Gaetano Bedini (15 May 1806 – 6 September 1864) was an Italian ecclesiastic, cardinal, and diplomat of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Biography

Bedini was born in

Senigallia Senigallia (or Sinigaglia in Old Italian, Romagnol: ''S’nigaja'') is a ''comune'' and port town on Italy's Adriatic coast. It is situated in the province of Ancona in the Marche region and lies approximately 30 kilometers north-west of the pro ...

into the Bedini family of Ostra, the son of Alessandro Pellegrino and Marianna Spadoni. The youngest of 7 sons, Bedini was intended by his father to be a priest. He entered the seminary at Senigallia and was ordained a

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 ...

priest on 20 December 1828 by Cardinal

Fabrizio Sceberras Testaferrata Fabrizio Sceberras Testaferrata (1 April 1757 - 3 August 1843) was a native of Malta and a bishop and cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was Bishop of Senigallia from 1818 until his death in 1843. Biography Testaferrata was born to a noble famil ...

. In the following years he became canon of the cathedral of Senigallia (1829–1838). Thanks to influential friends, including Giovanni Mastai Ferretti (the future Pope Pius IX, also native of Senigallia), he dedicated himself to politics. He was secretary of

Lodovico Altieri Lodovico Altieri (17 July 1805 – 11 August 1867) was an Italian Roman Catholic cardinal. He served in various capacities under various popes and belonged to a noble Roman house making him a descendant of Pope Clement X. The sainthood proces ...

, archbishop of Ephesus and nuncio in

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 ...

from 1838 to 1845. When Lodovico Altieri was named cardinal, Bedini gained exposure to the diplomatic atmosphere, and he was subsequently called to Rome as Papal Chamberlain of Gregorius XVI and the Protonotary apostolic.

Apostolic nunziatura in Brazil

The first important assignment received by Bedini was that of

Internuncio 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 o ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, from 28 October 1845 to 16 August 1847. He worked for the improvement of the living conditions of German immigrants and supported Catholicism against the Protestant proselytism. His work led the Chamber of Deputies of

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

to improve the living conditions of the German immigrants. Cardinal Bedini2

Contacts with Garibaldi

Giuseppe Garibaldi, who was also living in South America at the time, wrote a famous letter to Bedini in 1847 in which he declared "to offer to Pius IX its sword and the Italian legion for the native land and the church", remembered "the garnishments of our August religion, always new and always immortal" and reminded that "the throne of

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

rests over such foundations that need no aid because the human forces cannot shake them". Bedini replied thanking him, but the offer to Rome of the Roman legion was never received.

Roman Republic and legation in Bologna

Returning to Rome in March 1848, Bedini replaced the Cardinal Secretary of State

Giacomo Antonelli Giacomo Antonelli (2 April 1806 – 6 November 1876) was an Italian cardinal deacon. He was the Cardinal Secretary of State from 1848 until his death; he played a key role in Italian politics, resisting the unification of Italy and affectin ...

, from 10 March 1848 until November 1848 following Pius IX when he was forced into exile in Gaeta, by the Roman Republic (1849) revolution in Rome. Once the Pope had recovered his temporal power, Bedini continued his job of Papal Nuncio and commissioner in the Legations and ambassador to

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...

from 1849 to 1852. Just at the beginning of that period,

Ugo Bassi Ugo Bassi (12 August 1800 – 8 August 1849) was a Roman Catholic priest and Italian nationalist. Bassi was born at Cento, Emilia-Romagna, and received his early education at University of Bologna. An unhappy love affair induced him to becom ...

was captured at

Comacchio Comacchio (; egl, label= Comacchiese, Cmâc' ) is a town and ''comune'' of Emilia Romagna, Italy, in the province of Ferrara, from the provincial capital Ferrara. It was founded about two thousand years ago; across its history it was first gover ...

and executed on 8 August 1849 in Bologna by the Austrians. Many patriots accused Bedini of non-intervention in order to save himself. In his position at Bologna, however, he restored the Palace of Accursio with the restyling of ''Sala Urbana'' and the construction of the ''Aula Piana'', he adopted provisions for the unemployed, favoured commerce with the construction of new roads, promoted agriculture, and restored important artistic monuments like the Villa San Michele in Foresta. Foto Cardinal Bedini1853

Apostolic Nunciatura in USA

On 15 March 1852 he was named titular Archbishop of Thebes, and, three days after,

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 ...

