Giovanni Bonzano

infobox cardinalstyles
cardinal name=Giovanni Cardinal Bonzano
dipstyle=His Eminence
offstyle=Your Eminence
See=none |

Giovanni Vincenzo Cardinal Bonzano, PIME (September 27, 1867—November 26, 1927) was an Italian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Apostolic Delegate to United States from 1912 to 1922, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1922.

Biography

Giovanni Bonzano was born in Castelletto Monferrato to Giuseppe and Agostina (née Vescovo) Bonzano. He attended the seminary in Vigevano before going to Rome to study at the Mastai College for Chinese Missions and Pontifical Urbanian Athenaeum "De Propaganda Fide". He was ordained as a priest of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions by Lucido Cardinal Parocchi on May 21, 1890, and then did missionary work in China until 1897. Upon returning to Italy, Bonzano was made vicar general (August 26, 1899) and chancellor (February 10, 1900) of Vigevano. He then taught at the Pontifical Urbanian Athenaeum "De Propaganda Fide" from 1901 to 1904, whence he became its rector on May 16.

On February 2, 1912, Bonzano was appointed Apostolic Delegate to United States and Titular Archbishop of "Melitene" by Pope Pius X. He received his episcopal consecration on the following March 3 from Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val y Zulueta, with Bishops Pietro Barruti and Thomas Kennedy serving as co-consecrators, in Rome. Bonzano, in addition to his duties in Washington, D.C., was temporarily placed in charge of the Apostolic Delegation to Mexico on June 22, 1915.

Pope Pius XI created him Cardinal Priest of "S. Pancrazio" in the consistory of December 11, 1922, ceasing to serve as Apostolic Delegate that same year. Bonzano opted to assume the titular church of "S. Susanna" on December 18, 1924, and later presided over the initial renovation of Our Lady of Angels Basilica in Assisi on April 19, 1925. He also served as papal legate to the twenty-eighth International Eucharistic Congress in Chicago on May 18, 1926.

The Cardinal died in Rome, at age 60. He is buried in the church of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary in Grottaferrata.

External links

* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bbonzano.html Catholic-Hierarchy]
* [http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios-b.htm#Bonzano Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church]