Adelaide Lovatti
(1826 - 1901)
daughter of Matteo Lovatti (1770-1849)
In 1852 she married Luigi Laurenti (1827-1901) and gave birth to their son Camillo Laurenti on November 20, 1861, in Monte Porzio Catone (Rome). He was ordained a priest on June 7, 1884. On August 12, 1911, at the age of 50, Camillo Laurenti was appointed secretary of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith; on June 21, 1921, he was appointed cardinal by Pope Benedict XV, titular of the Church of Santa Maria della Scala in Trastevere, Rome. He served as Prefect of the Congregation of Rites until his death on September 6, 1938. He is buried in the Verano Cemetery.
In the
1922 conclave, from February 2 to 6, which featured 14 ballots due to the
rivalry between Spanish Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val (Secretary of
State under Pius X and de facto co-author of the encyclical Pascendi
Gregis) and Cardinal Pietro Gasparri of the Marche region (Secretary
of State under Benedict XV), a group of cardinals proposed Laurenti as a
possible mediator. As reported in the diary of Cardinal Friedrich Gustav
Piffl, Laurenti received votes in all 14 ballots. According to the version
by historian P. C. Thomas (The Compact History of The Popes, St.
Paul, 1992) - very unlikely - Laurenti would have reached the required
number of votes to be elected, but "he refused to accept the honor."
historical notes about Lovatti Family
e-mail: maurilio@lovatti.eu