LOTTINI, GIOVANNI. - Dominican theologian and commissary of the Holy Office, b. at Jolo (Prato) on 22 July 1860, d. at Rome on 5 Jan. 1951.
Ordained priest (1883) and lector (1884), he began teaching philosophy and theology at the convent of Fiesole, where he was also for several years principal lector and twice prior (1892-95 and 1902-05). From 1896 he was professor of philosophy at the local diocesan seminary and, during the period 1898-1901, vicar general of his Congregation of S. Marco. From 1901 he was doctor of the S. Universitas theologica Florentina. On 7 Sept. 1905 Pius X appointed him first associate of the commissary of the Holy Office and, on 11 Sept. 1906 and 21 Aug. 1909 respectively, apostolic visitor to the Congregation of S. Marco and to the Apulian dioceses of Lecce, Molfetta, Giovinazzo, Terlizzi, and Oria. On 15 Nov. 1919 he was elected to the office of commissary of the Holy Office, which he retained until his death. A learned, simple, and pious religious.
He left sound school manuals; worthy of mention are: Introductio ad s. theologiam seu de veritate catholicae fidei (Florence 1902); Institutiones theologiae dogmaticae specialis ex Summa Theol. s. Thomae Aquin. (3 vols., ibid. 1904; 2nd ed., Rome 1908-10); Compendium philosophiae scholasticae ad mentem s. Thomae Aquin. (3 vols., 3rd ed., ibid. 1911-12); Divi Thomae Aquin. ord. praed. Summa Theologica in breviorem formam redacta (3 vols., Rome-Turin 1925-27); L'imitazione di Cristo, Italian trans. (3rd ed., Rome 1950).