Pope Innocent IX

Innocent IX. (* July 20, 1519 in Bologna, † December 30, 1591 in Rome), real name Giovanni Antonio Facchinetti, was from 29 October 1591 to the December 30, 1591 Pope of the Catholic Church.

Life

Giovanni Antonio Facchinetti studied law in his native city of Bologna. He finished his studies in 1544 with the Dr. jur. and was secretary to Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, the future Pope Paul III.

Pope Pius IV appointed him in 1560 to the bishop of Nicastro. In this capacity he took part in the Council of Trent. Pope Pius V appointed him in 1566 to the papal nuncio in Venice.

When he resigned for health reasons from his position as bishop of Nicastro in 1575, Pope Gregory XIII appointed him. to Titularpatriarchen of Jerusalem and on December 12, 1583 for Cardinal Santi Quattro Coronati Church of the title.

For his health also loaded predecessor Pope Gregory XIV, he led some state affairs in Rome.

On October 29, 1591 the conclave elected him after only two days consultation on the new pope. He assumed his pontificate already a sick man and died two months later.

However, in these two months, he reformed the papal Secretariat of State. He divided it into three main departments: a department for Germany, one for France and Poland, and a third compartment for Italy and Spain.

Innocent IX. was regarded by his contemporaries as a puritanical and ascetic Pope, which is why the Pope name will be programmatically to interpret ( Innocentia = innocence ).

Kardinalskreierungen

Pope Innocent IX. created on 18 December 1591 Filippo Sega and Giovanni Antonio Facchinetti de Nuce the only cardinals of his pontificate.