Carlo Odescalchi

Servant of God Carlo Odescalchi
Archbishop of Ferrara Cardinal-Bishop of Sabina Father
Portrait in oils byAgnes Xavier Trail
See	Ferrara,thenSabina
Appointed	10 March 1823, then 15 April 1833
Other post(s)	Grand Prior of theSovereign Military Order of Malta Prefect of theCongregation of Bishops and Regulars
Orders
Ordination	31 December 1808 byMarco Agrippa Dandini
Consecration	25 May 1823 byCardinal Giulio Maria della Somaglia,CardinalGiuseppe della Porta Rodiani,andCardinal Lorenzo Girolamo Mattei
Created cardinal	10 March 1823 byPope Pius VII
Rank	Cardinal-bishop
Personal details
Born	5 March 1785 Rome,Papal States
Died	17 August 1841(1841-08-17)(aged 56) Modena(independent state)
Denomination	Catholic

Carlo Odescalchi,(5 March 1785 – 17 August 1841) was an Italian prince and priest,Archbishop of Ferrara,cardinalof theCatholic ChurchandVicar Generalof theDiocese of Rome.For years a close collaborator of popesPius VIIandGregory XVI,in 1838 he renounced his titles in order to become aJesuit.

Early life

A relative of Benedetto Odescalchi, who reigned asPope Innocent XIfrom 1676 until 1689, Carlo was born inRome,the second son of thenobleBaldassare Erba-Odescalchi, aPrince of the Holy Roman Empireand Duke ofSyrmiain theKingdom of Hungary,and his wife Valeria Caterina Giustiniani,who also belonged to a family ofnobles.

Carlo was firsteducated at homeby his father, but from 1798 to 1800 studied in a seminary in Hungary, where the family lived for a time in exile after fleeing from the invading armies of the French First ConsulNapoleon Bonaparte.He had received theclerical tonsurein 1797 and was eventuallyordainedto thepriesthoodon 31 December 1808, celebrating his firstMasson the next day, 1 January. Having completed higher studies in Italy, in 1809 he was awarded adoctoratein utroque iure(both canon and civil law). After becoming acquainted withJoseph Pignatelliand subsequent toPope Pius VII'srestoration of theSociety of Jesus,he planned on entering the Society and was given preliminary acceptance but gave up the attempt due to the resistance of his sister Vittoria, who desperately sought to live near her brother. Pius VII himself agreed with Vittoria and promised Carlo that he could enter at a more appropriate time, but after Vittoria's marriage three years later, Pius decided to keep Carlo and appointed him papal auditor.

In Papal service

Pius VII, following his release fromFrance,sent Odescalchi toOlomoucin 1815 as apapal legatetoAntonín Colloredo-Waldsee,and again in 1819 to bestow the cardinalatial redbirettaonArchduke Rudolf of Austria.From 1815 to 1820, Odescalchi served asauditorof theSacra Rota RomanaforAustria,auditor of the pope, andcanonofSt. Peter's Basilica.

On 10 March 1823, Pius VII appointed Odescalchi theArchbishop of Ferraraand also created himCardinal Priestwith the title ofSanti Apostoli.Odescalchi was consecrated abishopon the following 25 May by CardinalGiulio Maria della Somaglia,withCardinals Giuseppe della Porta RodianiandLorenzo Matteiserving as co-consecrators. He served as the papal legate for the opening of theholy doorof theLateran Basilicain the 1825Holy Year.

Odescalchi resigned as Archbishop of Ferrara on 2 July 1826. He was then named thePrefect of the Congregation of Bishops and Regularson 5 February 1828.

He was later appointed to two cardinal's posts on 15 April 1833:Cardinal Bishop of Sabina(which he resigned on 30 November 1838, along with the post of Prefect of Bishops and Regulars) and Cardinal Priest ofSan Lorenzo in Damaso(which he resigned on 19 December 1834). In 1837 he ordainedGioacchino Pecci,the future Pope Leo XIII). As a cardinal, Odescalchi participated in theconclavesof 1823, 1829, and 1830-31.

Jesuit

In 1837, Odescalchi submitted toPope Gregory XVIhis resignation from all his offices to enter theSociety of Jesus,but the Pope refused. AppointedGrand Priorof theSovereign Military Order of Maltain Rome, he again asked the Pope to accept his resignation, which Gregory did this time. After abdicating his cardinalate and episcopate in 1838, Odescalchi finally entered the Jesuit Order on 6 December and took the habit on the 8 December, professing hisvowson 2 February 1840.

For three years he was much in demand forspiritual retreatsto theclergyand rural missions in the Northern part of Italy. The correspondence that followed his death suggests that many considered him a saint.

Veneration

Odescalchi died at the age of 56, on 17 August 1841 at 10:30 a.m., in the San Bartolomeo Jesuit school inModena,then an independent state, and was buried in the adjoiningchurch of San Bartolomeo.As part of thebeatificationprocess, the canonical recognition of the body took place on 31 March 1927.

Further reading

• Antonio Angelini,Storia della vita del padre Carlo Odescalchi della Compagnia di Gesu scritta da Antonio Angelini della medesima Compagnia,Perrotti, Napoli, 1855.
• Théophile Bérengier,Vita del cardinale Carlo Odescalchi morto religioso della Compagnia di Gesù: (1785-1841),Tipografia Emiliana, Venezia, 1888.