Giuseppe Carraro

On September 29, 1952, Pope Pius XII appointed him auxiliary bishop of Treviso and titular bishop of Usula. He received episcopal consecration on November 1, 1952, at the hands of Bishop Antonio Mantiero. A few years later, on April 9, 1956, he was appointed bishop of Vittorio Veneto. On December 15, 1958, Pope John XXIII called him to lead the diocese of Verona, where he made his solemn entry on January 18, 1959. Bishop Carraro deployed intense pastoral activity there for nearly twenty years. He actively participated in the four sessions of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), involving himself particularly in the drafting of the decree on the training of priests (Optatam Totius). Upon returning to his diocese, he strove to faithfully implement the conciliar reforms. Bishop Carraro distinguished himself by his love for the poor, regularly visiting hospitals, prisons, and soup kitchens. He also manifested great missionary zeal. He actively supported the creation of the seminary for Latin America in Verona (which would give birth to the CUM - Missionary Unitary Center) to train Fidei Donum priests. He collaborated closely with the Servant of God Lucia Schiavinato, founder of the "Piccoli Rifugi" and the secular institute of the "Volunteers of Charity," encouraging her to send the first lay missionaries to Brazil in 1964. Reaching the age limit and suffering from health problems, he submitted his resignation on May 15, 1978. Having become bishop emeritus, he chose to retire to a very humble dwelling in Verona, where he died on December 30, 1980. His funeral was celebrated on January 3, 1981, and his remains were interred in the crypt of the Verona Cathedral.

The reputation for holiness of Bishop Giuseppe Carraro led to the opening of his cause for beatification and canonization in Verona on December 30, 2005, twenty-five years after his death. The diocesan inquiry took place from October 5, 2006, to October 18, 2008. During the instruction of the cause, doubts arose concerning his potential knowledge or management of sexual abuse committed against deaf children within the Provolo Institute of Verona, an institution under diocesan responsibility. The procedure was temporarily suspended to allow for thorough verification. In 2012, following a rigorous investigation and an official statement from the Diocese of Verona, Bishop Carraro was completely exonerated, with archives and testimonies demonstrating that he had not been personally involved nor had he covered up these acts. The Holy See validated these conclusions, thus allowing the cause to resume its normal course.

On July 16, 2015, Pope Francis authorized the Congregation (now Dicastery) for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of Giuseppe Carraro, thereby conferring upon him the title of Venerable. For his beatification to be pronounced, the official recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession is required by the Holy See. To date, no miracle has been the subject of an official decree of validation by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

The spirituality of Bishop Giuseppe Carraro is deeply marked by his priestly offering. On September 15, 1933, while teaching at the seminary of Treviso, he offered himself spiritually as a "little victim" to Jesus, Sovereign and Eternal Priest, for the sanctification and salvation of priests, so that none of those he had known would be lost. This offering is the guiding thread of his entire life. In his spiritual testament, he writes: "I offer my poor life, with all that the Lord will reserve for me to suffer, to act, to serve, and to pray, particularly for the sanctification of priests: so that they do not deviate, do not become discouraged, do not go astray, and do not betray the holy bonds that bind them to Christ, to the Church, and to the Christian people..." His pastoral legacy remains alive in Verona and Treviso through the structures he initiated or supported, notably the Casa San Fidenzio (a diocesan house of spirituality inaugurated in 1962), the youth pastoral center "Casa Gioiosa," and the decisive impetus he gave to international missionary cooperation and the welcoming of people with disabilities within the "Piccoli Rifugi."