Venerable Antonio Bello

Antonio Bello (18 March 1935 – 20 April 1993) was an Italian Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Molfetta-Ruvo-Giovinazzo-Terlizzi from 1982 until his death from cancer in 1993. Bello studied in various colleges and seminaries in places such as Bologna and Rome before being named to several positions in his region where he served as a priest. He was later made a bishop and became known for his eloquent teaching and for his pastoral sensitivities while being noted for his emphasis on greater diocesan participation on the part of the faithful. Bello also was a member of the Secular Franciscan Order and was a vocal critic of international conflicts such as the Gulf War. Bello's beatification cause opened over a decade after his death and he became titled as a Servant of God. Pope Francis named him as Venerable on 25 November 2021. Antonio Bello was born in Alessano, Province of Lecce on 18 March 1935 at 12:10 am on Via Scipione Sangiovanni as the first of three children to the Carabinieri marshal Tommaso Bello, who died on 29 January 1942, and the housewife Maria Imperato; he was baptized in the church of SS. Salvatore in Alessano on 15 April and received Confirmation in the same church on 8 June 1941. His parents married on 8 March 1934. His two brothers (in order) were Trifone and Marcello. His mother was later hired after she became a widow in Lucugnano in manufacturing tobacco products. His uncle Antonuccio encouraged Bello to keep a journal to record his thoughts and was an influence on him as were his uncles Totò and Pippi. His aunts Flora and Maria in addition to Elvira and Assunta were also formative influences on him during his childhood. His father – who died in 1942 from a heart attack – had been a widower with two children Giacinto and Vittorio who both died during World War II. Giacinto died of a heart attack in Milan on 3 October 1944 and Vittorio died on 9 September 1943 on board the sinking battleship Roma.