Salvatore di Pietro
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The Most Reverend Salvatore di Pietro, S.J. |
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| Vicar Apostolic of Belize | |
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| Church | Catholic Church |
| Appointed | 14 January 1893 |
| In office | 16 April 1893 – 23 August 1898 |
| Successor | Frederick Hopkins, S.J. |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 2 June 1859 |
| Consecration | 16 April 1893 by Thomas A. Becker |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 June 1830 Palermo, Italy |
| Died | 23 August 1898 (aged 68) Belize |
Salvatore di Pietro, S.J., (15 June 1830 – 23 August 1898) was an Italian Bishop in the Catholic Church. He served as the first Vicar Apostolic of Belize from 1893-1898. He is widely regarded as the most important figure in consolidating the Catholic presence in Belize in the second half of the 19th century. “Much of the progress in the mission, both spiritual and temporal, was due to Father di Pietro." And, "from the establishment of the Catholic Church in Belize in 1851 to the close of the 19th century, its missionaries laboured under circumstances often requiring heroic self-sacrifice. During this period Jesuit Fr. Salvatore di Pietro was the dominant Catholic figure.”
Salvatore di Pietro was born in Palermo, Italy, on 15 June 1830. He entered the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in October 1845 and was ordained a priest on 2 June 1859. He arrived in British Honduras (now known as "Belize") on 22 March 1869. On May 12 he suffered an attack of yellow fever. His Jesuit superiors transferred him to Guatemala, where he preached missions to the Garifuna. He was appointed head of the missions in northern Guatemala, but along with 80 other Jesuits fled the country in September 1871 when the Liberals gained control and persecuted the Catholic Church. In 1872 President Jose Maria Medina invited him to Spanish Honduras to found a college in the capital Comayagua. He began by preaching missions in Omoa and San Pedro Sula. However, the Liberals took control of Spanish Honduras also and he returned to Belize.
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