SCAVINI, PIETRO. - Moral theologian, born at Intra on 22 Oct. 1791, died at Novara on 17 Nov. 1869. While still a young priest he was appointed vicar general of the diocese of Novara, a post he held until 1856.
In 1831 he was proposed by Carlo Alberto as bishop of Susa, but S. declined. He was a candidate in the elections of 15 Nov. 1857, but was not elected owing to the manoeuvrings of the Cavourians. A close friend of A. Rosmini (q.v.), he engaged in a controversy with him on the universality of the reflex principle Lex dubia non obligat, which Rosmini contested in several letters, one of which, addressed to Abp. Barocilli on 16 Dec. 1846, was published in the journal Pragmologia cattolica of Lucca. There followed replies and counter-replies that strayed into the historical question of the mind of St Alphonsus, with the intervention of third parties (such as Gilardi, Fedelini, Missaglia, Angeleri, Bertazzi, Pagani). The issue was in fact the interpretation of probabilism, as expounded by S. in his Theologia moralis universa (Novara 1841, with later editions, the last [16th] at Milan in 1901), a work still useful for consultation today. The pamphlets of a polemical nature: S. Alfonso presso l'ab. Rosmini (Novara 1860), Il sig. d. A. Rosmini presso s. Alfonso (ibid. 1860), are of little account.