COMBONI, DANIELE. - Bishop and missionary in Africa, b. at Limone sul Garda (March 15, 1831), he was educated for the priesthood by Nicola Mazza, apostle of charity in Verona. Won over to the African missionary ideal by Angelo Vinco, back from central Africa (1849), he followed him in 1857, pushing on as far as Holy Cross on the White Nile (6th degree north latitude). There he saw firsthand the wretched conditions of those tribes and vowed in his heart to spend himself entirely for their redemption, even after, because of his weakened health, obedience forced him to return home (1859). Two years later, the mission of central Africa was practically destroyed: in only 16 years 44 missionaries had died there, and the others had abandoned it, with the exception of one who remained to guard the buildings in Khartoum.
In 1864, while praying at the altar of the Confession in St. Peter's, C. conceived his Piano per la rigenerazione dell'Africa (Turin 1864), centered on the principle of "promoting the conversion of Africa through Africa." He proposed, in fact, to educate the Negroes in order to make of them teachers, catechists, priests; and he even thought of the subsequent founding of small theological and scientific universities in Africa for the most gifted minds.
Encouraged by Pius IX, he began a broad work of penetration into Catholic circles in Europe in order to gain sympathies, aid, and vocations for Africa. In Paris he lived for 6 months with Massaia, then recently returned from Ethiopia, who encouraged him in the work for the Negroes.
In 1867 he opened in Cairo two institutes for Negroes to be trained for the apostolate for central Africa. In the same year, with the support of Msgr. Luigi di Canossa, bishop of Verona, he founded in that city the Institute of African Missions, which later would take the form of a religious congregation under the name of Sons of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Shortly afterward (1872) he founded, also in Verona, the Congregation of the Pious Mothers of Nigrizia.
Appointed provisional (1872) and then (1877) vicar apostolic of central Africa and titular bishop of Claudiopolis, he established his residence in Khartoum, but made long journeys in Nubia, in Kordofan and in Dar-Nuba and founded stations at el-Obeid, Delen, Berber. Slavery was at that time very widespread in the Sudan. C. never ceased to raise his voice against this plague, addressing himself in particular to the khedive of Egypt and to the local authorities, who not infrequently were complicit in the shameful trade. For his part he kept the doors of his missions open to persecuted slaves, whom he welcomed and restored to freedom, often after having made them Christians. For these he opened an agricultural colony at Malbes, where they might earn their living by work.
His reports and his copious correspondence are rich in news and observations useful for the history of African civilization. He compiled a Nubian dictionary of high scientific value, to which must be added considerable studies on the language of the Denka.
Stricken by fevers, he died in Khartoum on Oct. 10, 1881. The ordinary proceedings for his cause of beatification have been instituted.
Bibliography6 works
Agostino Capovilla