SIMONETTA, LUDOVICO. — Cardinal, born into a noble family in Milan around 1500, died in Rome on 30 April 1568. He graduated in law. His uncle, Cardinal Giacomo, resigned in his favor the bishopric of Pesaro on 19 December 1537 (until 9 May 1561), and in that capacity he took part, from 3 May 1545 onward, in the Council of Trent. When the Council was suspended in 1549, he returned to Rome, where he was appointed referendary of the Segnatura and datary to Pius IV. On 26 February 1561 he was created cardinal and, on 10 March, legate to the Council of Trent.
When the Council was reopened on 18 January 1562, very heated disputes arose as to whether it was a new Council or a continuation of the other two phases, whether the matters to be treated should be presented only by the legates, concerning the safe-conduct to be granted to the Protestants, and concerning the right of precedence. Only S.’s skill, his influence over the Fathers, and his intransigence in implementing the papal directives managed to overcome these obstacles. As the canonist legate, he had to preside over the drafting of the reform articles, correcting the drafts submitted by the Spanish imperial legates and by part of the delegation of Cardinal Seripando. The question of residence, presented under its dual practical and theoretical aspect, arose once more and brought the proceedings to a halt. When the vote proved useless, S. sought the Pope’s advice; the latter wished to send two new legates, replacing the presiding legate, Cardinal Gonzaga. The Pope, however, withdrew his proposal following the intervention of Borromeo, and ordered S. to keep watch over the proceedings and prepare the reform canons, avoiding the thorny question of residence. When the Spanish and French ambassadors arrived in Trent, S. proved himself a highly skilled diplomat, winning their goodwill and persuading them to serve the cause of the Council effectively. But the intransigence of the French and Spanish prelates and the new, heated discussions on residence threatened to bring the Council of Trent to ruin. The discord among the legates increased the confusion, until S., though accused of excessive curialism, imposed himself upon the ecumenical assembly and, supported by the Pope, helped the Council to continue. After returning to Rome at the end of the Council, he was appointed prefect of the tribunal of the Holy Office.