Luigi Bettazzi

About

Ecclesiastical dignitary of the Catholic Church best known for serving as the Bishop Emeritus of Ivrea from 1966 to 1999. He was one of the original and last surviving endorsers of the Pact of the Catacombs, which is a pledge to adopt a lifestyle akin to that of the poorest of their parishioners, free of attachment to material possessions. Additionally, he served as president of the Italian branch of Pax Christi and Pax Christi International, during which time he accepted UNESCO's Peace Education Prize on behalf of the organization. In 2007, he advocated for a proposal to establish legal recognition for same-sex relationships and expressed his support of "emancipating ourselves from the Neo-Platonists who identified sex with spiritual decadence. Why not an expression of the human spirit?" 

Before Fame

He earned degrees in philosophy and theology from the Gregorian University before going on to earn a degree in philosophy from the University of Bologna. In 1946, he was officially ordained a priest. He became vicar general of the Archdiocese of Bologna and received his episcopal consecration in 1963.

Trivia

He was one of the youngest members of The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican - which Pope John XXIII had called in order to assist in "modernizing" the Church to better connect with an increasingly nonreligious population. He refused to wear the ring given to each Council participant, however, as he felt that it was "ostentatious" and conflicted with the renunciation of wealth he had agreed to when he signed the Pact of the Catacombs. 

Family Life

He had 6 siblings. His father was an engineer. 

Associated With

He was named an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Bologna and titular bishop of Thagaste by Pope Paul VI.