{{Short description|Swiss prelate}}{{Infobox Christian leader | type = Archbishop | name = Raffaele Forni | title = Titular Archbishop of Aegina | church = Catholic Church | term = 31 July 1953 – 29 September 1990 | predecessor = Saverio Ritter | successor = <i>vacant</i> | previous_post = Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Syria <small>(1967-1969)</small><br />Secretary of State <small>(1965-1967)</small><br />Apostolic Nuncio to Uruguay <small>(1960-1965)</small><br />Apostolic Nuncio to Venezuela <small>(1955-1960)</small><br />Apostolic Internuncio to Iran <small>(1953-1955)</small> | ordination = 29 July 1934 | consecration = 13 September 1953 | consecrated_by = Eugène Tisserant | birth_date = {{birth date|1906|5|24|df=y}} | birth_place = Villa Bedretto, Switzerland | death_date = {{death date and age|1990|9|29|1906|5|24|df=y}} | death_place = Lugano, Switzerland }} '''Raffaele Forni ''' (24 May 1906 – 29 September 1990) was a Swiss prelate of the Catholic Church who worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. He held the title of archbishop from 1953 and served a nuncio to Iran, Venezuela, Uruguay, and Syria.
==Biography== Raffaele Forni was born to Giuseppe and Emilia Forni on 24 May 1906 in Villa Bedretto, Canton of Ticino, Switzerland. He studied at the lycée in Lugano and earned degrees in philosophy at the Catholic University of Milan and in theology in Fribourg. He was ordained a priest on 29 July 1934 and then taught at the seminary in Lugano and worked at the Catholic University of Milan.<ref name=dhs>{{cite web | url = https://hls-dhs-dss.ch/fr/articles/009788/2005-02-03/ | access-date = 14 August 2019 |title= Raffaele Forni |language= fr|first = Fabrizio | last= Panzera| date= 3 February 2005 | website = Dictionnaire Historique de la Suisse }}</ref>
In preparation for a career in the diplomatic service, he entered the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in 1937.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy|language =it|access-date = 14 August 2019 | title = Pontificia Accademia Ecclesiastica, Ex-alunni 1900 – 1949 |url = https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_academies/acdeccles/documents/1900-1949.htm }}</ref> He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1938. He early assignments included stints in Prague, Paris, and Ottawa.<ref name=dhs/>
On 31 July 1953, Pope Pius XII named him titular archbishop of Aegina and Apostolic Internuncio to Iran, the first Vatican representative there with a title higher than delegate. He received his episcopal consecration from Cardinal Eugène Tisserant on 13 September. He was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Venezuela on 24 September 1955 and to Uruguay on 27 February 1960. On 23 October 1965 he joined the staff of the Secretariat of State in Rome. Pope Paul VI gave him his last assignment as Pro-Nuncio to Syria on 17 June 1967.{{cn|date=August 2019}}
Forni participated in the second, third, and fourth sessions of Second Vatican Council.
His diplomatic career ended with the appointment of Achille Glorieux to succeed him in Syria on 19 September 1969.<ref>{{cite book | title = Acta Apostolicae Sedis | url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-61-1969-ocr.pdf | page= 693 | date= 1969 | volume = LXI | access-date = 3 December 2019 }}</ref>
In retirement he lived in Lugano.<ref name=dhs/> He died on 29 September 1990.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bforni.html Catholic Hierarchy: Archbishop Raffaele Forni] [[Wikipedia:SPS|{{sup|[''self-published'']}}]]
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{{Subject bar |portal1= Biography |portal2= Catholicism |portal3= Switzerland}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Forni, Raffaele}} Category:1906 births Category:1990 deaths Category:People from Leventina District Category:Swiss Roman Catholic archbishops Category:Apostolic nuncios to Iran Category:Apostolic nuncios to Venezuela Category:Apostolic nuncios to Uruguay Category:Apostolic nuncios to Syria