GATTI, VINCENZO. - Dominican apologist and theologian, born at Riva Ligure on 15 March 1811, died there on 8 Nov. 1882. A religious at S. Sabina (Rome), in 1838 he was promoted to lecturer at the Collegio di S. Tommaso de Urbe (Rome). He taught at Viterbo and at Lucca in the convent of S. Romano, of which he was also prior twice. At Lucca he also taught in the Archiepiscopal Seminary. From 1857 he held honorary offices in Rome: associate of the master general of the Order, V. Jandel; in 1859 second librarian of the Casanatense; and from 1866 its prefect. In 1870 he became secretary of the S. Congregazione dell'Indice, and in 1872 was promoted master of the Apostolic Palace. He held this important office for ten years. He took part in various Roman congregations.
In 1854 he published at Lucca a book in which he attacked resurgent Protestantism: Principio protestante e principio cattolico, 2 vols. More important were his Institutiones apologetico-polonicae de veritate ac divinitate Religiosis et Ecclesiae catholicae, 3 vols., Rome, 1866–67. In the first book he deals with the foundations of both natural and revealed religion; in the second, with natural and supernatural religion; in the third, with the divinity of religion and of the Catholic Church. The work displays great learning and sound Thomistic doctrine. In 1848 he also wrote on the independence of Italy.