PENTINI, FRANCESCO. - Cardinal, b. in Rome on 11 Dec. 1797, d. there on 17 Dec. 1869. Son of Ulisse, formerly Catherine II of Russia's representative to Pius VI, as a youth he attended during Holy Week of 1811, in the chapel of his residence, the blessings of the holy oils and the sacred Ordinations, which were not performed in the Lateran Basilica because of the sad situation of those days.

When General Miollis learned of this, he insisted that P. enter the Military College of Paris. Having managed to flee first to Switzerland, then to Sweden, he was received by King Charles XIII into the corps of his guards, with the rank of lieutenant. On the return of Pius VII to Rome he was part of the honor escort and entered the ecclesiastical career. Appointed secret participating chamberlain, he was then domestic prelate, referendary in the Supreme Tribunal of the Signature of Grace and Justice, ponens of the Good Government and of the Consulta, lieutenant in the Apostolic Chamber, prelate cleric of the Chamber, president of the Archives. In 1847, as president of Waters and Roads, he acquired no small merits with the city of Rome through his enterprise. On 14 Jan. 1848 he became vice-president of the Council of State and on the following 22 Feb., in the cabinet presided over by Cardinal Bofondi, he was minister of the Interior and encouraged Pius IX to continue along the path of the reforms undertaken. In the Soglia ministry he was replaced by Pellegrino Rossi at the dicastery of the Interior and on 16 Nov. 1848 he went in vain to the Count's residence to dissuade him from going to the tragic inaugural ceremony of the Chamber of Deputies at the Cancelleria. He then remained at Pius IX's side in the dark days that followed and carried out with serene firmness a work of moderation. On the Pope's return from Gaeta he was appointed president of the new Commission of revision, but then renounced it to retire to private life, until Pius IX, in the Consistory of 26 March 1863, rewarded his merits by creating and publishing him cardinal deacon of S. Maria in Portico.

Bibliography4 works

BIBL.: F. Fabi Montani, Dei sudiaconi e più particolarmente dei Liberiani nella Cappella Liberiana, Rome 1863, pp. 47-50; G. Spada, Storia della rivoluzione di Roma e della restaurazione del Governo pontificio, II, Florence 1868, p. 526; M. Minghetti, I miei ricordi, II, Turin 1888, p. 125; M. Pettinaro, F. P. e la Rivoluzione romana, Rome 1907.

Mario de Camillis

@incollection{ec9_pentini_francesco, author = {De, Camillis Mario}, title = {Pentini, francesco}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {IX}, pages = {1160}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1952}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/pentini-francesco} }

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Pentini, Francesco

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