Raffaele Calabria (11 December 1906–24 May 1982) was an Italian

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

bishop. During his career, he served as

Archbishop of Otranto The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Otranto (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Hydruntina'') is a see of the Catholic Church in Italy. The seat of the diocese is at Otranto Cathedral in the city of Otranto, Apulia. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of ...

and Archbishop of Benevento.

Biography

Raffaele Calabria was born on 11 December 1906 in the town of

Lucera Lucera ( Lucerino: ) is an Italian city of 34,243 inhabitants in the province of Foggia in the region of Apulia, and the seat of the Diocese of Lucera-Troia. Located upon a flat knoll in the Tavoliere Plains, near the foot of Daunian Mount ...

in Apulia, Italy. He studied 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 ...

and received his degree in philosophy and theology, subjects he later taught in Salerno. He was ordained a priest on 16 March 1929 and then consecrated a bishop on 29 June 1950, when he was appointed the Titular Archbishop of Soterioupolis on 6 May 1950, which he held until 10 July 1952. Calabria was then appointed the Metropolitan Archbishop of Otranto on 10 July 1952, a position he held until 12 July 1960. Upon resigning as Archbishop of Otranto, he was made the Titular Archbishop of Heliopolis in Phoenicia on 12 July 1960, which he held until 1 January 1962. Finally, on the same date, Calabria was appointed Metropolitan Archbishop of Benevento. He held this title until 24 May 1982, when he resigned from pastoral governance. Calabria was a participant in the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

, where he sided with more conservative positions. At the end of the council, he became engaged in a spirited debate with future Cardinal

Yves Congar Yves Marie-Joseph Congar (; 13 April 1904 – 22 June 1995) was a French Dominican friar, priest, and theologian. He is perhaps best known for his influence at the Second Vatican Council and for reviving theological interest in the Holy Spiri ...

about

modernism Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

. Calabria was also responsible for renovating the

Benevento Cathedral Benevento Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Benevento; Cattedrale metropolitana di Santa Maria de Episcopio) is a church in Benevento, southern Italy. The cathedral is the seat of the Archbishops of Benevento. It dates from the Lombard foundation of the Du ...

, including the large organ and the Stations of the Cross. On 24 May 1982, Raffaele Calabria died in Benevento at the age of 75.

References

External links

Archdiocese of Benevento

Archdiocese of Otranto
{{DEFAULTSORT:Calabria, Raffaele 1906 births 1982 deaths People from Lucera Archbishops of Benevento 20th-century Italian Roman Catholic titular archbishops Pontifical Gregorian University alumni