Mgr Constantino Barneschi and Maria Valtorta
Mgr Constantino Attilio Barneschi (1892-1965) of the Servite Order of Mary was the bishop who granted the imprimatur to the work of Maria Valtorta in 1948, which was contested by the Holy Office on the grounds that he was "the bishop of the Zulus." At the request of Pius XII, a second imprimatur was sought from Mgr Fontevecchia, bishop of Aquino-Sora, who was prevented from granting it, as was his successor.
An anecdote reported by Father Benedetto M. Biagioli[1] in the bulletin of the Servites of Florence as well as by Father Gabriel M. Roschini in the biography he dedicated to him, reveals the strong character of the man."During the First World War (1915-1918), a young soldier[2] named Costantino Barneschi was urgently transported to a military hospital, his arm broken by a grenade. The doctors immediately decided to amputate and agreed to perform the operation the following morning. But during his sleepless night, Constantino, who, before being called to the front, had been accepted as a candidate for the priesthood in the Servite Order of Mary[3], was inspired to turn to his favorite saint, Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Patroness of the Missions. "Listen, dear Teresa," he said to her, "tomorrow morning they will cut off my right arm and I will no longer be able to be a priest, and that will break my vocation. Let us do this: you obtain healing for me and I promise you that, as soon as I am ordained a priest, I will ask to leave for the missions." And Thérèse granted his prayer. In the morning, the doctors, surprised, found the arm greatly improved and, instead of amputating it, they simply mended it a bit and strengthened it with a metal splint."In 1923, three years after his priestly ordination, having completed his studies and preparation, he fulfilled the "pact" made with the Patroness of Missions and departed, full of enthusiasm, for the Mission of Swaziland[4] (South Africa). He was assigned the missionary station of San Giuseppe, near Manzini (which would later become his episcopal seat). He was quickly nicknamed "the iron hand." A builder missionary, traveling through villages, he became "the most popular missionary in Swaziland"[1].
A rivalry arose with the establishment of an American Methodist Church, the Church of the Nazarene, which had significant resources. But one day, while Mgr Barneschi was recklessly driving his car, he collided with a large deer. He escaped with two broken ribs. His rival pastor, Dr. Hynd, who happened to be passing by, took him to the hospital where he was chief physician[1]. From there arose a friendly relationship.
Sixteen years after his arrival, in 1939, he was appointed apostolic vicar[5] with the title of bishop; he was just over 46 years old. It was nine years later that he would have the opportunity to grant, for the first time, the imprimatur to the work of Maria Valtorta.
20% of the inhabitants of Eswatini (Swaziland) identify as Catholic out of a total of 90% Christians (Protestants and local African churches).
The missionary culture of Maria Valtorta's work[edit | edit source]
Maria Valtorta's work is marked by an enterprising, pragmatic, and innovative missionary culture. Father Migliorini was also a missionary in South Africa. Father Berti, for his part, studied at the Pontifical Urbanian University, which trained missionary clergy. Father Gabriele Allegra was a Franciscan missionary like several promoters of the work[6]. Like the Chinese bishops or the Indian bishops who promoted the link between this private revelation and evangelization, all these missionaries experientially understood the evangelizing power of Maria Valtorta's work. She herself had this culture which she invested in Catholic Action for women after attempting to join the Society of St. Paul specialized in evangelization through media. It is no coincidence that Mgr Barneschi, like Maria Valtorta, referred to St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, declared patroness of missions. This enterprising, pragmatic, and innovative missionary culture is found in many Valtortian initiatives today.
Observing the favorable reception of missionary Churches in Asia, one can recall the prophecy of John Paul II in his exhortation Ecclesia in Asia of November 6, 1999: "The Church in Asia will cross the threshold of the third Christian millennium marveling at all that God has done from those beginnings until now and, confident that, 'just as in the first millennium the Cross was planted on European soil, and in the second millennium on American and African soil, in the third millennium a great harvest of faith may be gathered on this vast and lively continent.'"
He had this intuition, in January 1995, while contemplating the 5 million faithful gathered for the World Youth Day in Manila, the largest gathering of such events. The Philippines is the third largest Catholic country in the world (81 million in 2013). Christians in Asia are few (around 13%) but rapidly growing. Christianity there enjoys an image of modernity and freedom.
