Monument to Cardinal Dusmet

Monument to Cardinal Dusmet in Piazza San Francesco d'Assisi in Catania

In the city center of Catania stands the church dedicated to Saint Francis of Assisi, and the square in front of it also bears his name. The piazza is dominated by a monument, which, however, is not, as one might initially assume, dedicated to Italy's most popular saint—perhaps along with Padre Pio. The statue seen here depicts Blessed Giuseppe Cardinal DUSMET (1818 to 1894, beatified in 1988). He spent his life, shaped by the Catholic faith, as a Benedictine monk, became abbot of several monasteries, later Archbishop of Catania, and finally received the dignity of cardinal. In the calendar of saints, his feast day is September 25.