Mgr Constantino Barneschi and Maria Valtorta
Mgr Constantino Attilio Barneschi (1892-1965) of the Order of the Servants 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 dedicated to him, says much about 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 it and agreed to perform the operation the next morning. But during his sleepless night, Costantino who, before being called to the front, had been accepted as an aspirant to the priesthood in the Order of the Servants of Mary[3], had the inspiration 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 this will break my vocation. Let's do this: you obtain healing for me and I promise you that, as soon as I am ordained priest, I will leave for the Missions." And Thérèse granted it. In the morning, the doctors, surprised, found the arm much improved, and instead of amputating it, they just patched it up a little and reinforced it with a metal splint."In 1923, three years after his priestly Ordination, after finishing his studies and preparation, he fulfilled the "pact" made with the Patroness of the Missions and set off, full of enthusiasm, for the Mission of Swaziland[4] (South Africa). He was assigned the missionary station of San Giuseppe, near Manzini (which later became his episcopal see). He was quickly nicknamed "the iron hand." A missionary builder, traveling through villages, he became "the most popular Missionary of Swaziland"[1].
A competition developed with the establishment of an American Methodist Church, the Church of the Nazarene, which had significant resources. But one day, while Mgr Barneschi was driving recklessly, he collided with a large deer. He escaped with two broken ribs. His rival pastor, Dr. Hynd, passing by, took him to the hospital where he was the chief physician[1]. From there was born a friendly relationship.
Sixteen years after his arrival, in 1939, he was appointed apostolic vicar[5] with the title of bishop; he was a little over 46 years old. It was nine years later that he would have the opportunity to grant, first, the imprimatur to Maria Valtorta's work.
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 the Missionary clergy. Father Gabriele Allegra was a Franciscan Missionary like several promoters of the work[6]. Like the Chinese bishops or Indian bishops who promoted the link between this private revelation and evangelization, all these Missionaries experienced firsthand the evangelizing power of Maria Valtorta's work. She herself had this culture which she invested in the Catholic Action for women after trying to join the Society of Saint Paul specialized in evangelization through the media. It is no coincidence that Mgr Barneschi, like Maria Valtorta, refers to St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus declared patroness of the Missions. This enterprising, pragmatic, and innovative Missionary culture is found in many valtortian initiatives today.
Observing the favorable home of Missionary Churches in Asia, one can recall John Paul II's prophecy 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 the beginning until now and, strengthened by the knowledge that, 'just as in the first millennium the Cross was planted on European soil, in the second millennium on American and African soil, one may, in the third millennium, gather an abundant harvest of faith on this vast and lively continent.'"
He had this intuition in January 1995, contemplating the 5 million faithful gathered for the World Youth Day in Manila, the largest concentration of these events. The Philippines is the third largest Catholic country in the world (81 million in 2013). Christians in Asia are few in number (about 13%), but rapidly growing. Christianity there has an image of modernity and freedom.
The same John Paul II summarized the history of evangelization of Africa, to which Mgr Barneschi and Fr. Migliorini participated, in his encyclical Ecclesia in Africa: "The spread of the Gospel in Africa has taken place 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, occurred 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 largest number of converts. African Christians, of all denominations combined, were 8 million in 1910: they are 516 million, one hundred years later.
The Imprimatur[edit | edit source]
Mgr Costantino Barneschi O.S.M. had given his imprimatur to a 32-page booklet titled Parole di Vita Eterna (Laboremus, Rome, 1948). This pamphlet included some excerpts and the outline of Maria Valtorta's work, which was soon to be published. The author was anonymous. This booklet circulated freely in the Vatican.
In one of her letters, Maria Valtorta recounts: "But on November 29 (1948), just as the presses were about to start, the Holy Office summoned the Father Procurator General of the Order of the Servants of Mary and ordered him to tell Fathers Berti and Migliorini to no longer concern themselves 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 less a bishop just because he is in Africa?).[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 Mrs. Gabriella and Dora Barsottelli of Pieve di Camaiore 'whom he directed against God's advice'... (I had always prayed that Father Migliorini would 'never' appear alongside the Work, because I knew his doubtful situation with the Holy Office and the Congregation of Rites, but, as always, they acted contrary to what I said to do and always placed 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 granted imprimatur indicated a hasty and careless approach, but Mgr Barneschi[9], as a bishop in partibus of Thagaste[10] was legitimate to grant the imprimatur in Rome especially since the author was anonymous and the publishing company was Roman. Indeed, there are three possible choices in designating the bishop who grants the imprimatur[11].
Mgr Barneschi was among the Council Fathers and Pope Paul VI honored him with the honorary title of "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, n° 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 pronounced 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 pronounced his solemn vows. He was ordained a priest on September 16, 1919.
- ↑ Now 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 in countries generally in the process of Christianization. Mgr Barneschi's apostolic vicariate would be 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.
- ↑ Record at catholic hierarchy.
- ↑ Bishops In partibus are assigned an ancient diocese that has since disappeared while awaiting a juridically constituted territorial assignment. Their appointment is strictly within the Holy See's authority.
- ↑ 1917 Code of Canon Law (in use at the time), article 1385, paragraph 2: "Permission to publish books and images mentioned in Paragraph 1 may be given by the Ordinary of the author’s place, by the Ordinary of the place where the books and images are published, or by the Ordinary of the place where they are printed, provided, however, that if one of the Ordinaries has refused permission, the author may not seek it from another Ordinary without having made known the prior refusal."
- ↑ Servite site: Biographical record written by Fr. Gabriele Roschini.