Elia Dalla Costa

infobox cardinalstyles
cardinal name=Elia Cardinal Dalla Costa
dipstyle=His Eminence
offstyle=Your Eminence
See=Florence|"Servant of God" Elia Angelo Cardinal Dalla Costa (May 14, 1872—December 22, 1961) was an Italian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Florence from 1931 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1933.

Biography

Elia dalla Costa was born in Villaverla to Luigi Dalla Costa and his wife Teresa Dal Balcon. The youngest of the five children, he was batpized on June 23, 1872 by Fr. Angelo Rossi, with Francesco Muraro di Bressanvido and Eugenia Dalla Costa acting as his godparents. Costa attended the seminaries in Vicenza and Padua before being ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Antonio Feruglio on July 25, 1895. He finished his studies in 1897, and then did pastoral work in Vicenza, at whose seminary he also taught.

On May 25, 1923, Costa was appointed Bishop of Padua by Pope Pius XI. He received his episcopal consecration on the following August 12 from Bishop Ferdinando Rodolfi, with Bishops Andrea Longhin and Apollonio Maggio serving as co-consecrators, in the Cathedral of Viacenza. Costa was later named Archbishop of Florence on December 19, 1931. From January to May 1932, he was Apostolic Administrator of Padua.

Pope Pius created Costa Cardinal Priest of "S. Marco" in the consistory of March 13, 1933. He was one of the cardinal electors in the 1939 papal conclave (at which he received votes [TIME Magazine. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,760927-2,00.html "Habemus Papam"] March 13, 1939] ) that selected Pope Pius XII, and later participated in the conclave of 1958, resulting in the election of Pope John XXIII. During World War II, he became known as "the Cardinal of Charity" for helping save thousands of Italians from execution under the Fascist regime [TIME Magazine. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,827229,00.html Milestones] December 29, 1961] .

Costa died from pulmonary complications [Ibid.] in Florence, at age 89, and is buried in the Duomo di Firenze. On December 22, 1981, exactly twently years after his death, his process for beatification was opened.

Trivia

*Costa's eldest three siblings died in infancy.
*Upon his death, he was the oldest member of the College of Cardinals.
*Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli was a friend of Cardinal Dalla Costa and had the point of view of the archibishop of Florence in many issue.Is believed that during the conclave of 1958 he voted for Dalla Costa.

References

External links

* [http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/91905 Servo di Dio Elia Dalla Costa - in Italian]
* [http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios-d.htm#DallaCosta Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church]
* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bdalco.html Catholic-Hierarchy]