Celestino Sfondrati
Encyclopedia
Celestino Sfondrati was an Italian Benedictine
theologian, Prince-abbot of St. Gall and Cardinal
.
. At the age of twelve he was placed in the school at Rorschach, on the Bodensee, which was conducted by the Benedictines of St Gall, and on 26 April 1660, he took the Benedictine habit at St. Gall. When twenty-two years old he already taught philosophy and theology at Kempten
, and, after his elevation to the priesthood (26 April 1668), he became professor and master of novices at his monastery.
From 1679 to 1682 he taught canon law
at the Benedictine University of Salzburg. In 1682 he returned to St. Gall to take charge of a small country church near Rorschach for a short time, whereupon Abbot Gallus appointed him his vicar-general.
In 1686 Pope Innocent XI
created him Bishop of Novara, a dignity which he accepted only with reluctance. He was, however, prevented form taking possession of his see by being elected Prince-abbot of St. Gall on 17 April 1687.
His learning and piety, as well as his literary works in defense of the papal authority against the principles of Gallicanism
, induced Pope Innocent XII to create him cardinal-priest on 12 December 1695, with the titular church of St. Caecilia in Trastevere. But he had scarcely reached Rome when his health began to fail. He died at Rome
, nine months after receiving the purple and was buried in his titular church.
, were members.
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
theologian, Prince-abbot of St. Gall and Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
.
Life
Sfondrati was born at MilanMilan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
. At the age of twelve he was placed in the school at Rorschach, on the Bodensee, which was conducted by the Benedictines of St Gall, and on 26 April 1660, he took the Benedictine habit at St. Gall. When twenty-two years old he already taught philosophy and theology at Kempten
Kempten
Kempten can refer to:* Kempten im Allgäu, a town in Bavaria, Germany* Kempten ZH, a district of the town of Wetzikon in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland* Kempton Park, Gauteng, a city in South Africa which was named after Kempten in Bavaria...
, and, after his elevation to the priesthood (26 April 1668), he became professor and master of novices at his monastery.
From 1679 to 1682 he taught canon law
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
at the Benedictine University of Salzburg. In 1682 he returned to St. Gall to take charge of a small country church near Rorschach for a short time, whereupon Abbot Gallus appointed him his vicar-general.
In 1686 Pope Innocent XI
Pope Innocent XI
Blessed Pope Innocent XI , born Benedetto Odescalchi, was Pope from 1676 to 1689.-Early life:Benedetto Odescalchi was born at Como in 1611 , the son of a Como nobleman, Livio Odescalchi, and Paola Castelli Giovanelli from Gandino...
created him Bishop of Novara, a dignity which he accepted only with reluctance. He was, however, prevented form taking possession of his see by being elected Prince-abbot of St. Gall on 17 April 1687.
His learning and piety, as well as his literary works in defense of the papal authority against the principles of Gallicanism
Gallicanism
Gallicanism is the belief that popular civil authority—often represented by the monarchs' authority or the State's authority—over the Catholic Church is comparable to that of the Pope's...
, induced Pope Innocent XII to create him cardinal-priest on 12 December 1695, with the titular church of St. Caecilia in Trastevere. But he had scarcely reached Rome when his health began to fail. He died at Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, nine months after receiving the purple and was buried in his titular church.
Works
His chief works are:- "Cursus theologicus in gratiam et utilitatem Fratrum Religiosorum" (10 vols., St. Gall, 1670), published anonymously;
- "Disputatio juridica de lege in praesumptione fundata" (Salzburg, 1681; 2nd ed., Salem, 1718), a moral treatise against ProbabilismProbabilismIn theology and philosophy, probabilism refers to an ancient Greek doctrine of academic skepticism. It holds that in the absence of certainty, probability is the best criterion...
; - "Regale sacerdotium Romano Pontifici assertum" (St. Gall, 1684; 1693; 1749), published under the pseudonym of Eugenius Lombardus, a defence of the papal authority and privileges against the Four Articles of the Declaration of the French Clergy (1682);
- "Cursus philosophicus monasterii S. Galli" (3vols., St. Gall, 1686; 1695);
- "Gallia vindicate" (2 vols., St. Gall, 1688; 1702), another treatise against Gallicanism, in particular against Maimbourg;
- "Legatio Marchionis Lavardini ejusque cum Innocentio XI dissidium" (1688), a short treatise concerning the right of asylum (les franchises) of the French ambassadors at Rome;
- "Nepotismus theologice expensus" (St. Gall, 1692);
- "Innocentia vindicata" (St. Gall, 1695; Graz, 1708), an attempt to prove that Thomas AquinasThomas AquinasThomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
held the doctrine of the Immaculate ConceptionImmaculate ConceptionThe Immaculate Conception of Mary is a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church, according to which the Virgin Mary was conceived without any stain of original sin. It is one of the four dogmata in Roman Catholic Mariology...
; - "Nodus praedestinationis ex sac. litteris doctrinaque SS. Augustini et Thomae, quantum homini licet, dissolutus" (Rome,. 1697; Cologne, 1705), a posthumous work against the Jansenists, in which the author expounds the question of grace and predestination in the sense of MolinaMolinaMolina is a Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian surname. It can possibly refer to:-A:*Alfonso Quiñónez Molina , President of El Salvador twice 1918–1927*Alfred Molina , English actor...
and the Jesuits. It called forth numerous rejoinders but found also many defenders (see Dunand in "Revue du Clergé Français", III (Paris, 1895), 316-26).
Family
He belonged to the noble Milanese family of the Sfondrati, of which Cardinals Francesco Sfondrati and Paolo Sfondrati, and Pope Gregory XIVPope Gregory XIV
Pope Gregory XIV , born Niccolò Sfondrati, was Pope from 5 December 1590 until his death in 1591.- Early career :...
, were members.