Guglielmo Piani, S.D.B. (16 September 1875 – 27 September 1956) also known as William Piani, was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who worked in the diplomatic service of the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

. He was Apostolic Delegate to the Philippines from 1922 to 1948 and then played a similar role in Mexico until his death in 1956.

Biography

Guglielmo Piani was born on 16 September 1875 in Martinengo, Italy. He was ordained a priest of the

Salesians of Don Bosco , image = File:Stemma big.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms , abbreviation = SDB , formation = , founder = John Bosco , founding_location = Valdocco, Turi ...

on 15 May 1898. On 16 December 1921,

Pope Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (Latin: ''Benedictus XV''; it, Benedetto XV), born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, name=, group= (; 21 November 185422 January 1922), was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His ...

appointed him titular bishop of

Palaeopolis in Pamphylia :''See Paleopolis for namesakes Palaeopolis (or Palæopolis) in Pamphylia was an Ancient city and bishopric in Asia Minor (now Anatolia, Asian Turkey), and is a Catholic episcopal titular see. History Palæopolis, at the site of modern Aköre ...

and auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Puebla de los Ángeles. This was quickly revised because of intense conflict between the Church and the Mexican government, and on 17 March 1922 he was named titular archbishop of

Dramas Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been c ...

and Apostolic Delegate to the Philippines. He received his episcopal consecration in Rome on 14 May 1922. His service in the Philippines was interrupted in 1936 when he visited Mexico as an Apostolic Visitor to develop an independent assessment of the ongoing conflict between the government and the Church. He arrived in June shortly after the death of

Pascual Díaz y Barreto The Most Reverend Pascual Díaz y Barreto, SJ (June 22, 1876 – May 19, 1936) was a Mexican prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, who served as Archbishop of Mexico City from June 22, 1929 until his death in 1936. Throughout his tenure, he fr ...

, Archbishop of Mexico, on 19 May 1936 and it fell to him to recommend a successor. He continued from Mexico to Rome on other business, and there he provided intelligence that led Pope Pius XI to address an encyclical to the bishops of Mexico that directed them to adopt a less confrontational posture. On 5 October 1948, Pope Pius XII named him Apostolic Visitor to Mexico with the authority of Apostolic Delegate. He received the title of Apostolic Delegate to Mexico on 13 April 1951. He still held that title when he died on 27 September 1956 at the age of 81.

Notes

References

External links

Catholic Hierarchy: Archbishop Guglielmo Piani, S.D.B.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Piani, Guglielmo 1875 births 1956 deaths Clergy from the Province of Bergamo Apostolic Nuncios to the Philippines Apostolic Nuncios to Mexico