Alfredo Cardinal Ottaviani

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His Eminence Alfredo Cardinal Ottaviani, PhD, STL, JCD (October 29, 1890—August 3, 1979) was an Italian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Secretary of the Holy Office in the Roman Curia from 1959 to 1966 when that dicastery was reorganized as the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, of which he was Pro-Prefect until 1968.

Ottaviani was a prominent figure in the Church during his time, and was the leading conservative voice at the Second Vatican Council.

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[edit] Biography

Ottaviani was born in Rome; his father was a baker. He studied with the Brothers of the Christian Schools in Trastevere, at the Pontifical Roman Seminary and the Pontifical Roman Athenaeum S. Apollinare, from where he received his doctorates in philosophy, theology, and canon law. He was ordained to the priesthood on March 18, 1916. On January 12, 1953, he was both appointed Pro-Secretary of the Holy Office and created Cardinal Deacon of Santa Maria in Domnica by Pope Pius XII.

On November 7, 1959, he was named the Vatican's chief doctrinal guardian as Secretary of the Holy Office. Ottaviani was appointed Titular Archbishop of Berrhoea on April 5, 1962, receiving his episcopal consecration on the following April 19 from Pope John XXIII himself, with Giuseppe Cardinal Pizzardo and Benedetto Cardinal Aloisi Masella serving as co-consecrators. He later resigned his titular see in 1963.

He was the leader of the Curial conservatives during the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) and worked with, amongst others, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, CSSp. During the last of the Council's preparatory sessions, Ottaviani engaged in a heated debated with Augustin Cardinal Bea over the subject of religious liberty[1]. Ottaviani, while opposed to granting equal rights to all religions, supported religious tolerance—permitting the practice of other faiths besides the state religion. Their confrontation became so intense that Ernesto Cardinal Ruffini had to intervene, noting his dissapointment at such a "serious discussion". Ottaviani also argued during the debates on the liturgy[2] [3] and on the sources of Divine Revelation[4], which are understood as Scriputre and Tradition in Catholic theology.

He was opposed in his movements for a rapid Council, by the intercession of the Austrian Franz Cardinal König. Interestingly, König was advised by then Fr. Joseph Ratzinger, who would later become Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and then Pope Benedict XVI.

Ottaviani was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 1963 papal conclave which selected Giovanni Battista Montini as Pope Paul VI. He was also the Protodeacon (senior Cardinal Deacon) during the conclave, and as such, he had the honor of announcing Montini's election and crowning him on June 30 with the triregnum.

Upon the changing of the name of the Holy Office to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 1965, Ottaviani was named Pro-Prefect of the congregation; the pope held the title of "Prefect" until 1968. He was raised to the rank of Cardinal Priest (with the same title) on June 26, 1967, and he resigned as Pro-Prefect on January 6, 1968.

In September 1969, together with Antonio Cardinal Bacci, he wrote a letter to Paul VI, supporting a study by a group of theologians under the direction of Archbishop Lefebvre criticizing the proposed Novus Ordo Mass, on which revision was being completed. This letter became widely known as the Ottaviani Intervention, and is often used by Traditionalist Catholics as support for their opposition to the Novus Ordo Mass.[5]

[edit] Trivia

  • Ottaviani was nearly blind throughout the entire course of the Second Vatican Council and afterwards.
  • His episcopal motto was: Semper Idem ("Always the Same"), which reflected his conservative theology.

[edit] References

  1. ^ SSPX. The Role of the Priestly Society of St. Pius X in the Heart of the Church January 1982
  2. ^ Time Magazine. The Cardinal's Setback November 23, 1962
  3. ^ EWTN. What Went Wrong With Vatican II 1998
  4. ^ Vatican II - Voice of the Church. Council Reminiscences January 22, 2007
  5. ^ The title of the study was A Short Critical Examination of the new Ordinary of the Mass (TAN Books and Publishers, Inc, 1992).


[edit] Media

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