Cesare Orsenigo
Cesare Orsenigo (born December 13, 1873 in Villa San Carlo , Valgreghentino , Italy ; † April 1, 1946 in Eichstätt ) was an Italian clergyman and Apostolic Nuncio in Germany from 1930 to 1945 .
Life
Orsenigo studied at the seminary in Milan . He was ordained a priest on July 5, 1896 . From 1897 he was chaplain in Milan, later he became pastor of San Fedele in Milan. In 1912 he finally became a member of the cathedral chapter of Milan. While still a pastor in Milan he met Achille Ratti, who soon after became Pope Pius XI. should be.
Orsenigo valued Achille Ratti very much, just as he valued him. In this context it is not surprising that after his election as Pope Orsenigo, on June 23, 1922, Achille raised Ratti to titular Archbishop of Ptolemais in Libya and appointed him Apostolic Nuncio in the Netherlands . He was ordained bishop on June 29, 1922 by the then Camerlengo and Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Gasparri . Co- consecrators were the President of the Pontifical Diplomatic Academy , Archbishop Giovanni Maria Zonghi , and Curia Bishop Agostino Zampini OESA .
Orsenigo stayed in The Hague until his appointment as Apostolic Nuncio in Hungary in the summer of 1925 . On April 25, 1930 he became apostolic nuncio in Germany because his predecessor, the nuncio Eugenio Pacelli, had been appointed cardinal and recalled to Rome . Orsenigo received his government confirmation letter on May 2, 1930 from President Paul von Hindenburg .
On May 4, 1939 Orsenigo visited Adolf Hitler on the Obersalzberg and carried him the proposal of Pope Pius XII. to convene a conference of the states Germany, France , Great Britain , Italy and Poland in order to counteract an impending war. However, Adolf Hitler showed only very superficial interest and referred to what he believed to be the right of a strong Germany .
On June 21, 1942, Orsenigo consecrated the new Archbishop of Cologne , Joseph Frings , as the main consecrator in Cologne Cathedral .
With the worsening air war, Orsenigo's residence was relocated to Prötzel, east of Berlin, in August 1943 and thus spatially separated from the nunciature.
As one of the few international diplomats in Berlin, he witnessed the rise and fall of the Nazi regime in Germany from beginning to end. On February 8, 1945, he resigned his post as nuncio in Germany against the will of the Pope and, in view of the approaching Soviets, left Berlin for Eichstätt , where he died at the age of 72.
Web links
- Literature by and about Cesare Orsenigo in the catalog of the German National Library
- Entry on Cesare Orsenigo on catholic-hierarchy.org ; accessed on August 16, 2016.
- Detailed biography of Cesare Orsenigo at Shoa.de
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Eugenio Pacelli |
Apostolic Nuncio in the German Empire 1930–1945 |
Aloysius Muench ( Apostolic Nuncio in the Federal Republic of Germany ) |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Orsenigo, Cesare |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Italian clergyman, apostolic nuncio in Germany |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 13, 1873 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Villa San Carlo , Valgreghentino , Italy |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 1, 1946 |
| Place of death | Eichstatt |