Serafino Cimino OFM (3 October 1873 – 4 May 1928) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who led the Franciscans and then served in the diplomatic service of the Holy See.

Biography

Born Antonio Cimino on 3 October 1873 in Capri, Italy, he took the name Serafino as a member of the

Order of Friars Minor The Order of Friars Minor (also called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis of Assisi. The order adheres to the teachi ...

and was ordained a priest in 1898. He taught at the Ateneo Antoniano in Rome. For two years he did pastoral work among Italian immigrants in New York. From 1915 to 1921 he served as Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor. He was led the

Custody of the Holy Land , native_name_lang = Latin , named_after= , image = Coat_of_arms_of_the_Custodian_of_the_Holy_Land.jpg , image_size = 200px , alt= , caption = Coat of arms of the Custody of the Holy Land , map ...

from 1915 to 1918. In that capacity he visited Constantinople and obtained security guarantees for the Custody. As superior general, he visited the Franciscan provinces in Europe and was the first general to visit the Americas as well. On 18 December 1924, Pope Pius XI appointed him titular archbishop of

Cyrrhus Cyrrhus (; el, Κύρρος ''Kyrrhos'') is a city in ancient Syria founded by Seleucus Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals. Other names for the city include Coricium, Corice, Hagioupolis, Nebi Huri ( ar, نبي هوري), and Khoros ...

and Apostolic Delegate to Mexico. He received his episcopal consecration from Cardinal

Gaetano de Lai Gaetano de Lai (26 July 1853 – 24 October 1928) was an Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He was part of the Roman Curia. He was an outspoken defender of the French monarchist Action française. Biography De Lai was born in Malo, ...

on 11 January 1925. He reached Mexico on 1 April and departed for the United States for health treatment on 15 May. Several weeks later he sought a visa to re-enter Mexico. The government, then fiercely anti-clerical, did not allow him to return. Cimino remained in the U.S. for several months before returning to Rome. On 13 April 1926, Pope Pius named him

Apostolic Nuncio to Peru The Apostolic Nunciature to the Republic of Peru is an ecclesiastical office of the Roman Catholic Church in Peru. It is a diplomatic post of the Holy See, whose representative is called the Apostolic Nuncio with the rank of an ambassador. Papal ...

. Cimino died on board ship en route to Italy on 4 May 1928 at the age of 54.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cimino, Serafino 1873 births 1928 deaths People from Capri, Campania Franciscan bishops Apostolic Nuncios to Peru Apostolic Nuncios to Mexico