Guglielmo Massaia

On May 12, 1846, Pope Gregory XVI established the Apostolic Vicariate of the Gallas (or Oromos) in Ethiopia and appointed Father Guglielmo Massaia as its head. He was consecrated titular bishop of Casium on May 24, 1846, in Rome by Cardinal Giacomo Filippo Fransoni.

He left Italy in June 1846, but his journey to his mission land was strewn with extraordinary obstacles. It took him six years of incessant attempts, disguises (notably as an Arab merchant), perilous crossings, and arrests to finally reach the Galla region on November 21, 1852.

For thirty-five years, Mgr. Massaia deployed monumental missionary and humanitarian activity in Ethiopia: - Evangelization and ecclesial structuring: He founded numerous missions, ordained indigenous priests, and consecrated three bishops, including Saint Justin de Jacobis in 1849. He fostered the establishment of a solid local clergy capable of maintaining the faith despite persecutions. - Health action: Armed with his medical knowledge, he actively fought against epidemics, notably smallpox. He vaccinated thousands of Ethiopians, which earned him the affectionate nickname of "Father of Fantata" (the father of smallpox, in the local language). He also performed numerous emergency surgical procedures. - Linguistic and educational work: He wrote and published the first catechism and the first grammar in the Oromo (Galla) language, thus facilitating the inculturation of the Gospel. - Social and diplomatic engagement: He actively fought against slavery, strove to pacify tribal conflicts, and became a trusted advisor to the King of Shewa, Menelik II (future Emperor of Ethiopia).

His actions, however, aroused the hostility of the Ethiopian Orthodox clergy and the imperial authorities. After suffering several exiles and imprisonments, he was definitively banished from Ethiopia on October 3, 1879, by Emperor Yohannes IV.

Returning to Europe in 1880, exhausted by privations and trials, Mgr Massaia submitted his resignation from his office as Vicar Apostolic on May 23, 1880. Pope Leo XIII, who held him in deep esteem, appointed him titular Archbishop of Stauropolis in 1881, and then created him a cardinal on November 10, 1884. At the suggestion of the Sovereign Pontiff, Cardinal Massaia devoted his final years to writing his monumental memoirs, titled I miei trentacinque anni di missione nell'Alta Etiopia (My thirty-five years of mission in Upper Ethiopia), published in twelve volumes. Retired to the Villa Amirante in San Giorgio a Cremano (near Naples) to tend to his declining health after two strokes, he passed away there on August 6, 1889, the feast day of the Transfiguration, following a cardiac collapse. Upon learning of his death, Pope Leo XIII exclaimed: "A saint has died!". Initially buried in the Verano cemetery in Rome, his body was transferred on June 11, 1890, according to his final wishes, to the Capuchin church in Frascati, where he still rests.

The cause for the beatification of Cardinal Guglielmo Massaia was officially opened in 1914 in Frascati. After a long interruption, the cause was relaunched in 1993. The supplementary diocesan inquiry into the persistence of his reputation for holiness concluded in 2009. The Positio was submitted to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in June 2014 and received the approval of historians and theologians. On December 2, 2016, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his virtues, thus conferring upon him the title of Venerable. The cause is currently awaiting the recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession to pave the way for his beatification.

Cardinal Massaia's spirituality is deeply rooted in the Franciscan charism of poverty, humility, and absolute trust in Providence. He lived his mission in extreme deprivation, often walking barefoot and sharing the simple life of the local populations. His correspondence reveals a total abandonment to the crucified Christ, whom he considered the source of his joy and perseverance in the midst of trials.

His legacy is immense, both religiously and in scientific and social terms. He is considered by historians of missions as one of the greatest evangelizers of the 19th century. The Ethiopian Museum of Frascati preserves a large part of the objects and documents he brought back from East Africa. In tribute to his work, his native commune of Piovà d'Asti was officially renamed Piovà Massaia in 1940.