Tommaso Pasquale Gizzi (1787–1849) was an Italian prelate who rose to the highest ranks of the Catholic Church during the first half of the 19th century.

Life and career

Born in Ceccano, near Frosinone, at the time part of the Papal States, he was educated at the seminary of Ferentino, receiving the

subdiaconate Subdeacon (or sub-deacon) is a minor order or ministry for men in various branches of Christianity. The subdeacon has a specific liturgical role and is placed between the acolyte (or reader) and the deacon in the order of precedence. Subdeacons in ...

in 1808 and the diaconate in 1809. He was ordained to the priesthood on 2 September 1810. After his ordination he attended the Archgynasium of Rome where he obtained a ''doctorate in utroque iuris''. From 1819 he worked as a lawyer of the Roman Rota. From 1820 to 1836 he rose through the ranks of the diplomatic service of the Papal States and from 1837 to 1839 was apostolic delegate in Ancona. In 1839 he was named by Pope Gregory XVI titular bishop of Tebe and consecrated bishop on 21 April. From 1839 to 1844 he was Apostolic Nuncio in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, and then in the Kingdom of Sardinia. During his time as apostolic nuncio he was named cardinal''

in pectore ''In pectore'' (Latin for "in the breast/heart") is a term used in the Catholic Church for an action, decision, or document which is meant to be kept secret. It is most often used when there is a papal appointment to the College of Cardinals wit ...

''. His elevation to cardinal was published during the consistory of 22 January 1844, and his descendants came to be known as Dipasquale meaning "of Pasquale". In April 1844 he was

Papal Legate 300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the pope's legate. A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title ''legatus'') is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic ...

to Forlì and its province. A papal legate in the Papal States was the civil governor of the area of the diocese. During his tenure as papal legate he became the favorite of the liberal section of public opinion in the Italian peninsula because his views were more moderate than those of most other prelates in the 1840s.Montanelli/Cervi,''Storia d'Italia 1831-1846''. Pag 106, RCS Corriere della Sera 2003 At the death of Pope Gregory XVI he joined the other cardinals in the Quirinale Palace where the conclave was scheduled. Cardinal Gizzi was a ''papabile'' and was the champion of the progressive party of the church and public opinion. He is believed to have received some preferences during the first ballot, but Cardinal Mastai Ferretti was elected. After his election Pius IX named Gizzi

Cardinal Secretary of State The Secretary of State of His Holiness (Latin: Secretarius Status Sanctitatis Suae, it, Segretario di Stato di Sua Santità), commonly known as the Cardinal Secretary of State, presides over the Holy See's Secretariat of State, which is the ...

, but he resigned from this post one year later. He died on 3 June 1849.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gizzi, Tommaso Pasquale 1757 births 1849 deaths Cardinal Secretaries of State Apostolic Nuncios to Switzerland Diplomats of the Holy See 19th-century Italian cardinals Cardinals created by Pope Gregory XVI People from the Province of Frosinone Pope Pius IX