Luigi Bilio
Encyclopedia
Luigi Maria Bilio B
(25 March 1826 – 30 January 1884) was a Cardinal
of the Roman Catholic Church
who among other things was Secretary of the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office
.
Luigi Maria Bilio was born in Alessandria
, Piedmont
, Italy
. He joined the Congregation of the Clerics Regular of Saint Paul (Barnabites
) when he was fourteen years old and professed in Genoa
in 1842.
He was ordained in 1849 in Vercelli
. After his ordination he served as a Professor
of Greek
and philosophy
at Collegio Ducale, Parma
; and in Naples
. He was Professor of philosophy
, theology
and canon law
in Rome
. He was elected assistant general of his order. He worked as a consultor of the Congregation of the Inquisition
from 1864 and for the Congregation of the Index from 1865. He had an important role in the preparation of the Syllabus of Errors
and of the encyclical
Quanta Cura
of Pope Pius IX
.
by Pope Pius
in the consistory of 22 June 1866. He participated in the First Vatican Council
from 1869 until 1870.
.
He was nominated for the papacy during the conclave of 1878
but only received a handful of votes. The conclave elected Cardinal Gioachino Pecci who took the papal throne as Pope Leo XIII
. He served as Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Rites from 20 December 1876 and was appointed as Prefect of the Congregation of Indulgences and Relics by Pope Leo in 1878. Pope Leo also appointed him to serve as Major Penitentiary
on 18 October 1877, a position he held until his death. He also served as Secretary of the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office
from January 1883 until his death one year later.
He died in January 1884, his body lay in state in the church of
Santi Biagio e Carlo ai Catinari, Rome and was buried in the tomb of his order in Campo Verano cemetery.
Barnabites
The Barnabites, or Clerics Regular of Saint Paul is a Roman Catholic order.-Establishment of the Order :It was founded in 1530 by three Italian noblemen: St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria The Barnabites, or Clerics Regular of Saint Paul (Latin: Clerici Regulares Sancti Pauli, abbr. B.) is a Roman Catholic...
(25 March 1826 – 30 January 1884) was a 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...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
who among other things was Secretary of the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , previously known as the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition , and after 1904 called the Supreme...
.
Luigi Maria Bilio was born in Alessandria
Alessandria
-Monuments:* The Citadel * The church of Santa Maria di Castello * The church of Santa Maria del Carmine * Palazzo Ghilini * Università del Piemonte Orientale-Museums:* The Marengo Battle Museum...
, Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. He joined the Congregation of the Clerics Regular of Saint Paul (Barnabites
Barnabites
The Barnabites, or Clerics Regular of Saint Paul is a Roman Catholic order.-Establishment of the Order :It was founded in 1530 by three Italian noblemen: St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria The Barnabites, or Clerics Regular of Saint Paul (Latin: Clerici Regulares Sancti Pauli, abbr. B.) is a Roman Catholic...
) when he was fourteen years old and professed in Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
in 1842.
He was ordained in 1849 in Vercelli
Vercelli
Vercelli is a city and comune of about 47,000 inhabitants in the Province of Vercelli, Piedmont, northern Italy. One of the oldest urban sites in northern Italy, it was founded, according to most historians, around the year 600 BC.The city is situated on the river Sesia in the plain of the river...
. After his ordination he served as a Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
and philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at Collegio Ducale, Parma
Parma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
; and in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
. He was Professor of philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and 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...
in 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...
. He was elected assistant general of his order. He worked as a consultor of the Congregation of the Inquisition
Inquisition
The Inquisition, Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis , was the "fight against heretics" by several institutions within the justice-system of the Roman Catholic Church. It started in the 12th century, with the introduction of torture in the persecution of heresy...
from 1864 and for the Congregation of the Index from 1865. He had an important role in the preparation of the Syllabus of Errors
Syllabus of Errors
The Syllabus of Errors was a document issued by Holy See under Pope Pius IX on December 8, 1864, Feast of the Immaculate Conception, on the same day as the Pope's encyclical Quanta Cura.- Format :...
and of the encyclical
Encyclical
An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Catholic Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop...
Quanta Cura
Quanta Cura
There is also an earlier encyclical of the same title, issued in 1741 by Pope Benedict XIV, forbidding traffic in alms. -Historical context:The encyclical was prompted by the September Convention of 1864, an agreement between the Kingdom of Italy and the Second French Empire of Napoleon III,...
of Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX
Blessed Pope Pius IX , born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was the longest-reigning elected Pope in the history of the Catholic Church, serving from 16 June 1846 until his death, a period of nearly 32 years. During his pontificate, he convened the First Vatican Council in 1869, which decreed papal...
.
Cardinalate
He was created Cardinal-Priest of San Lorenzo in PanispernaSan Lorenzo in Panisperna
San Lorenzo in Panisperna, or San Lorenzo in Formoso, is a church on Via Panisperna, Rome, central Italy. It was built on the site of its dedicatee's martyrdom.-Name:...
by Pope Pius
in the consistory of 22 June 1866. He participated in the First Vatican Council
First Vatican Council
The First Vatican Council was convoked by Pope Pius IX on 29 June 1868, after a period of planning and preparation that began on 6 December 1864. This twentieth ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church, held three centuries after the Council of Trent, opened on 8 December 1869 and adjourned...
from 1869 until 1870.
Episcopate
He opted for the order of bishops and the suburbicarian see of Sabina on 22 December 1873. He was consecrated on 12 January of the following year by Pope Pius IXPope Pius IX
Blessed Pope Pius IX , born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was the longest-reigning elected Pope in the history of the Catholic Church, serving from 16 June 1846 until his death, a period of nearly 32 years. During his pontificate, he convened the First Vatican Council in 1869, which decreed papal...
.
He was nominated for the papacy during the conclave of 1878
Papal conclave, 1878
The Papal conclave of 1878 resulted from the death of Pope Pius IX in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican on 7 February 1878. The conclave occurred in circumstances different from those of any previous conclave.-Unique circumstances:...
but only received a handful of votes. The conclave elected Cardinal Gioachino Pecci who took the papal throne as Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
. He served as Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Rites from 20 December 1876 and was appointed as Prefect of the Congregation of Indulgences and Relics by Pope Leo in 1878. Pope Leo also appointed him to serve as Major Penitentiary
Apostolic Penitentiary
The Apostolic Penitentiary, formerly called the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Penitentiary, is one of the three tribunals of the Roman Curia. The Apostolic Penitentiary is chiefly a tribunal of mercy, responsible for issues relating to the forgiveness of sins in the Catholic Church.The...
on 18 October 1877, a position he held until his death. He also served as Secretary of the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , previously known as the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition , and after 1904 called the Supreme...
from January 1883 until his death one year later.
He died in January 1884, his body lay in state in the church of
Santi Biagio e Carlo ai Catinari, Rome and was buried in the tomb of his order in Campo Verano cemetery.