Francesco Lardone (12 January 1887 – 30 January 1980) was an Italian-born prelate of the
Catholic Church who became a U.S. citizen in 1937. He taught for 25 years at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., and then served in the diplomatic service of the
Holy See as an Apostolic Nuncio and archbishop. He played a key role in arranging for bishops from the Communist-led countries of Eastern Europe to attend the
Second Vatican Council.
Biography
Francesco Lardone was born on 12 January 1887 in
Moretta
Moretta is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southwest of Turin and about north of Cuneo. As of 1-1-2017, it had a population of 4 141 and an area of .All demographics and other st ...
, Italy. He was ordained a priest on 29 June 2010. He earned his doctorate in theology at the Pontifical School of Theology, Turin, in 1909, and his doctorate in civil and canon law at the Pontifical School of Canon Law, Turin, in 1912. He also studied paleography and diplomacy at the Royal University of Turin.
He worked in parish ministry and then served as a Red Cross chaplain from 1915 to 1920. He was assistant editor of ''
L'Osservatore Romano'', the Vatican newspaper, from 1920 to 1923. He taught at
Catholic University
Catholic higher education includes universities, colleges, and other institutions of higher education privately run by the Catholic Church, typically by religious institutes. Those tied to the Holy See are specifically called pontifical univ ...
in Washington, D.C., from 1924 to 1949. He became an American citizen in 1937.
[
On 21 May 1949, ]Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...
named him titular archbishop of Rhizaeum and Apostolic Nuncio to both Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
and the Dominican Republic. He received his episcopal consecration on 30 June 1949 from Archbishop Amleto Cicognani, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, at the Shrine if the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.[ On 21 November 1953, Pope Pius appointed him Apostolic Nuncio to Peru.
On 30 June 1959, Pope John XXIII named him Apostolic Delegate to Turkey. His title changed to Internuncio with the erection of the Apostolic Internunciature to Turkey on 29 February 1960. Pope John used him as an intermediary, first with the Russian Embassy in Ankara and then with the representatives of the other Eastern European countries there, to win the approval of those governments to allow their Catholic bishops to attend the Second Vatican Council. Pope John also considered making Lardone a cardinal in 1960.
Lardone retired in 1966. He died on 30 January 1980]
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lardone, Francesco
1887 births
1980 deaths
People from the Province of Cuneo
Apostolic Nuncios to Haiti
Apostolic Nuncios to the Dominican Republic
Apostolic Nuncios to Peru
Apostolic Nuncios to Turkey