Positio super Virtutibus of Bp. Giuseppe Cognata

Submission of the “Positio super virtutibus” of the Servant of God Bishop Giuseppe Cognata
Salesian bishop and founder of the Salesian Oblates of the Sacred Heart

(ANS – Vatican City – August 3, 2026) – On July 31, the volumes of the Positio super Vita, Virtutibus, et Fama Sanctitatis of the Servant of God Giuseppe Cognata, SDB (1885–1972), bishop of Farsalo, formerly bishop of Bova, and founder of the Salesian Oblates of the Sacred Heart, were submitted to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints in the Vatican.

The Positio had Bp. Maurizio Tagliaferri as its relator, Fr. Pierluigi Cameroni, SDB, as postulator, and Dr. Cristiana Marinelli as collaborator. The structural elements of the Positio – which presents, in a detailed and comprehensive manner, the entire body of documentary and testimonial evidence concerning the virtuous life of the Servant of God – are: a brief introduction by the relator; the General Introduction; the Informatio super virtutibus, that is, the theological section in which the virtuous life of the Servant of God is demonstrated; the two Summaria containing testimonial and documentary evidence; the Biographia ex Documentis; the Final Sections and the iconographic material. Attached to the 2 volumes of the Positio is the petition for the review of the process against the Servant of God, prepared by a group of Catholic jurists led by Dr. Giuseppe Viola.

In particular, the Biographia ex documentis presents the biographical account of the Servant of God on a historical, critical, and documentary basis. It is systematically divided into 8 chapters with the following content: Chapter I – Historical, geographical, political, and ecclesial context; Chapter II – Birth and early years (1885–1909); Chapter III – The early years of his priestly ministry (1909–1933); Chapter IV – The Servant of God’s episcopal ministry in Bova (1933–1939); Chapter V – The events at Casal Bruciato (1936–1939); Chapter VI – The beginning of the Servant of God’s long ordeal (1940–1949); Chapter VII – Toward Rehabilitation (1949–1961); Chapter VIII – The Last 10 Years of the Servant of God’s Life (1962–1972).

Following its submission, the Positio will be examined by the theological consultors of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. It will then be examined by the cardinals and bishops. These detailed stages of study and evaluation will enable the Supreme Pontiff, should the outcome be favorable, to declare Bp. Cognata a “Venerable Servant of God.” A miracle attributed to his intercession will then be required to pave the way for beatification.

This news has been met with great joy within the Congregation of the Salesian Oblates of the Sacred Heart and among the Association of Salesian Oblate Laity, within the Salesian Family, in the dioceses of Tivoli and Palestrina – which is responsible for the inquiry – and in the archdiocese of Reggio Calabria-Bova, where Bp. Cognata carried out his episcopal ministry.

The Servant of God Giuseppe Cognata was born in the Templi district of Girgenti (Agrigento) in Sicily on October 14, 1885, the 2d son of a prominent middle-class family. His father, Vitale Cognata, a lawyer by profession, was a member of the local Masonic Lodge, as was his paternal grandfather, a doctor and senator of the Kingdom of Italy. From childhood, Giuseppe demonstrated a wealth of moral and human qualities, nurtured by the Christian upbringing he received chiefly from his mother, Rosa Montana Cognata, a devout and intelligent woman with a strong and lively temperament. At the age of 12, he entered the Salesian school in Randazzo (Catania) and on May 5, 1908, made his perpetual vows among the sons of Don Bosco. On August 29, 1909, he was ordained a priest in Acireale and carried out his educational mission in Sicily, the Veneto, the Marche, Umbria, and Rome. In 1933, he was appointed bishop of Bova and, on December 8 of the same year founded the Congregation of the Salesian Oblates of the Sacred Heart. In 1939, on the basis of false accusations, he was condemned by the Congregation of the Holy Office, stripped of his episcopal office, and expelled from the institute he had founded. He humbly accepted returning to the status of a simple Salesian priest without office or honors, and withdrew into the silence and solitude of the Salesian houses in Trento, Rovereto, and Castello di Godego.

In 1962, he was reinstated by St. John XXIII and, in 1963, St. Paul VI appointed him titular bishop of Farsalo. In this capacity, he took part in the Second Vatican Council. He died on July 22, 1972, in Pellaro (Reggio Calabria), the original base of the Salesian Oblates’ missionary activity. He is buried at the generalate of the Oblate Sisters in Tivoli.

In the light of mercy and the mystery of the Heart of Christ, Bp. Cognata stands as a unique witness to the power of forgiveness and reconciliation. He was not afraid to forgive those who accused him, those who slandered him, and those who condemned him. As he made his way up to Calvary, he gazed upon the Crucified Christ, and, following his example, offered consolation and forgiveness. “Rejoice and be glad” (Matt 5:12), says Jesus to those who are persecuted or humiliated for his sake. He wrote in a memoir from 1949: “I never cease to thank the Lord for granting me an inner peace, never before experienced so fully and deeply, and for the tranquility of a life free from special responsibilities, in which I can attend well to my spiritual needs and to the great matter of my eternal salvation. And how many consolations the merciful Lord has bestowed upon me during these years of salutary penance! Misericordias Domini in aeternum cantabo!”