Francesco Saverio Toppi

After his ordination, his superiors sent him to Rome to complete his academic training. He obtained a diploma in librarianship (1949) and in archival science (1950) at the Vatican School, then a doctorate in ecclesiastical history at the Pontifical Gregorian University in 1951. Upon returning to Campania, he taught this discipline to the young friars at the convent of Sant'Eframo Vecchio in Naples. During this period, Father Francesco Saverio underwent intense mystical experiences, particularly during the celebration of Mass, which sometimes stretched from seven to nine hours. For this reason, from 1956 to 1959, his superiors required him to celebrate Mass in private. Troubled by these extraordinary phenomena, he met in 1956 the famous Capuchin Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, as well as the Jesuit Father Cappello and Don Dolindo Ruotolo, who reassured him of the authenticity of his spiritual life. Father Francesco Saverio quickly assumed important governing responsibilities within his order: - Provincial Minister of the Capuchins of Naples: Elected in 1959, then re-elected in 1962 and 1965. During his terms, he visited the missions in Latin America and Africa, and founded a new mission in the south of the state of Bahia, Brazil. - Provincial Minister of Palermo: Appointed in 1971 by the Minister General of the Order to restore peace and unity within a province then in crisis, a mission he carried out with gentleness and humility until 1976. - General Definitor of the Order: He held this position in Rome from 1976 to 1982. - Superior and Master of Clerics: In August 1983, he was appointed to Nola. On October 13, 1990, Pope John Paul II appointed him Archbishop Prelate of Pompeii and Pontifical Delegate for the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii. He received episcopal ordination on December 7, 1990, at the hands of Cardinal Michele Giordano. In Pompeii, he distinguished himself by his pastoral zeal, his Franciscan simplicity, and his devotion to the poor, orphans, and children of prisoners, faithfully continuing the social work of Blessed Bartolo Longo. He tirelessly encouraged the recitation of the Rosary and Marian devotion.

Having reached the age limit of 75, Bishop Toppi submitted his resignation, which was accepted by the Pope on April 7, 2001. He initially remained in Pompeii as archbishop emeritus. In 2004, due to the worsening of his health problems (he suffered from Parkinson's disease), he retired to the infirmary of the Capuchin convent in Nola.

It was there that he passed away peacefully on April 2, 2007, at 1:00 a.m., on the Monday of Holy Week. According to his express wish, he was buried in the crypt of the Shrine of Pompeii, having written that he wished to rest there "to serve as a pedestal for the throne of the Most Holy Virgin." His reputation for holiness, already very strong during his lifetime, continued to spread after his death.

The cause for the beatification and canonization of Bishop Francesco Saverio Toppi was officially introduced on April 2, 2014 (the seventh anniversary of his death) by the Archbishop of Pompeii, Bishop Tommaso Caputo, following the granting of the nihil obstat by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. The diocesan inquiry concluded on October 13, 2016. On January 20, 2022, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his theological and cardinal virtues, thereby conferring upon him the title of Venerable. The cause is currently awaiting the official recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession to pave the way for his beatification.

The spirituality of Bishop Toppi is deeply marked by the Franciscan charism of poverty, humility, and perfect joy, as well as by an intense Trinitarian and Marian contemplation. He was inspired by the "little way" of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, as well as by the writings of Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort and Saint Maximilian Kolbe.

He was also deeply marked by his meeting, at the beginning of 1949, with Chiara Lubich and the Focolare movement, whose charism of unity he shared, becoming part of the group of "bishops friends of the Focolare."

Bishop Toppi left an important spiritual diary, entitled Storia di una preghiera (History of a prayer), in which he recounts his mystical experiences, his moments of intimate union with the Trinity, but also the painful "dark night" of the soul that he traversed for several years with unwavering faith. His successor, Bishop Domenico Sorrentino, published a spiritual biography based on his writings, entitled Oggi ho toccato il cielo (Today I touched heaven).