Lodovico Altieri

Lodovico Altieri (17 July 1805 – 11 August 1867) was an Italian Roman Catholic cardinal. He served in various capacities under various popes and belonged to a noble Roman house making him a descendant of Pope Clement X.

The beatification process commenced under Pope Benedict XVI and Altieri has been titled as a Servant of God.

Life Lodovico Altieri was born in Rome in 1805 as the last of three children to Don Paluzzo, Prince Altieri, 5th Prince of Oriolo and Viano, etc (Rome, 31 July 1760 - Rome, 10 January 1834) and wife (15 October 1793) Maria Anna Violente Katharina Martha Xaveria, Countess of Lusatia (Siena, 20 October 1770 - Rome, 24 December 1845), daughter of Prince Francis Xavier of Saxony and wife Maria Chiara Spinucci. His two older siblings were Clemente, Prince Altieri, 6th Prince of Oriolo and Viano, etc (Rome, 6 August 1795 - Rome, 21 June 1873), and Augusto (9 May 1797 - 12 October 1860), who became a Jesuit. His father served from 1801 until his death as the commander for the Papal Noble Guard after Pope Pius VII named him to that position. His brother Clemente succeeded their father in that role. He was baptized in the parish of San Marco mere moments after his birth.

He was ordained to the priesthood in Rome on 24 March 1833.

He was named after his ordination as the qualificator for the Congregation of the Inquisition while he served as the vicar for the Santa Maria in Via Lata school. The disorder in 1848 saw Altieri flee with Pius IX to Gaeta. Pius IX held Altieri in great esteem and Altieri proved himself the center of opposition within the cardinalate to Giacomo Antonelli. Altieri was a member of the Red Triumvirate that governed Rome between 1849 and 1850 after the short-lived Roman Republic together with cardinals Luigi Vannicelli Casoni and Gabriele Sermattei della Genga.

He was the aide for the Congregation for Memorials from 1855 to 1857 and was later appointed Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church on 19 March 1857; the cardinal held that position until his death.

The current postulator for this cause is Ulderico Parente.