On May 22, 2026, Pope Leo XIV authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate a decree on the virtues of Br. Nazareno da Pula, a professed member of the Order and a member of the Province of Sardinia and Corsica.
Previously, on May 5, 2026, during the ordinary session of the same Congregation, the cardinals and bishops had recognized that the Servant of God had lived the theological virtues (faith, hope, and charity), the cardinal virtues (fortitude, justice, prudence, temperance) and those of his consecrated state (poverty, chastity, and obedience), exhibiting in life, at the time of death, and even after death a constant reputation for holiness and signs.
Now, for his beatification, it is necessary to present an extraordinary or miraculous event that occurred through the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God.
Br. Nazareno da Pula, a man of strong character who steadfastly upheld the truth even at the risk of appearing brusque and gruff, was a man of profound prayer and an intense relationship with God, which he nurtured and deepened through his daily celebration and adoration of the Eucharist.
Deeply moved by his encounter with St. Pio of Pietrelcina and inspired by the example of Blessed Nicola da Gesturi, he surrendered himself to God’s love and chose to walk “in His way,” the path on which God was calling him to holiness, and from there to reach out to his neighbors afflicted with suffering, illness, poverty, and sin, and listen to them, embrace them, and lead them to an encounter with the loving and merciful Father.
His austere, radical, penitent, and uncompromising lifestyle—marked by constant prayer day and night, as well as his ability to endure illness and suffering—inspired and sustained his genuine desire for evangelical perfection in the imitation of Christ, a life he first lived for himself and then as an example for everyone, whether friars or laypeople.
Giovanni Zucca was born in Pula (Province and Diocese of Cagliari) on January 21, 1911, and was baptized on February 6 of that year. On February 23, 1922, he received Confirmation. He was unable to attend school because his help was essential for farm work. However, he managed to earn his third-grade diploma as a private student.
On December 9, 1931, he underwent his military conscription examination at the Cagliari Military District and was found fit for service; he was therefore called up on March 13 of the following year, 1932. He served in La Spezia and was subsequently discharged, but was recalled in 1935, at the outbreak of the war in Ethiopia. He left for East Africa on April 19, 1936, and remained there even after the end of the conflict, working for a local company and later opening his own business.
When World War II broke out, he was called up for military service. In 1941, he was captured by the British and remained a prisoner of war until the end of the war. He did not return to Italy until 1946, in poor physical condition, as he had developed various health problems in the meantime; he was diagnosed with a suspected duodenal ulcer and post-amoebic colitis.
On August 1, 1947, he was granted a permanent discharge and found a job at a local transportation company, S.I.T.A. However, his physical and mental health were not in the best condition, and he was admitted to the Department of Nervous and Mental Disorders at the Cagliari Hospital, where he was diagnosed with a form of nervous exhaustion. At the same time, he was also uncertain about the path he should take in life and broke up with a local girl he had been engaged to. He began to feel an attraction to the consecrated life, and, partly as a result of an encounter with St. Pio of Pietrelcina, he decided to join the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. On December 23, 1950, he therefore applied for admission as a lay brother and was accepted as a probationary member at the friary in Cagliari. On September 23, 1951, he was invested with the Capuchin habit and took the religious name of Br. Nazareno; he then began his novitiate under the guidance of Br. Innocenzo da Neoneli. On September 24, 1952, he made his temporary vows and, after about three years, on November 29, 1955, his solemn vows. He took on responsibility as alms collector first in Sassari, then in Iglesias, and, beginning in 1958, following the death of Br. Nicola da Gesturi—now Blessed—in Cagliari. He soon became very popular among the people of Cagliari, who often turned to him for advice and prayers and attributed special charisms to him, particularly regarding his healing abilities.
The constant influx of faithful created some difficulties for conventual life; therefore, on August 28, 1973, the provincial minister of the Capuchin Friars Minor of Sardinia, Br. Bonaventura Margiani, granted the Servant of God permission to spend time outside the friary, at his late brother’s farmhouse in the countryside near Pula, in the village of Piccareddu. In 1977, Br. Nazareno was transferred to the friary in Sorso. However, due to family circumstances, he had to leave his brother’s house; consequently, his sister Emanuela suggested that he build a small house on the farm located in the area known as “Sa Guardia de su Preidi,” a short distance from the junction for Is Molas and about two kilometers from his hometown of Pula. Construction began in 1982 and lasted about a year; once completed, Br. Nazareno was able to move into the new house, where he continued to receive the faithful. From 1988 onward, his official residence returned to the friary in Cagliari.
In early 1990, his physical condition deteriorated significantly; in particular, the stomach problems that, as noted, had afflicted him since his youth prevented him almost entirely from eating. Tests were therefore conducted, which revealed the presence of stomach cancer. In August, he also fractured his femur, requiring surgery, followed by another operation in November. By then, his condition was critical; despite this, during the periods when he was discharged from the hospital, Br. Nazareno continued to receive the faithful who flocked to him. In the winter of 1992, his condition took a final turn for the worse; after another hospitalization, he passed away on February 29, 1992. The funeral was held on March 2, presided over by Monsignor Ottorino Pietro Alberti, Bishop of Cagliari, and marked by an impressive turnout of the faithful.