The youngest son of Alessandro Pellegrino Bedini and Marianna Spadoni, Father Gaetano Bedibi was ordained a Roman Catholic priest on December 20, 1828, by Cardinal Fabrizio Sceberras Testaferrata. He dedicated himself to politics, gaining exposure to the church's diplomatic atmosphere under the direction of Cardinal Lodovico Altieri. He was appointed to and served as Internuncio in Brazil from October 28, 1845 to August 16, 1847, leading the Chamber of Deputies of Rio de Janeiro to improve the living conditions of the German-Catholic immigrants. On March 15, 1852, during the papacy of Pius IX, he was named Archbishop of Thebes and, subsequently, apostolic Nuncio for Brazil in the same year. His visit to the United States, during the administration of Franklin Pierce, was not without controversy and protest from anti-papacy segments; particularly from German-Protestant citizenry in the Cincinnati Riot of 1853. With the greatest of concern for his safety, during a period of increasing anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic sentiment, he departed New York and returned to Rome in 1854. In March of 1861, Archbishop Bedini was named Bishop of Viterbo and Tuscania and, on September 27, 1861, he became Cardinal of the Order of the Priests; titular of Santa Maria sopra Minerva. RIP
The youngest son of Alessandro Pellegrino Bedini and Marianna Spadoni, Father Gaetano Bedibi was ordained a Roman Catholic priest on December 20, 1828, by Cardinal Fabrizio Sceberras Testaferrata. He dedicated himself to politics, gaining exposure to the church's diplomatic atmosphere under the direction of Cardinal Lodovico Altieri. He was appointed to and served as Internuncio in Brazil from October 28, 1845 to August 16, 1847, leading the Chamber of Deputies of Rio de Janeiro to improve the living conditions of the German-Catholic immigrants. On March 15, 1852, during the papacy of Pius IX, he was named Archbishop of Thebes and, subsequently, apostolic Nuncio for Brazil in the same year. His visit to the United States, during the administration of Franklin Pierce, was not without controversy and protest from anti-papacy segments; particularly from German-Protestant citizenry in the Cincinnati Riot of 1853. With the greatest of concern for his safety, during a period of increasing anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic sentiment, he departed New York and returned to Rome in 1854. In March of 1861, Archbishop Bedini was named Bishop of Viterbo and Tuscania and, on September 27, 1861, he became Cardinal of the Order of the Priests; titular of Santa Maria sopra Minerva. RIP
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