Antonio Fustella (24 January 1913 – 5 February 1986) was an Italian

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...

of the Catholic Church who was Bishop of

Todi Todi () is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) of the province of Perugia (region of Umbria) in central Italy. It is perched on a tall two-crested hill overlooking the east bank of the river Tiber, commanding distant views in every direction. I ...

(1960–1967), rector of the

Pontifical Lombard Seminary The Pontifical Lombard Seminary of Saints Ambrose and Charles in Urbe (Italian: ) is an ecclesiastical institution that serves as a residence for and trains diocesan priests who have been sent to Rome by their bishop to pursue an advanced degree or ...

(1967–1969), and Apostolic Administrator (1969–1973) and Bishop (1973–1986) of

Saluzzo Saluzzo (; pms, Salusse ) is a town and former principality in the province of Cuneo, in the Piedmont region, Italy. The city of Saluzzo is built on a hill overlooking a vast, well-cultivated plain. Iron, lead, silver, marble, slate etc. are fo ...

Biography

Antonio Fustella was born on 24 January 1913 in Pagnano di Merate, Italy, the fourth of nine children born to Guglielmo and Caterina. He completed his studies at the

in Rome, and earned a licentiate in theology at the

Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school ( pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

. He was ordained a priest on 5 April 1937 by Cardinal

Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster OSB (, ; 18 January 1880 – 30 August 1954), born Alfredo Ludovico Schuster, was an Italian Roman Catholic prelate and professed member from the Benedictines who served as the Archbishop of Milan from 1929 until his ...

, Archbishop of Milan. He then taught at the

Archiepiscopal seminary of Milan The archiepiscopal seminary of Milan is the Catholic seminary of the Archdiocese of Milan. It has three seats: in Venegono Inferiore (Varese province), Seveso ( Monza e Brianza Province) and in Milan. The latter also hosts the Istituto sacerdotale ...

and in 1948 became a parish priest in

Motta Visconti Motta Visconti (Milanese: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, located about southwest of Milan. Motta Visconti borders the following municipalities: Vigevano, Casorate Primo, Besa ...

. He was dean of the in Milan from 1955 to 1960. On 15 May 1960,

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...

named him

Bishop of Todi The Italian Catholic diocese of Todi existed until 1986, when it was united into the diocese of Orvieto-Todi.

. He received his episcopal consecration on 25 June 1960 from Cardinal

Giovanni Battista Montini Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

, Archbishop of Milan. He participated in all four sessions 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) ...

, taking especial interest in questions of liturgical practice. On 1 October 1967, he became rector of the

in Rome. On 19 October 1967,

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...

named him titular bishop of Sebana. His two years at the seminary were "not without problems and headaches". On 19 June 1969, he was named Apostolic Administrator of Saluzzo ''sede plena'', that is, with the right to succeed Bishop Egidio Luigi Lanzo, then 84 years old. He was welcomed in Saluzzo on 13 September 1969. Lanzo died on 29 January 1973 at the age of 87. On 22 May 1973, Pope Paul appointed Fustella

Bishop of Saluzzo The Diocese of Saluzzo ( la, Dioecesis Salutiarum) is a Catholic ecclesiastical territory in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, centered in the comune of Saluzzo. The diocese was established on 29 October 1511 for political reasons, to t ...

. His administration of the diocese focused on the reorganization of resources and personnel to support the population shifts associated with industrialization and rural depopulation. In addition to his local duties, including three complete rounds of visits to all the parishes in his diocese, he supported the missions in Cameroon and visited that country in 1975. Fustella died of a heart attack in Saluzzo on 5 February 1986 at the age of 73. His remains were interred in the crypt of the cathedral of Maria SS. Assunta in Saluzzo.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fustella, Antonio 1913 births 1986 deaths People from the Province of Lecco 20th-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops Pontifical Gregorian University alumni