Alessandro Piazza (20 July 1915 – 16 September 1995) was an Italian

biblical scholar Biblical studies is the academic application of a set of diverse disciplines to the study of the Bible (the Old Testament and New Testament).''Introduction to Biblical Studies, Second Edition'' by Steve Moyise (Oct 27, 2004) pages 11–12 Fo ...

and the

Bishop of Albenga A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Biography

Alessandro Piazza was born on 20 July 1915 in

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. He studied at the Minor Archdiocesan Seminary and later at the Major Archdiocesan Seminary of his hometown. On 11 July 1938, at the age of 22, he was ordained a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

in the Cathedral of Saint Lawrence in Genoa. The Archbishop of Genoa, Pietro Cardinal Boetto, sent him to continue his studies in sacred scripture and theology at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in

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. There, he received the licentiate degree and was assigned as a teacher of

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and Scripture at the Archdiocesan Major Seminary. On 18 May 1965 he was appointed the

and consecrated in the Genoa Cathedral on 24 June. The principal consecrator was Giuseppe Cardinal Siri. As Bishop, he oversaw the complete restoration of the Cathedral of Saint Michael of Albenga, restoring it to its original Romanesque style. He also founded the Institute for Religious Sciences in the diocese and favored the cultural reinvigoration of the clergy and laity in light of 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) ...

, of which he was a member and participant in its last session. As a biblical scholar, he served as the secretary of the episcopal committee and as a member of the editorial board of Bible of

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, the official Italian translation of the

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for liturgical use published in 1971. Along with biblical scholar Enrico Galbiati, he wrote the book ''Difficult Pages of the Old Testament'' (), of which many Italian editions were released and translations into English, Spanish, Polish, and Russian were made. On 1 December 1973, the Diocese of Albenga, which was established in the fifth century, changed its name without changing its structure, taking the name of Diocese of Albenga-Imperia, to better reflect the presence of the capital of

Liguria Liguria (; lij, Ligûria ; french: Ligurie) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is ...

that had always been a part of its territory. With the change in name of the diocese, Piazza's title was changed to Bishop of Albenga-Imperia. On 6 October 1990,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

accepted his resignation from pastoral governance of the diocese due to age and appointed

Mario Meini Mario Meini (born 17 November 1946) is an Italian ordinary of the Catholic Church and the current Bishop of Fiesole. Biography Mario Meini was born on 17 November 1946 in Legoli, a village in the Italian ''comune'' of Peccioli, which is locat ...

as his successor. Piazza retired to the Episcopal Seminary of Albenga, from where he collaborated with his successor until his death on 16 September 1995. Piazza was buried in the right nave beneath the

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

of the

Blessed Sacrament The Blessed Sacrament, also Most Blessed Sacrament, is a devotional name to refer to the body and blood of Christ in the form of consecrated sacramental bread and wine at a celebration of the Eucharist. The term is used in the Latin Church of the ...

in the Albenga Cathedral.

References

External links

*Galbiati and A. Piazza
Pagine difficili dell'Antico Testamento
Genova, Ed. Bevilacqua e Solari, 1951. {{DEFAULTSORT:Piazza, Alessandro 1915 births 1995 deaths Bishops of Albenga 20th-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops Clergy from Genoa