Church of Naples, Don Cozzolino declared venerable

“With immense joy I wish to announce to the diocesan community that today, April 14, 2025, Monday of Holy Week, Pope Francis, in the person of the Prefect Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, declared the Servant of God Don Agostino Cozzolino, a priest of our diocesan clergy, venerable to the honors of the Altars.

A man of God and of the holy people who spent his entire life helping the needs of the last, the poorest on the outskirts of Napoli. Don Agostino is an example for every priest for his dedication to Christ and the Church to the point of consuming himself for it”. This is written in a message to the diocese of Naples by the archbishop of the Neapolitan church, Cardinal Mimmo Battaglia.

“He did not ask for honors for himself, but to do good for his people in times marked by great social vicissitudes. He became the voice of those who have no voice; he became a traveling companion for all those who in times of war sought help and spiritual consolation. In a territory, like that of Ponticelli, Don Agostino was a sign of hope, denouncing precarious situations and announcing the Gospel of charity.

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You cannot denounce without announcing the freedom that only Christ can give to those who ask for it. And Don Agostino lived his mission as a parish priest, never turning his gaze away from the problems of his people. In prayer and in his daily trust in the Sacred Heart of Jesus he found the strength and comfort to support those who struggled to walk. His venerability is evidence of how a diocesan priest lives his sacramental bond with Christ”, adds Don Mimmo.

“When Pope Francis writes about the existential peripheries, I think with pleasure that Don Agostino embodied the evangelical ideal precisely in Ponticelli. He sanctified and sanctified himself with his people, proposing the formation of young people, assisting families and promoting the dignity of the person. He never made himself a judge of those who made mistakes in life, but encouraged everyone to work for a world of justice and equality. I feel the desire to thank God for this Easter gift to the Church of Naples,” adds Cardinal Battaglia.

“A heartfelt thanks to the Postulator Don Pasquale Di Luca who with love and dedication has followed and follows the Cause of beatification and canonization of the Venerable Don Agostino Cozzolino. A thank you also to the one who is no longer among us, but enjoys the joy of Christ, Don Ciro Cocozza, who began the cause with his beautiful testimony of faith. May the example of Don Agostino spur us to be brothers and sisters to one another,” concludes the archbishop.