. Once he received the archiepiscopal order on 4 July 1852 from cardinal

Luigi Lambruschini Luigi Lambruschini (6 March 1776 – 12 May 1854) was an Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church in the mid nineteenth century. He was a member of the Clerics Regular of St. Paul and served in the diplomatic corps of the Holy See. Biograph ...

, he decided to leave for Brazil, but he could not enter the country because of a plague epidemic, so he went to the United States. He was the first Papal Nuncio in the United States. He arrived in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

on 30 June 1853. He became the target of attacks by non-Catholics because of his role in overthrowing the Anti-Papal

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 ...

in 1849, and his visit triggered the

Cincinnati Riot of 1853 The Cincinnati riot of 1853 was triggered by the visit of then-Archbishop (later, Cardinal) Gaetano Bedini, the emissary of Pope Pius IX, to Cincinnati, Ohio, on 21 December 1853. The German Liberal population of the city, many of whom had come ...

in which several hundred men marched in protest against his visit. While travelling, Bedini met the president of the United States, Franklin Pierce, to whom he delivered a letter from the Pope, and the American Secretary of State, William L. Marcy. He ordained some new bishops, amongst whom were

James Roosevelt Bayley James Roosevelt Bayley (August 23, 1814 – October 3, 1877) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the first Bishop of Newark (1853–1872) and the eighth Archbishop of Baltimore (1872–1877). Early life and educa ...

, Bishop of the Diocese of Newark, John Loughlin, bishop of the

Diocese of Brooklyn The Diocese of Brooklyn is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the U.S. state of New York. It is headquartered in Brooklyn and its territory encompasses the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. ...

, and

Louis De Goesbriand Louis Joseph Marie Théodore de Goesbriand (August 4, 1816 – November 3, 1899) was a French-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of the Diocese of Burlington in Vermont from 1853 until his death in 1899. ...

, bishop of the

Diocese of Burlington The Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington ( la, Dioecesis Burlingtonensis) is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States, comprising the entire state of Vermont. The Diocese of Burlington was canonically e ...

. After visiting New York,

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, and

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, he returned to Rome from

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

in January 1854.

Job in Curia

After returning to Italy he worked more intensely in the Roman Curia. On 20 June 1856 he was named General Secretary of the Sacred Congregation for the Propaganda of the Faith. He also initiated some plans such as the constitution of the North American College to Rome that with his aid had bought a building on Humility Street on 22 September 1858. After having resolved all the bureaucratic problems this institute was inaugurated on 8 December 1859. Chiesa Bedini

Cardinal of Viterbo

In March 1861, Bedini was named Bishop of Viterbo and Tuscanella (today's

Tuscania Tuscania is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Viterbo, Lazio Region, Italy. Until the late 19th century the town was known as Toscanella. History Antiquity According to the legend, Tuscania was founded by Aeneas' son, Ascanius, whe ...

). He entered the city 8 May 1861 from the Porta Romana, met by the Community and the Clergy, and went to the cathedral through the illuminated streets. He opened the pastoral visit by going to several of the counties of the diocese and taking care of the sacred places, the monasteries, and especially of the

Seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

, where his generosity left considerable debts on his death; in the seminary he improved the instruction (calling Pietro Artemi from

Bagnoregio Bagnoregio is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Viterbo in the Italian region of Lazio, located about northwest of Rome and about north of Viterbo. History The current main town was in ancient times a suburb of the hill town in ...

for the rhetorical school), arranged the cleaning of the premises and enlarged the building with the purchase of the Cristofari palace. 27 September 1861 he was created Cardinal of the Order of the Priests with Santa Maria sopra Minerva as his titular church.

