Elia Dalla Costa

On May 23, 1923, Pope Pius XI appointed him Bishop of Padua. He received episcopal consecration on August 12, 1923, at the hands of Msgr. Ferdinando Rodolfi. At the head of this diocese, he undertook numerous pastoral visits, organized a diocesan synod, and committed himself to rebuilding churches destroyed by the war. He also distinguished himself by his vigorous defense of Catholic Action against the interference attempts of the fascist regime. On December 19, 1931, Pius XI promoted him to Archbishop of Florence. He made his solemn entry into the Tuscan city on February 21, 1932. Less than a year later, during the consistory of March 13, 1933, he was created a cardinal-priest with the title of San Marco. His Florentine episcopate was marked by an inflexible spiritual and moral resistance against totalitarian excesses: - Opposition to fascism and Nazism: In May 1938, during the official visit of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini to Florence, Cardinal Dalla Costa ostensibly refused to participate in the festivities. He ordered all the doors and windows of the archbishop's palace to be closed to mark his disapproval. That same year, he publicly denounced the Italian racial laws targeting Jews. - The Florentine Rescue Network: During the German occupation of Italy (1943-1944), he set up, in collaboration with the Chief Rabbi of Florence Nathan Cassuto and the Jewish activist Raffaele Cantoni, a vast clandestine network to aid the persecuted. He tasked his private secretary, Father Meneghello, with coordinating these rescue operations. The Cardinal himself temporarily sheltered refugees in his palace and actively solicited the superiors of convents and monasteries in the region to open their doors. He also recruited trusted couriers, among them the famous cycling champion Gino Bartali, who transported forged documents hidden in the frame of his bicycle. This network saved hundreds of lives. After the war, Cardinal Dalla Costa actively participated in the reconstruction of Florence. He worked closely with the city's mayor, Giorgio La Pira (whose cause for beatification is also underway), to defend the rights of workers and the most destitute. He participated in the conclaves of 1939 and 1958. In 1951, he submitted his resignation due to age, but Pope Pius XII refused it and kept him in office. He gradually withdrew from the active management of the diocese starting in 1958 with the appointment of a coadjutor, Msgr. Ermenegildo Florit.

Cardinal Elia Dalla Costa passed away peacefully on December 22, 1961, in Florence, at the age of 89. His funeral, celebrated the following day in the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore where he now rests, gathered a vast crowd of the faithful and representatives of civil authorities, deeply moved by his integrity and charity. In view of his constant reputation for holiness, the Archdiocese of Florence introduced his cause for beatification and canonization. The diocesan inquiry process (cognitional process) was officially opened on December 21, 1981 (or December 22, 1981, according to the curial acts) by the Archbishopric of Florence, marking the twentieth anniversary of his death. This inquiry process was validated by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on November 19, 1993.

The Positio documenting the heroic nature of his virtues was officially submitted in Rome in 2007. After thorough examination by the theological consultors and the cardinals of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Pope Francis authorized, on May 4, 2017, the promulgation of the decree recognizing his heroic virtues. Since that date, Elia Dalla Costa has been declared Venerable by the Catholic Church.

For his beatification to be pronounced, a miracle that is scientifically inexplicable and attributed to his intercession must be formally recognized by the Holy See. To this day, no miracle has yet been the subject of a decree of approval.

The spiritual life of Elia Dalla Costa was deeply rooted in humility, detachment from material goods, and absolute trust in Divine Providence. His episcopal motto, Virtus ex Alto ("Strength from on high"), summarized his conviction that all pastoral and human action must draw its source from divine grace. Renowned for his personal austerity, he refused privileges and lived in poverty, entirely devoted to his mission as a pastor.

His legacy extends far beyond the borders of the Catholic Church. In recognition of his heroic action and the establishment of a rescue network for Jews during the Shoah, the Yad Vashem memorial in Jerusalem officially recognized him as Righteous Among the Nations on November 26, 2012. His name is engraved on the Wall of Honor in the Garden of the Righteous in Jerusalem.