FIESOLE: 7TH CENTENARY OF BISHOP AND SAINT ANDREA CORSINI

VATICAN CITY, DEC 1, 2001 (VIS) - Pope John Paul has written a letter to Bishop Luciano Giovannetti of Fiesole, on the occasion of the seventh centenary of the November 30, 1301 birth of St. Andrea Corsini, bishop of Fiesole, and the beginning of a period of commemoration in this Italian diocese. The Pope noted that as of November 30, St. Andrea's remains will be in the Fiesole cathedral for several days. Bishop Corsini died in 1374 and was canonized in 1629.

St. Andrea was the provincial of the Carmelites in Tuscany, noted John Paul, when he was named bishop of Fiesole. He added that, in the Bull of October 13, 1349 naming him bishop, Clement VI underlined "his zeal for religion, his culture and purity of life and customs, his ability to govern souls, ... his circumspection in temporal affairs and his many other merits of great virtue."

The Pope observed that St. Andrea Corsini did not live in the comfortable bishop's palace, but rather lived simply, showing "singular zeal in preaching, in assiduousness in prayer, in austerity of life, in visiting parishes, in abolishing abuses and in defending the Church's freedom against abuses of power and undue interference, as well as welcoming with charity the humble and disinherited who knocked on his door."

He dedicated special care to his priests, the Holy Father pointed out, "asking them to live in a way that conformed to holiness and to the responsibilities given them." The bishop founded a confraternity, and "emanated precise norms about the harvesting and spiritual and cultural preparation of candidates to the priesthood." The Pope underscored that St. Andrea's "constant union with God, the dominant trait of his existence, did not impede him from dedicating himself diligently to administering ecclesiastical goods" and he was able to build and restore many ecclesiastical properties.

"Following the example of its former pastor," John Paul wrote, "may the Fiesole diocese continue to privilege the formation of the clergy and to take every care that the diocesan seminary be ever more suitable to the preparation of candidates to the priesthood."

JPII-LETTER;ANDREA CORSINI;...;FIESOLE; GIOVANNETTI;VIS;20011203;Word: 350;