Lodovico Altieri (17 July 1805 – 11 August 1867) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

cardinal. He served in various capacities under various popes and belonged to a noble Roman house making him a descendant of

Pope Clement X Pope Clement X ( la, Clemens X; it, Clemente X; 13 July 1590 – 22 July 1676), born Emilio Bonaventura Altieri, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 April 1670 to his death in July 1676. Elected pope at ag ...

. The sainthood process commenced under

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...

and the late cardinal has been titled as a Servant of God.

Life

Lodovico Altieri was born in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

in 1805 as the last of three children to Paluzzo Altieri (July 7,1760- October 1.1834) and Maria Anna von Sachsen (October 20, 1770- December 24, 1845). His two older siblings were Clemente (June.8.1795-June 21, 1873) and Augusto (1797-1860) who became a Jesuit. His father served from 1801 until his death as the commander for the Papal Noble Guard after Pope Pius VII named him to that position. His brother Clemente succeeded their father in that role. He was baptized in the parish of San Marco mere moments after his birth. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

to the priesthood in Rome on 24 March 1833. He was named after his ordination as the qualificator for the Congregation of the Inquisition while he served as the vicar for the

Santa Maria in Via Lata Santa Maria in Via Lata is a church on the Via del Corso (the ancient Via Lata), in Rome, Italy. It stands diagonal from the church of San Marcello al Corso. It is the Station days for Tuesday, the fifth week of lent. History The first Christi ...

school. During this time he also served as the aide for the

Congregation of Studies In the Roman Curia, a congregation ( lat, Sacræ Cardinalium Congregationes) is a type of department of the Curia. They are second-highest-ranking departments, ranking below the two Secretariats, and above the pontifical councils, pontifical co ...

. His rise through the ranks continued after he was appointed as the Titular Archbishop of Ephesus; he received his

episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

from the pope himself in

Saint Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a Church (building), church built in the Renaissance architecture, Renaissanc ...

. The co-consecrators were

Giovanni Soglia Ceroni Giovanni Soglia Ceroni (10 October 1779 – 12 August 1856) was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church. Biography He was ordained a priest on 1 January 1803. appointed him Titular Bishop of Ephesus on 2 October 1826 and ordained a bishop on 2 ...

and Giovanni Giacomo Sinibaldi. He was also appointed as the

apostolic nuncio An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

just after his consecration. His aide in the nunciature was the future cardinal Gaetano Bedini. It was he who encouraged Bedini to expose himself to the Church's diplomatic atmosphere. The pope created him as a cardinal but reserved him in pectore on 14 December 1840. His name was not announced until 21 April 1845 and he was made the Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria in Campitelli (the diaconate was elevated

pro hac vice In the legal field, ''pro hac vice'' () is a practice in common law jurisdictions whereby a lawyer who has not been admitted to practice in a certain jurisdiction is allowed to participate in a particular case in that jurisdiction. Although ''pro ...

to a titular rank). He participated in the conclave in 1846 that elected Pope Pius IX. In that conclave he supported the candidature of Cardinal Mastai-Ferretti which formed a knit group among cardinals such as Clarissimo Falconieri Mellini and Luigi Amat di San Filippo e Sorso. The disorder in 1848 saw Altieri flee with Pius IX to Gaeta. Pius IX held Altieri in great esteem and Altieri proved himself the center of opposition within the cardinalate to Giacomo Antonelli. Altieri was a member of the Red Triumvirate that governed Rome between 1849 and 1850 after the short-lived

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Ki ...

together with cardinals Luigi Vannicelli Casoni and Gabriele Sermattei della Genga. He was the aide for the Congregation for Memorials from 1855 to 1857 and was later appointed

Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church The Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church is an office of the papal household that administers the property and revenues of the Holy See. Formerly, his responsibilities included the fiscal administration of the Patrimony of Saint Peter. As reg ...

on 19 March 1857; the cardinal held that position until his death. He later opted for the order of

Cardinal-Bishop A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

s and assumed the

suburbicarian see The seven suburbicarian dioceses are Roman Catholic dioceses located in the vicinity of Rome, whose (titular) bishops are the (now six) ordinary members of the highest-ranking order of cardinals, the cardinal bishops (to which the cardinal-patriarch ...

of Albano on 17 December 1860. He was later appointed as the Prefect of the Congregation of the Index on 5 September 1861 and then appointed as the archpriest for the

Basilica of Saint John Lateran The Archbasilica Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist in the Lateran ( it, Arcibasilica del Santissimo Salvatore e dei Santi Giovanni Battista ed Evangelista in Laterano), also known as the Papa ...

on 8 March 1863. Altieri had little interactions with Saint Giovanni Bosco and once sent him in 1867 funds for Bosco's apostolic work in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The ...

. During the cholera epidemic that affected his suburbicarian see he assisted and tended to the ill though contracted it himself and died of it later on 11 August 1867. His funeral took place in

Santa Maria in Campitelli Santa Maria in Campitelli or Santa Maria in Portico (''Santa Maria in Portico di Campitelli'') is a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary on the narrow Piazza di Campitelli in Rione Sant'Angelo, Rome, Italy. The church is served by the Clerics Re ...

and his remains were interred in

Campo Verano The Campo Verano (Italian: ''Cimitero del Verano'') is a cemetery in Rome, Italy, founded in the early 19th century. The monumental cemetery is currently divided into sections: the Jewish cemetery, the Catholic cemetery, and the monument to the ...

before being transferred.

Beatification process

The beatification process commenced under

once the

Congregation for the Causes of Saints In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, pass ...

issued the official "

nihil obstat ''Nihil obstat'' (Latin for "nothing hinders" or "nothing stands in the way") is a declaration of no objection that warrants censoring of a book, e.g., Catholic published books, to an initiative, or an appointment. Publishing The phrase ''ni ...

" (no objections) and titled him as a Servant of God on 14 March 2009. The diocesan process of the investigation was inaugurated in Albano on 22 November 2009 and concluded its investigations later on 26 September 2015. The current postulator for this cause is Dr. Ulderico Parente.

References

External links

Hagiography Circle

{{DEFAULTSORT:Altieri, Ludovico 1805 births 1867 deaths 19th-century Italian cardinals 19th-century Italian Roman Catholic archbishops 19th-century venerated Christians Apostolic Nuncios to Austria Bishops appointed by Pope Gregory XVI Burials at Campo Verano Camerlengos of the Holy Roman Church Cardinal-bishops of Albano Cardinals created by Pope Gregory XVI Deaths from cholera Italian Servants of God Clergy from Rome

Life

Beatification process

See also

References

External links