Pietro Rota (30 January 1805 – 3 February 1890) was an Italian priest who became

Bishop of Mantua The Diocese of Mantua ( la, Dioecesis Mantuana) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Italy. The diocese existed at the beginning of the 8th century, though the earliest attested bishop is Laiulfus (827). ...

, based in the city of

Mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard language, Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture ...

, Northern Italy. He was given the mandate of restoring the diocese to obedience to the Pope after succeeding a popular liberal bishop who had supported Italian unification and the surrender of the Pope's temporal powers. He was harassed by the civil authorities, and was not allowed to take his seat.

Early years

Pietro Rota was born in

Correggio, Emilia-Romagna Correggio ( Reggiano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Reggio Emilia, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, in the Po valley. As of 31 December 2016 Correggio had an estimated population of 25,694. Its patron saint is Quirinus of Si ...

, on 30 January 1805. He was appointed Bishop of

Guastalla Guastalla ( Guastallese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Reggio Emilia in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Geography Guastalla is situated in the Po Valley, and lies on the banks of the Po River. Guastalla is located at around from the citie ...

on 23 March 1855, and was ordained two days later. On 27 October 1871 he was appointed Bishop of Mantova.

Bishop of Mantua

Rota succeeded Bishop

Giovanni Corti Giovanni Corti (14 April 1797 - 12 December 1868) was an Italian priest who became Bishop of Mantua. He supported the cause of Italian reunification at a time when his diocese was under Austrian rule, although he defended the temporal powers of the ...

in Mantua, a liberal who had strongly supported the unification of Italy and hoped that the Pope would voluntarily give up his temporal powers. Corti had died three years earlier, and it had been difficult to find a successor. Rota had the mandate of restoring the diocese to order and orthodoxy, and used strong language – so strong that the civil authorities jailed him for six days and imposed a fine. Pietro Rota was not granted the

exequatur An exequatur (Latin, literally "let it execute") is a legal document issued by a sovereign authority that permits the exercise or enforcement of a right within the jurisdiction of the authority. International relations An exequatur is a patent w ...

from the civil authorities, and therefore was not allowed to reside in the bishop's palace. The authorities closed the seminary in Mantua. Rota founded the periodical ''Il Vessillo Cattolico (The Catholic Banner)'', which was published from 1872 to 1876. He undertook a pastoral visit.

Later years

Pietro Rota retired on 3 May 1879. On 12 May 1879 he was appointed titular Archbishop of Cartagine, and on 4 November 1884 he was appointed titular

Archbishop of Thebae The Latin Archbishopric of Thebes is the see of Thebes in the period in which its incumbents belonged to the Latin or Western Church. This period began in 1204 with the installation in the see of a Catholic archbishop following the Fourth Crusade, ...

. He died in Rome on 3 February 1890. His name was later submitted for consideration as a saint on the basis of heroic virtues. The informative process opened on 8 May 1943.

References

Citations Sources * * * * * Further reading * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rota, Pietro 1805 births 1890 deaths Bishops of Mantua Latin archbishops of Thebes