The same John Paul II summarized the history of the evangelization of Africa, in which Mgr Barneschi and Father Migliorini participated, in his encyclical Ecclesia in Africa: "The spread of the Gospel in Africa occurred in several phases. The early centuries of Christianity saw the evangelization of Egypt and North Africa. A second phase, concerning regions of this continent south of the Sahara, took place in the 15th and 16th centuries. A third phase, characterized by an extraordinary missionary effort, began in the 19th century." In the 20th century, Christianity experienced rapid growth making Africa the continent with the greatest number of converts. African Christians, all denominations combined, were 8 million in 1910: one hundred years later, they are 516 million.
The imprimatur[edit | edit source]
Mgr Costantino Barneschi O.S.M. had given his imprimatur to a 32-page booklet entitled Parole di Vita Eterna (Laboremus, Rome, 1948). This pamphlet contained some extracts and the plan of the work of Maria Valtorta, which was soon to be published. The author was anonymous. This booklet circulated freely within the Vatican.
In one of her letters, Maria Valtorta recounts: "But on November 29 (1948), just as the printing presses were about to start, the Holy Office called the Father Procurator General of the Servite Order of Mary and ordered him to tell Fathers Berti and Migliorini to no longer deal with the work, lest they be struck by the decrees of the Holy Office for having illegally stolen (?) the approval of Monsignor Barneschi contrary to the norms of Canon Law, because this bishop is not the bishop of the publishing house nor of the author, and especially because: 'He is the bishop of the Zulus' (Do the Zulus not have a soul? and is an Italian bishop, just because he is in Africa, less a bishop than one who lives in Italy?).[7]"
A little later, she analyzes: "I pass over two other reasons that weighed unfavorably on the Work. The first is that Father Migliorini 'has been under investigation' by the Holy Office for 3 years, because of Miss Gabriella and Dora Barsottelli of Pieve di Camaiore 'whom he was leading against the counsel' of God... (I had always prayed that Father Migliorini would 'never' appear alongside the Work, because I knew his questionable situation with the Holy Office and the Congregation of Rites, but, as always, they acted contrary to what I said to do and always put Father Migliorini at the forefront) [...] The second unfavorable reason is having had the Work approved by Mgr Barneschi, bishop of South Africa, without asking him to have it printed there, in accordance with canon law. I said nothing to them so as not to mortify the Fathers...[8]"
The imprimatur granted showed a hasty and careless approach, but Mgr Barneschi[9], as bishop in partibus of Thagaste[10] was legitimate to print in Rome especially since the author was anonymous and the publishing society was Roman. There are indeed three possible choices for the designation of the bishop who grants the imprimatur[11].
Mgr Barneschi was counted among the Council Fathers and Pope Paul VI honored him with the honorary title "Assistant to the Papal Throne" for the 25th anniversary of his episcopal election[12].
Notes and references[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 La S.S. Annunziata, no. 208, May-June 2013, pp. 2-3.
- ↑ He was 23 years old.
- ↑ Born in Foiano della Chiana (Arezzo) on June 24, 1892, he took the habit of the Servites of Mary of Monte Senario on August 1, 1907 and made his simple vows in 1908. After which he was sent to Rome for philosophical and theological studies at the Pontifical Urbanian University, the university that trained missionaries. It was only in 1918, after the war, that he made his solemn vows. He was ordained a priest on September 16, 1919.
- ↑ Today Eswatini (since 2018). Manzini is the largest city in the country. This monarchy of 1.1 million inhabitants is bordered by South Africa and Mozambique.
- ↑ An apostolic vicariate is a diocese in formation generally in countries undergoing Christianization. Mgr Barneschi's apostolic vicariate was transformed into a diocese in 1951.
- ↑ Such as Father Antonio Sisto Rosso or Father Fernando Bortone.
- ↑ Letters to Mother Teresa Maria, Volume 2, pp. 172-173.
- ↑ Letters to Mother Teresa Maria, Volume 2, p. 202.
- ↑ Profile on catholic hierarchy.
- ↑ Bishops In partibus are assigned an ancient diocese now extinct pending a legally constituted territorial assignment. Their appointment is strictly under the authority of the Holy See.
- ↑ 1917 Code of Canon Law (in force at the time), article 1385, paragraph 2: "The permission to publish books and images mentioned in Paragraph 1 may be granted by the proper Ordinary of the author, by the Ordinary of the place where the books and images are published, or the Ordinary of the place where they are printed, provided however that if one of the Ordinaries has refused permission, the author may not request it from another Ordinary without having made known to him the refusal previously encountered."
- ↑ Servite site: Biographical note written by Father Gabriele Roschini.