Valerio Lazzeri (born 22 July 1963) is a

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

prelate of the

Catholic Church 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 ...

who was bishop of

Lugano Lugano (, , ; lmo, label=Ticinese dialect, Ticinese, Lugan ) is a city and municipality in Switzerland, part of the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino. It is the largest city of both Ticino and the Italian-speaking southern Switzerland. Luga ...

from 2013 to 2022.

Biography

Valerio Lazzeri was born in

Dongio Dongio is a village and former municipality in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. It was first recorded in year 1188 as ''Deuci''. The municipality also contained the villages Marogno and Motto. It had 532 inhabitants in 1682, which decreased t ...

on 22 July 1963. He carried out his studies from 1982 to 1987 at the San Carlo diocesan seminary, which was then based in the Salesianum boarding school in Friborg, and at the

University of Fribourg The University of Fribourg (french: Université de Fribourg; german: Universität Freiburg) is a public university located in Fribourg, Switzerland. The roots of the university can be traced back to 1580, when the notable Jesuit Peter Canisius ...

, where he obtained a licentiate in

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

in 1987. He continued his studies at 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 ...

in Rome (1987-1989) and 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 ...

(1987-1988). On 2 September 1989 he was ordained a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

by the bishop of Lugano

Eugenio Corecco Eugenio Corecco (3 October 1931 – 1 March 1995) was a Swiss bishop of the diocese of Lugano. He was a notable 20th century canonist who wrote about the theology of canon law. Biography Son of Peter, born in Bodio and Margaret Beffa of Air ...

in the

Lugano Cathedral Lugano Cathedral ( it, Cattedrale di San Lorenzo) is a Roman Catholic cathedral dedicated to Saint Lawrence in Lugano, Ticino, Switzerland. It was founded in the High Middle Ages but rebuilt in the late 15th century, with the façade completed in ...

. In 1991 he obtained his doctorate in theology at the

Pontifical theological faculty Teresianum The Teresianum, officially the Pontifical Theological Faculty and Pontifical Institute of Spirituality Teresianum (), is a pontifical faculty in Rome. It was established by the Discalced Carmelites for the study of scientific theology and anthro ...

in Rome. From 1991 to 1993 he was vice-rector and teacher in the in

Ascona 300px, Ascona Ascona ( lmo, label= Ticinese, Scona ) is a municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. It is located on the shore of Lake Maggiore. The town is a popular tourist destination and holds the yea ...

. From 1993 to 1999 he worked for the

Congregation for Catholic Education , type = Congregation , seal = Coat of arms Holy See.svg , seal_size = 100px , seal_caption = Coat of arms of the Holy See , logo = , picture =Via della Conciliazione din Roma1.jpg , picture_caption = Palazzo delle Congregazioni in Piazza ...

in Rome. In 1999 he became a professor of spiritual theology at the Faculty of Theology of Lugano and episcopal vicar of the diocese of Lugano for women religious. From 1999 to 2009 he was a parish collaborator in

Locarno , neighboring_municipalities= Ascona, Avegno, Cadenazzo, Cugnasco, Gerra (Verzasca), Gambarogno, Gordola, Lavertezzo, Losone, Minusio, Muralto, Orselina, Tegna, Tenero-Contra , twintowns =* Gagra, Georgia * Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic ...

, where he dealt in particular with preaching, catechesis and Lectio divina. In 2009 he moved to

Bose, Poland Bose is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Sejny, within Sejny County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland, close to the border with Lithuania. It lies approximately south-east of Sejny and north of the regional capita ...

, for a year, dedicating himself to study and research, and making a journey of spiritual deepening. Returning to Lugano, he resumed the duties of episcopal vicar and teacher at the Faculty of Theology. In 2010 he became canon of the chapter of the

Cathedral of San Lorenzo Genoa Cathedral or Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Lawrence ( it, Duomo di Genova, ''Cattedrale di San Lorenzo'') is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the Italian city of Genoa. It is dedicated to Saint Lawrence (San Lorenzo), and is the seat of th ...

. He was also appointed spiritual director at the diocesan seminary and assistant to the Ordo Virginum.

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

named Lazzeri bishop of Lugano in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

on 4 November 2013. He received his episcopal consecration on 7 December from Archbishop

Diego Causero Diego Causero (born 13 January 1940) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who spent his career in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. From 1992 to 2015, he served as the head of the Vatican's diplomatic mission in several African a ...

, apostolic nuncio to Switzerland. Pope Francis accepted his resignation on 11 October 2022 without explanation. At a press conference the same day Lazzeri said: "Sincerity and complete transparency compel me to tell you that, especially in the last two years, an inner fatigue has grown in me that has gradually deprived me of the momentum and serenity."

References

1963 births Living people People from Ticino Officials of the Roman Curia 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Switzerland 20th-century Swiss Roman Catholic priests Bishops appointed by Pope Francis {{Europe-RC-bishop-stub