Nicolò Rusca (20 April 1563 – 24 July 1618) was an
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
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 deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
who served in the
Diocese of Como
The Diocese of Como () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in northern Italy. It was established in the Fourth Century. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Arch ...
. Rusca was arrested under false pretenses and was killed through the use of
torture
Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons including corporal punishment, punishment, forced confession, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimid ...
in 1618. He was recognized by the
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
as a martyr and was beatified in 2013.
Biography
Rusca was born in 1563 to a family that belong to an ancient and noble house, the House of Rusconi. He was born to Giovanni Antonio and Daria. His siblings were Bartolomeo, Christopher and Daisy.
He commenced his theological studies in Milan from 1580 to 1587. Ordained to the priesthood in 1587 at the end of his time of study, he was appointed as the Archpriest of Sondrio. This was an appointment he was kept in until his death. He also tried to promote the teachings and decisions of the
Council of Trent
The Council of Trent (), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation at the time, it has been described as the "most ...
and also tried to cope with the rise of Protestantism in Europe. Rusca viewed Protestantism as something that would be dangerous to the church teachings.
Rusca was briefly arrested in 1608 and acquitted of breaching rules in relation to respect of
religious tolerance
Religious tolerance or religious toleration may signify "no more than forbearance and the permission given by the adherents of a dominant religion for other religions to exist, even though the latter are looked on with disapproval as inferior, ...
. In 1618, he was taken by force by several soldiers and was accused of being part of violence against ministers of the
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
faith and was subsequently arrested. Rusca was found guilty of this and subjected to torture for several days. Through
torture
Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons including corporal punishment, punishment, forced confession, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimid ...
, he died shortly after his arrest.
Beatification
The local preliminaries for Rusca's beatification began on 3 May 1937. His cause started on 1 February 1934 under
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI (; born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, ; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939) was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 until his death in February 1939. He was also the first sovereign of the Vatican City State u ...
but was granted "nihil obstat" (nothing against) on 27 March 1995 under
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005.
In his you ...
. This meant that he became a
Servant of God
Servant of God () is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint.
Terminology
The expression ''Servant of God'' appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in ...
.
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...
declared that Rusca died in hatred of the faith and proclaimed him to be a martyr on 19 December 2011, thus paving the way for his beatification. On behalf of
Pope Francis
Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...
, Rusca was beatified on 21 April 2013 by Cardinal
Angelo Amato
Angelo Amato, Salesians of Don Bosco, S.D.B. (8 June 1938 – 31 December 2024) was an Italian Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal of the Catholic Church who served as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints between 2008 and 20 ...
.
Many Protestants in the Swiss
canton of Graubünden
The Grisons (; ) or Graubünden (),Names include:
* ;
* Romansh:
**
**
**
**
**
**;
* ;
* ;
* .
See also other names. more formally the Canton of the Grisons or the Canton of Graubünden, is one of the twenty-six cantons of Switzerland. I ...
considered this act a provocation, and the Evangelical Reformed Church Was critical of the beatification. The local