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His Eminence Gustavo Testa | |
|---|---|
| Cardinal-Priest ofSan Girolamo dei Croati | |
| Appointed | 14 December 1959 |
| Term ended | 28 February 1969 |
| Predecessor | Santiago Luis Copello |
| Successor | Paolo Bertoli |
| Previous posts |
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| Orders | |
| Ordination | 28 October 1910 |
| Consecration | 1 November 1934 by Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster |
| Created cardinal | 14 December 1959 byPope John XXIII |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1886-07-28)28 July 1886 |
| Died | 28 February 1969(1969-02-28) (aged 82) Rome, Italy |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Motto | Et patria et cor (The country and the heart) |
| Coat of arms |  |
| Styles of Gustavo Testa | |
|---|---|
| |
| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
| See | none |
Gustavo Testa (28 July 1886 – 28 February 1969) was an Italian prelate of theCatholic Church, who was made acardinal in 1959. He spent his career in theRoman Curia. He entered the diplomatic service of theHoly See in 1920 and held several appointments aspapal nuncio from 1934 to 1959. He headed theCongregation for the Oriental Churches from 1962 to 1968.
Born to a wealthy family inBoltiere, in theprovince of Bergamo, Testa attended thePontifical Lateran University,Pontifical Roman AthenaeumS. Apollinare, andPontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. He wasordained to the priesthood on 28 October 1910, and finished his studies in 1912. After a period ofpastoral work in Bergamo and teaching at itsseminary, Testa entered theRoman Curia, in theSecretariat of State, in 1920. He then served as secretary of thenunciature to Austria until 1923. Testa was raised to the rank ofPrivy Chamberlain of His Holiness on 28 October 1921, and laterDomestic Prelate of His Holiness on 18 May 1923. He was also namedauditor for theBavarian nuniciature in 1927 before becomingcounselor of the nunciature to Italy in 1929.[citation needed]
On 4 June 1934, Testa was appointedTitular Archbishop of Amasea andApostolic Delegate to Egypt,Arabia, Crete, Abyssinia, Palestine, Transjordan, and Cyprus.[1] He received hisepiscopal consecration on the following 1 November from CardinalIldefonso Schuster,OSB, with BishopsAdriano Bernareggi andAngelo Roncalli serving asco-consecrators. Testa was later named the first Apostolic Delegate to Palestine,Transjordania and Cyprus when it was established on 11 February 1948,[2] andNuncio to Switzerland on 6 March 1953.[3]
Pope John XXIII created himCardinal-Priest ofSan Girolamo dei Croati in theconsistory of 14 December 1959. On 4 October 1961, Cardinal Testa was made Pro-President of the Cardinalitial Commission for theSpecial Administration of the Holy See.[4] Pope John appointed him Secretary of theCongregation for the Oriental Churches on 2 August 1962.[5] Testa was one of thecardinal electors who participated in the1963 papal conclave that electedCardinal Montini as Pope Paul VI; during the conclave, Testa lost his temper and demanded that the opponents of continuing the Second Vatican Council stop blocking Montini's election.[6][7] As Secretary of the Congregation for Oriental Churches, he accompanied Pope Paul on his journey to the Holy Land in 1964.[8]
He became Pro-Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches in 1965 when Pope Paul VI decided to no longer reserve the title of Prefect to himself.[a] From 1962 to 1965, he attended theSecond Vatican Council.[citation needed]
Pope Paul accepted his resignation as Pro-Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches on 13 January 1968,[10] and then as Pro-President of the Special Administration of Holy See on 7 May 1968.[citation needed]
Testa died in Rome at age 82, and is buried in Bergamo.[citation needed]
Testa had been a close friend of Pope John XXIII, also from Bergamo, since they were schoolmates in Rome.[11]
Delegatum Apostolicum in Aegypto, Arabia, Erythraea, Aethiopia, Palaestina, TransJordania et insula Cypro
Delegatio Apostolica Palaestinae, Transjordaniae et Cypri Insulae Constituter
| Catholic Church titles | ||
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| Preceded by | Apostolic Delegate to Egypt,Arabia, Crete, Abyssinia, Palestine, Transjordan, and Cyprus 1934–1948 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by none | Apostolic Delegate to Palestine,Transjordania and Cyprus 1948–1953 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Nuncio to Switzerland 1953–1959 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches 1962–1968 | Succeeded by |
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| 1960s | |
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