Gasparo Contarini

Gasparo Contarini (* October 16, 1483 in Venice, † August 24, 1542 in Bologna) was a Venetian diplomat and later Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church.

Life

Gasparo Contarini came from the noble Venetian family of the Contarini. He studied for a time spent in Venice school from 1501 to 1509 at the University of Padua, the subjects Greek, mathematics, philosophy and theology. After completing his studies he returned to Venice, where he was entrusted as a member of the Grand Council with an office that was responsible for the management of public debt. 1520 was sent as a representative of Venice to the Diet of Worms. He was involved in the peace treaty of 1523 with the Emperor Charles V., whom he subsequently accompanied on his travels in the Netherlands, England and Spain.

In 1525 he returned to Venice and took over the office of the savio terraferma. 1527 he represented the Republic at the Holy League of Cognac, one directed against the supremacy aspirations of the Emperor alliance, which however fell apart in the wake of the Sacco di Roma. At the conclusion of peace between the Emperor and Venice in January 1530 in Bologna Contarini was heavily involved. After his return to Venice, he held several high offices there.

In the consistory of 21 May 1535 by Pope Paul III layman Contarini was. created cardinal and shortly thereafter became the first cardinal deacon, then raised to cardinal priest of the title Diakonia Santa Maria in Aquiro. The minor orders issued to him, Gian Carlo Carafa, later followed by the ordination. In the same year he was appointed Cardinal Priest of the titular church of Santi Vitale, Valeria, Gervasio e Protasio, a year later as bishop of the diocese of Belluno. Of particular importance was his appointment as chairman of a commission to develop proposals for internal reform of the Church. This committee were among others the Cardinals Gian Carlo Carafa, later Pope Paul IV, and Giovanni Morone, Reginald Pole, Pietro Bembo, Peter Martyr Vermigli and humanist Marcantonio Flaminio. In the document prepared by the Commission Consilium de emmendanda ecclesia of 1537 the Pope was advised not to abuse his power, and the bishops, to better monitor their dioceses and their clergy. However, the recommendations came to nothing. 1537 Cardinal Contarini was the titular church of Santa Balbina, in 1539 he moved to Sant ' Apollinare.

In 1541 he was sent at the express request of Charles V as papal legate to the Regensburg Colloquy, where he was to prepare a document on an agreement between the Protestants and the Catholics. The project turned out despite all the efforts and diplomatic skill of Contarini and Melanchthon, the representative of the Protestants, as hopeless as both parties wanted no agreement. 1542, the year of his death, he moved to the titular church of Santa Prassede.

Works

  • De magistratibus et republica Venetorum
  • De potestate Pontificis, 1529
  • Confutatio articulorum seu quaestionum Lutheran, after 1530
  • Tractatus seu Epistola de iustificatione, 1541
  • De magistratibus et republica veneta, Paris 1543
  • De sacramentis christianae legis et catholicae ecclesiae, Florence 1553
  • Opera, Paris 1571
362077
de