Giovanni Urbani

Giovanni Urbani (26 March 1900 – 17 September 1969) was an Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Patriarch of Venice from 1958 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1958.

Biography Giovanni Urbani was born in Venice to Angelo and Elisabetta (née Borghi) Urbani, and was an artilleryman during World War I. After studying at the Patriarchal Seminary of Venice, he was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal Pietro La Fontaine on 24 September 1922. Urbani then did pastoral work in Venice until 1925, furthered his studies for a year, and taught at the seminary from 1927 to 1945. He was raised to the rank of privy chamberlain of his holiness on 12 November 1936, and later domestic prelate of his holiness on 5 June 1943.

On 26 October 1946, he was appointed Titular Bishop of Axomis. Urbani received his episcopal consecration on the following 8 December from Cardinal Adeodato Giovanni Piazza, OCD, with Bishops Giovanni Jeremich and Carlo Zinato serving as co-consecrators, in St. Mark's Basilica. Until 1955, he served as secretary and national counselor of Azione Cattolica's Central Commission, which included instructing Italian parishes against communism. In 1964, he prohibited Venetian priests and nuns from attending the Venice Biennale due to the nudism in its exhibitions.

In 1968, Giovanni gifted some of the relics of St. Mark to Pope Paul VI of Rome, which he later returned to Coptic Pope Cyril VI of the Coptic Church of Alexandria in Egypt on June 24 1968.

Urbani died from a heart attack in Venice at age 69. His position as patriarch of Venice was unique in the fact that both his predecessor and his successor became pope. His successor as patriarch was Albino Luciani, who was elected Pope John Paul I in August 1978.