Ludovico SIMONETTA. — Cardinal, born into a noble family in Milan c. 1500, died in Rome on 30 April 1568. He earned a doctorate in law. Nephew of Cardinal Giacomo, he received through his uncle’s renunciation the bishopric of Pesaro on 19 December 1537 (until 9 May 1561) and as bishop participated in the Council of Trent from 3 May 1545 onward. When the council was suspended in 1549, he returned to Rome, where he was named referendary of the Apostolic Signatura and datary under Pius IV. On 26 February 1561 he was created cardinal and on 10 March legate to Trent.
When the council reopened on 18 January 1562, sharp disputes arose: whether it was a new council or a continuation of the previous sessions; whether matters should be presented only by the legates; about the safe-conduct to be granted to Protestants; and about precedence. Only Simonetta’s skill, his influence over the Fathers, and his intransigence in carrying out papal directives overcame these obstacles. As legate and canonist, he presided over the drafting of reform decrees, correcting the drafts submitted by the imperial legates from Spain and by Cardinal Seripando. The issue of residence, raised in both practical and theoretical terms, threatened to halt the proceedings. After a vote proved inconclusive, Simonetta sought the Pope’s counsel, who proposed sending two new legates to replace Cardinal Gonzaga as president. The Pope, however, withdrew the proposal at the intervention of Borromeo and instead ordered Simonetta to oversee and prepare the reform canons while avoiding the contentious residence question.
When Spanish and French ambassadors arrived in Trent, Simonetta displayed consummate diplomatic skill in winning their goodwill and persuading them to support the council’s work. Yet the intransigence of Franco-Spanish prelates and renewed fierce debates over residence threatened to scuttle the council. Discord among the legates deepened the confusion until Simonetta, though accused of excessive curialism, asserted his authority over the ecumenical assembly. With papal backing, he helped ensure the council’s continuation. After its conclusion he returned to Rome and was appointed prefect of the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition.