Angelo Buccarello, OSST (born 12 May 1942) is an Italian Catholic priest and member of the

Trinitarians , logo = Trynitarze.svg , logo_size = 150px , logo_caption = Flag of the Trinitarians , image = Signumordinis.gif , image_size = 200px , caption = Mosaic of Jesus Christ us ...

known for his founding of the Catholic Chaplaincy for Prisons."CHURCH OBTAINS JUBILEE RELEASE FOR 3,000 MADAGASCAR PRISONERS." The Daily Catholic 11 No.78 (19 Apr. 2000): n. pag. News and Views. The Daily Catholic. Web. 14 Nov. 2010. .

Biography

Buccarello was born in Castrignano del Capo, a small Town in Southern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, on

12 May Events Pre-1600 * 254 – Pope Stephen I succeeds Pope Lucius I, becoming the 23rd pope of the Catholic Church, and immediately takes a stand against Novatianism. * 907 – Zhu Wen forces Emperor Ai into abdicating, ending the Tang ...

1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in w ...

. After primary and junior secondary school, he entered the

Trinitarian Order The Trinitarians, formally known as the Order of the Most Holy Trinity and of the Captives ( la, Ordo Sanctissimae Trinitatis et Captivorum; abbreviated OSsT), is a mendicant order of the Catholic Church for men founded in Cerfroid, outside Pari ...

(OSST) on 17 November 1955. He entered the noviciate in 1959 and then pursued his studies: senior secondary school in

Livorno, Italy Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...

, philosophy at the College of St. Crisogonus in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, and

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

at the

Pontifical Urbaniana University The Pontifical Urban University, also called the ''Urbaniana'' after its names in both Latin and Italian,; it, Pontificia Università Urbaniana. is a pontifical university under the authority of the Congregation for the Evangelization of People ...

in Rome. He was ordained to the priesthood on 28 June 1968. On 11 October 1969, he was assigned to a mission in

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

. His missionary work consisted mostly in welcoming people, helping them, evangelizing them, educating them in the faith, often by touring and visiting the fifty or so Christian communities in the country. In 1981, he was called to

Antananarivo Antananarivo (French language, French: ''Tananarive'', ), also known by its colonial shorthand form Tana, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Madagascar. The administrative area of the city, known as Antananarivo-Renivohitra ("An ...

to train the young Trinitarian brothers of

. In 1983, the Cardinal named him Chaplain of the prisons of

Work

He was named Catholic Chaplain for the Prisons of Madagascar. As a result, he founded the social programme of the ACP (Catholic Chaplaincy for Prisons). The ACP, whose centre is called Tonga Soa, has performed a service to detainees and their families. The ACP is at present recognized by the Malagasy State as an ONG, of which Fr. Angelo is the founding president. He has worked in the prison domain with the ACP until his departure from Madagascar in 2001. With the ACP, his aim was to help his brother prisoners, especially the poorest, in their vital and legal needs, as well as in helping them regain their dignity, their goodness, their vocation. The ACP team provides: * Food services * Medical aid * Social assistance * Legal aid * Rehabilitation for freed prisoners * Production of coal from refuse. He opened centres for children of detainees in Amboditsiry, Andranobevava, Analamahitsy, Fenomanana, Anjiro, as well as for the most undernourished detainees of Androndra. After 32 years in Madagascar, of which 20 in Antananarivo, he was elected and named general Counsellor of the Trinitarian Order, in July 2001, in Rome (

). He was later named President of the Trinitarian International Solidarity, an organism with the aim of liberation.

Decorations

In December 1996, Fr. Angelo received the prize for Human Rights from the French President, Jacques Chirac. He was named member of the Commission Nationale Malgache for Human Rights, and was decorated Knight and Officer of the Ordre National Malgache. His great exploit: Madagascar was the only country in the world which, on the occasion of the Jubilee Year 2000, year of reconciliation and of debt remission, freed some 3000 prisoners, as a gesture of

clemency A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...

, thanks to the faith and tenacity of Fr. Angelo and of the group ''Rêve 2000'' which he had formed, as well as the good response of the Bishops and of the Government.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buccarello, Angelo 20th-century Italian Roman Catholic priests 1942 births Living people People from the Province of Lecce Pontifical Urban University alumni Trinitarians Italian expatriates in Madagascar