Angelini accused Raimondo Spiazzi of misrepresenting the late Pope. Angelini, who had come late to the Spiazzi presentation, had most probably misinterpreted him. The encyclical Mystici Corporis, was in the view of Spiazzi, a most important legacy of Pope XII and a manifestation not only of his Christology
but also of his Mariology
. After a serious illness, Spiazzi left Rome in 1997.
Raimondo Spiazzi died in 2004 at Varazze
, province of Savona
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...
Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
theologian, advisor to Pius XII, and Mariologist with over 2,500 publications.
Biography
Spiazzi was born in MonegliaMoneglia
Moneglia is a comune in the Province of Genoa in the Italian region Liguria, located about 50 km southeast of Genoa. It is a tourist resort on the Riviera di Levante.-Main sights:...
, province of Genoa
Province of Genoa
The Province of Genoa is a province in the Liguria region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Genoa.It has an area of 1,838 km², and a total population of about 900,000...
.
He met Cardinal Secretary of State
Cardinal Secretary of State
The Cardinal Secretary of State—officially Secretary of State of His Holiness The Pope—presides over the Holy See, usually known as the "Vatican", Secretariat of State, which is the oldest and most important dicastery of the Roman Curia...
Eugenio Pacelli in 1937, who left a major impression on him and facilitated his entry in the seminary. March 25, 1944, he was ordained to the priesthood. During the war years he taught religion in a secondary school 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...
. After the war, he studied at the Pontifical International Athenaeum Angelicum in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and graduated in 1947 with the title “The Christian Perfection of Man.” He taught in Rome at the Angelicum until 1972.
Spiazzi, a tireless scholar authored 2.500 publications of which are 150 publications in book format. l'Edizione Marietti dell'Opera Omnia di San Tommaso d'Aquino, l'Enciclopedia Moderna del Cristinesimo, l'Enciclopedia Mariana "Theotòcos". Many of his later publications are in the area of Mariology.
In 1959, Spiazzi published an article, which costs him banning from Rome and the wrath of Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
. Aware of discussions on the continued mandatory priestly celibacy, most prominently by the Cardinal Archbishop Emmanuel Célestin Suhard
Emmanuel Célestin Suhard
Emmanuel Célestin Suhard was a French Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Paris from 1940 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1935.-Biography:...
of Paris, Spiazzi argued in Monitor Ecclesiasticus, that historical evidence for mandatory priestly celibacy was extremely shaky. He pointed out, that even at he Ecumenical Council of Trent
Council of Trent
The Council of Trent was the 16th-century Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. It is considered to be one of the Church's most important councils. It convened in Trent between December 13, 1545, and December 4, 1563 in twenty-five sessions for three periods...
, the fathers did not consider clerical celibacy a matter of divine positive law, “nor could they since there were validly ordained married priests in communion with Rome.
Pope John XXIII was not amused. He could not punish the Cardinal of Paris, but Spiazzi had to leave his teaching position and Rome within 24 hours. At the Roman synod January 27, 1960, the Pontiff affirmed mandatory celibacy as a permanent reminder of the heroic age, in which the Church had to do battle and succeeded to the extent that it won the triple title and emblem of its victory: The Church of Christ, free, chaste Catholic
Spiazzi was theological advisor to 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....
from 1954 until his death October 1958. During this time, the Pontiff issued two Marian encyclicals, Ad caeli reginam
Ad Caeli Reginam
Ad caeli reginam is an encyclical of Pope Pius XII, given at Rome, from St. Peter's, on the feast of the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the eleventh day of October, 1954, in the sixteenth year of his Pontificate. The encyclical is an important element of the Mariology of Pope Pius XII...
and Fulgens Corona
Fulgens Corona
Fulgens corona is an encyclical by Pope Pius XII, given at St. Peter's Rome, on 8 September 1953, on the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the fifteenth year of his Pontificate...
. After the death of the Pope he wrote several books, in which he illustrated the modern nature and applicability of the Magisterium
Magisterium
In the Catholic Church the Magisterium is the teaching authority of the Church. This authority is understood to be embodied in the episcopacy, which is the aggregation of the current bishops of the Church in union with the Pope, led by the Bishop of Rome , who has authority over the bishops,...
of Pius XII. He participated in two seminars in the Vatican on the theology and ecclesiology of the late pontiff. A bitter disagreement developed in an October 9, 1992 seminar, when 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...
Fiorenzo Angelini accused Raimondo Spiazzi of misrepresenting the late Pope. Angelini, who had come late to the Spiazzi presentation, had most probably misinterpreted him. The encyclical Mystici Corporis, was in the view of Spiazzi, a most important legacy of Pope XII and a manifestation not only of his Christology
Christology
Christology is the field of study within Christian theology which is primarily concerned with the nature and person of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament. Primary considerations include the relationship of Jesus' nature and person with the nature...
but also of his Mariology
Mariology
Roman Catholic Mariology is theology concerned with the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ as developed by the Catholic Church. Roman Catholic teachings on the subject have been based on the belief that "The Blessed Virgin, because she is the Mother of God, is believed to hold a certain...
. After a serious illness, Spiazzi left Rome in 1997.
Raimondo Spiazzi died in 2004 at Varazze
Varazze
Varazze is a comune in the Province of Savona in the Italian region Liguria, located about 30 km west of Genoa and about 11 km northeast of Savona in the Riviera di Ponente...
, province of Savona
Province of Savona
The Province of Savona is a province in the Liguria region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Savona.-Overview:...
Selected works
- Processo a Pio XII Intervista con Raimondo Spiazzi (1979)
- Pio XII, mezzo secolo dopo (1991)
- Il Cardinale Giuseppe Siri (1990)
- Echi et Commenti della Proclamazione del Domma dell’Assunzione (with Augustin BeaAugustin BeaAugustin 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...
and Pietro ParentePietro ParentePietro Parente was a long-serving theologian and inquisitor in the Holy Office of the Roman Catholic Church, and was made a cardinal on June 26, 1967...
; 1954) - Da San Sisto sull'Appia al SS Rosario a Monte Mario (1999)
- L'Enciclopedia Moderna del Cristianesimo
- L'Enciclopedia Mariana (1965?)
- L'Edizione Marietti dell'Opera Omnia di San Tommaso d'Aquino
- Cronache e fioretti del Monastero di San Sisto all'Appia (1994)
- San Domenico e il monastero di San Sisto all'Appia (1994)
- San Tommaso d'Aquino: biografia documentata (1997)
- Temi e problemi di Teologia Politica (1988)
- Dottrina soziale della Chiesa (1989)
- Enciclopedia del pensiero sociale cristiano (1992)
Sources
- Raimondo Spiazzi, Processo a Pio XII Intervista con Raomondo Spiazzi, Pan Editrice, Milan, 1979
- ivoltialsignore.blogspot.com/2007/10/in-memoriam-padre-raimondo-spiazzi