Giovanni Battista Marenco

Giovanni Battista Marenco SDB, more often known as Giovanni Marenco^[a] (27 April 1853 – 22 October 1921) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who worked in the Roman Curia, led an Italian diocese briefly, and then joined the diplomatic service of the Holy See.

Biography

Giovanni Marenco was born on 27 April 1853 in Ovada, Italy.^[2] He joined the Salesians of Don Bosco in 1873^[3] and was ordained a priest as a member of that order on 18 December 1875.^[4] He headed various Salesian houses and in 1890 he was appointed provincial of the Ligurian province. In 1892 he served as the rector major's delegate to the Salesian Sisters. In 1899 he was named procurator general of the order.^[3]

He was attached to the Congregation of the Council^[5] and a consultor to the Congregation for Religious^[6] when, on 29 April 1909, Pope Pius X named him Bishop of Massa Carrara.^[7] He received his episcopal consecration on 16 May 1909 from Cardinal Francesco di Paolo Satolli.^[4]

On 7 January 1917, Pope Benedict XV appointed him titular archbishop of Edessa in Macedonia,^[8] and on 2 February he was named Apostolic Internuncio to Costa Rica, Honduras, and Nicaragua,^[1][b][c]

Marenco returned to Italy because of illness^[3] and died in Turin on 22 October 1921 at the age of 68.^[2][13]

Notes

1. The AAS gives his name as Giovanni Battista Marenco only once.^[1]
2. The AAS also describes him as "Apostolic Delegate to Central America" when reporting the events of a consistory held on 22 March 1917.^[9] See other references on 16 February 1921.^[10]
3. One source reports he was also appointed Apostolic Delegate to Guatemala and El Salvador on 15 September 1920.^[2] Online databases differ.^[11][12] The official source, the Acta Apostolicae Sedis (AAS) does not record this appointment, nor do Salesian sources. AAS identifies Marenco upon his death only as "Apostolic Internuncio to Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Honduras".^[13]

References

1. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. IX. 1917. p. 158. Retrieved 5 June 2020. Internuncio Apostolico di Costarica, Nicaragua e Honduras
2. De Marchi, Giuseppe (1957). Le nunziature apostoliche dal 1800 al 1956 (in Italian). Ed. di Storia e Letteratura. pp. 104, 145, 179. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
3. Lenti, Arthur (Fall 1995). "Key-Concepts, Concerns and Fears of a Founder-Don Bosco in his Declining Years" (PDF). Journal of Salesian Studies. VI (2): 10. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
4. Bransom Jr., Charles N. (Spring 2001). "Sons of Don Bosco, Successors of the Apostles, Silesian Bishops, 1884 to 2001" (PDF). Journal of Salesian Studies. XII (1): 56. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
5. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. I. 1909. p. 115. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
6. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. I. 1909. p. 116. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
7. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. I. 1909. p. 433. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
8. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. IX. 1917. p. 119. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
9. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. IX. 1917. p. 165. Retrieved 5 June 2020. Delegatum Apostolicum apud Americam Centralem
10. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. XIII. 1921. pp. 252, 254. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
11. "Archbishop Giovanni Battista Marenco, S.D.B." Catholic Hierarchy. Retrieved 5 June 2020.^{[self-published]}
12. "Archbishop Giovanni Battista Marenco, S.D.B". GCatholic. Retrieved 5 June 2020. ^{[self-published]}
13. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. XIII. 1921. p. 520. Retrieved 5 June 2020. Internunzio Apostolico per Costa Rica, Nicaragua e Honduras