Carlo Rezzonico (25 April 1724 – 26 January 1799) was a

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. He is sometimes referred to as ''The Younger'' to distinguish him from his uncle

Pope Clement XIII Pope Clement XIII (; ; 7 March 1693 – 2 February 1769), born Carlo della Torre di Rezzonico, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 July 1758 to his death in February 1769. He was installed on 16 July 1758. ...

who also bore the name ''Carlo Rezzonico''.

Biography

Rezzonico was born on 25 April 1724 in

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

, son of Aurelio Rezzonico, 3rd

Baron of the Holy Roman Empire (; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , ) and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and in i ...

(Venice, 12 January 1692 - 1759), and wife (1721) Anna Giustiniani (1702? - ?). His four siblings included Quintilia Rezzonico, wife in 1741 of Ludovico Widmann (1719 - 1763), with issue (including Carlo Aurelio Widmann), Cardinal Giovanni Battista Rezzonico and Abbondio Rezzonico. On 21 March 1773, he was

consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

bishop by

Gian Francesco Albani Gian Francesco Albani (26 February 1720 – 15 September 1803) was a Roman Catholic Cardinal. He was a member of the Albani family. Biography Albani was born in Rome, the son of Carlo Albani, Duke of Soriano; his grand-uncle was Pope Cleme ...

Cardinal-Bishop A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. ...

Porto e Santa Rufina Porto (), also known in English as Oporto, is the second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipalit ...

, with Giuseppe Maria Contesini,

Titular Archbishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of ''Athenae'', and Orazio Mattei,

of ''Colossae'', serving as

co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churche ...

. He served as

Vice-Chancellor of the Holy Roman Church Chancellor is an ecclesiastical title used by several quite distinct officials of some Christian churches. In some churches, the chancellor of a diocese is a lawyer who represents the church in legal matters. Catholic Church In the Catholic ...

(1758–1763),

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 regu ...

(1763–1799) and Secretary of the

Roman Inquisition The Roman Inquisition, formally , was a system of partisan tribunals developed by the Holy See of the Catholic Church, during the second half of the 16th century, responsible for prosecuting individuals accused of a wide array of crimes according ...

(1777–1799). He was also

bishop of Sabina A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

(1773–1776) and

Bishop of Porto e Santa Rufina A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

(1776–1799). As Cardinal Camerlengo he participated in the

papal conclave, 1769 The 1769 papal conclave (15 February – 19 May) was convoked after the death of Pope Clement XIII on 2 February 1769 and ended with the election of Cardinal Giovanni Ganganelli, who took the name ''Clement XIV''. Death of Pope Clement XIII C ...

and papal conclave, 1774-1775. He belonged to the ''

Zelanti In Roman Catholicism, the expression ''zelanti'' has been applied to conservative members of the clergy and their lay supporters since the thirteenth century. Its specific connotations have shifted with each reapplication of the label. The Latina ...

'' faction and defended the

Society of Jesus The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...

against the accusations that finally led to the suppression of this order.

References

Cardinal-nephews 18th-century Italian cardinals Cardinal-bishops of Porto Cardinal-bishops of Sabina Members of the Holy Office Camerlengos of the Holy Roman Church 1724 births 1799 deaths {{18C-Italy-RC-bishop-stub