GIOVANNI ANTONIO DELFINI. — Franciscan Conventual philosopher and theologian, born at Pomponesco (Cremona) on 26 March 1507, died at Bologna on 5 September 1561. He served as regent in various houses of study of his Order; inquisitor of Romagna (1550–59), professor of metaphysics and logic at the University of Bologna (1553–1559), and apostolic vicar general of the Order (1559–1561). He was theologian at the Council of Trent during its first and second sessions (1545–47; 1551–52), distinguishing himself in the various congregations and among the officials of the Holy See on the sacraments. For the third session (1562–63) he had prepared a pamphlet entitled De tractandis in Concilio Oecumenico (Rome 1561), but he died prematurely and was unable to see its realization.
Among his writings are remembered: De cultu Dei et Sanctorum (Bologna 1549); De potestate ecclesiastica (Venice 1549); De Ecclesia (Venice 1552); De salutari... progressu (Camerino 1553); De matrimonio et coelibatu contra horum temporum impios et haereticos homines (ibid. 1553); Didactica methodus rerum logicalium (Bologna 1554);