Death

Cardinal Bedini died on the morning of 6 September 1864 at 59 years old, probably of an apoplectic stroke. The people of the city of

Viterbo Viterbo (; Viterbese: ; lat-med, Viterbium) is a city and ''comune'' in the Lazio region of central Italy, the capital of the province of Viterbo. It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in its early history ...

grieved immensely at the unexpected news. The theatre was closed in sign of mourning, although there were many people in the city. He was buried in the Cathedral of the city, in a beautiful monument in marble, near his predecessor as bishop, Saint Matteo Gonella. In the

Luigi Magni Luigi Magni (21 March 1928 – 27 October 2013) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. Life and career Born in Rome, Magni started his career as a screenwriter, in 1956, with '' Tempo di villeggiatura''. In 1968 he collaborated w ...

's film

In the Name of the Sovereign People ''In the Name of the Sovereign People'' ( it, In nome del popolo sovrano) is a 1990 Italian historical comedy-drama film written and directed by Luigi Magni. It won the David di Donatello for best costumes. Plot Rome, Papal States, 1849. P ...

(1990), Bedini is played by

Luigi De Filippo Luigi De Filippo (10 August 1930 – 31 March 2018) was an Italian actor, stage director and playwright. Born in Naples, the son of actors Peppino De Filippo and Adele Carloni, he studied literature at the university, leaving the studies on the ...

References

* Artemi, Pietro - Elogio funebre del cardinale Gaetano Bedini Arciv. Vescovo di Viterbo e Toscanella letto de' solenni funerali degli 8 settembri 1864 nella chiesa cattedrale viterbese / - Viterbo - 1864 * Bedini, Gaetano - Agli alunni del Pontificio Collegio Urbano in propaganda : parole dette da Monsig. Gaetano Bedini nella solenne messa pontificale per l'Epifania del 1861 - Roma - 1861 * Bedini, Gaetano - '' 14 you open them 1850. State of the Church, Papal Government. We Gaetano Bedini, Patrizio Sinigalliese… Extraordinary Papal Commissioner of S.S. Pope Pio IX and For-Legacy of Bologna. People of the Legations. … Today he is given us of being able to you to announce that Devout immortale already IX is found in its Rome and with It shines of new in the Vatican the twofold Maestà of the Pontefice and the Monarch… '' - Bologna, Governmental Printing office to the Vixen. Millimeter 781x530. * '' Biographical Dictionary of the Italians '' - pp. 520–522 * *Connelly, James F. - The visit of archbishop Gaetano Bedini to the United States of America (June, 1853 - February, 1854) / James F. Connelly - Roma - 1960 * Sanfilippo, Matteo - '' Monsignor Gaetano Bedini and the emigration towards the Americas '' in '' Studies Emigration '' - 106 (1992) - pp. 277–286 53. * Polverari, Alberto - '' Cronotassi of the bishops of Senigallia '' - p. 142 * Mencucci, Mons. Angel - '' Senigallia and its Diocese '' - and Fortune - pp. 139–147 * Mounts Guarnieri, Giovanni - '' Annals of Senigallia '' - tip. Situated - Ancona - p. 315-316 377 *

Vatican Secret Archives The Vatican Apostolic Archive ( la, Archivum Apostolicum Vaticanum; it, Archivio Apostolico Vaticano), formerly known as the Vatican Secret Archive, is the central repository in the Vatican City of all acts promulgated by the Holy See. The Pont ...

, '' Sacrae Visitationes '' - "Visit Gaetano Bedini, 1861" - vol. I-VI

External links

catholic-hierarchy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bedini, Gaetano 1806 births 1864 deaths People from Senigallia 19th-century Italian cardinals Cardinals created by Pope Pius IX 19th-century Italian Roman Catholic archbishops Apostolic pronotaries Apostolic Nuncios to the United States Apostolic Nuncios to Brazil Latin archbishops of Thebes