Salvatore Colombo

Pietro Salvatore Colombo, OFM (28 October 1922 - 9 July 1989) was the Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Mogadiscio (Somalia) from 1976 until his assassination.

The Most Reverend

Pietro Salvatore Monsignor Colombo

O.F.M.
Monsignor
Bishop of Mogadiscio, Somalia
ChurchRoman Catholic Church
ArchdioceseRoman Catholic Diocese of Mogadiscio
ProvinceSomalia
MetropolisSomalia
SeeSubject to the Holy See
Elected20 November 1975
In office9 July 1989
SuccessorBishop Giorgio Bertin, OFM
Orders
Ordination6 April 1946
by Bishop Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster
Consecration23 May 1968
by Bishop Giovanni Colombo
Rank Bishop-Priest
Personal details
Born
Pietro Salvatore Colombo

(1922-10-28)28 October 1922
Carate Brianza, Province of Monza and Brianza, Lombardy
Died9 July 1989(1989-07-09) (aged 66)
Mogadishu, Somalia
BuriedMogadishu Cathedral(Original)
Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua(Current)
2.0358°N 45.3416°E / 2.0358; 45.3416(Original)45.4014°N 11.8808°E / 45.4014; 11.8808(Current)
NationalityItaly Italian
DenominationRoman Catholic
ResidenceSomalia
ParentsLuigi Colombo (father)
Ernestina Farina(mother)
Alma materSt.Anthony's Convent of Franciscan Friars

Biography

Colombo was born in Carate Brianza, near Milan. He served the people of Somalia from 1946, after he had been ordained a priest in Milan, Italy, until his death 43 years later. He was appointed as the first Bishop of Mogadishu in 1975, and ordained as Bishop of Mogadishu on 16 March 1976.[1]

Bishop Colombo was well regarded by non-Catholics, whether Muslim or secular. Bishop Colombo was known for his pragmatic oversight of aid projects, making sure that aid projects could operate after the foreign aid workers went home. The government of President Siad Barre did not tolerate proselytizing, but was comfortable with the humanitarian aid dispensed by the Church.[2]

Bishop Colombo was killed in his cathedral by an unknown assassin. President Barre blamed radical Islamists and offered a bounty for their capture.[3]

No bishop has been appointed for Mogadishu since Monsignor Colombo's death. Currently, the welfare of Catholics in Somalia is overseen by the Apostolic Administrator of Mogadishu, Dr. Giorgio Bertin, OFM, who is also the Bishop of Djibouti.

See also

Footnotes
  1. Catholic Hierarchy
  2. "Safirka: Envoy to Somalia". Peter Bridges American Diplomacy, Volume III, No.2, 1998
  3. Religious Freedom in the Majority Islamic Countries, 1998 Report, Aid to the Church in Need, Alleanza Cattolica
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