June 18: Saint Gregory Barbarigo
Bishop, Reformer, Man of Charity and Dialogue
“The greatest imitator of Saint Charles [Borromeo] was Saint Gregory Barbarigo in Padua, where, thanks to his virtue, the Seminary became a monument and through three centuries it still remains in aedificationem gentium [for the edification of the nations].”
With these words, Pope John XXIII described Saint Gregory Barbarigo during the homily for his canonization, on May 26, 1960, in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran.
Born into a noble family in Venice on September 16, 1625, Gregorio Giovanni Gaspare Barbarigo lost his mother to the plague when he was only two years old. His father, a senator of the Venetian Republic, sent him in 1643 to Münster, Germany, with Ambassador Alvise Contarini to attend the negotiations of the Peace of Westphalia, which would bring an end to the Thirty Years’ War. There, he met Cardinal Fabio Chigi—later Pope Alexander VII—in what would later prove a decisive encounter in his life.
After completing his studies at the University of Padua, Gregory was ordained a priest at the age of thirty. Pope Alexander VII later called him to Rome and, during a new outbreak of the plague, entrusted him with organizing aid for the sick. Gregory fulfilled this mission with tireless dedication.
He found himself on the front lines of the relief efforts for plague victims. In a letter to his father, he did not hide his anguish: “I felt like I was dying,” he wrote honestly. Yet, overcoming his fear, he devoted himself generously and tirelessly to that difficult mission.
He worked primarily in the Trastevere district, one of the hardest-hit areas, personally visiting the sick, providing proper burial for the dead, and coordinating assistance to homes under quarantine. He paid special attention to widows and orphans, among the most vulnerable victims of the tragedy.
Until the end of the epidemic in the summer of 1657, Gregory was a tangible sign of Christian charity, bearing courageous witness to the Gospel in places marked by extreme suffering.
In 1657, he was appointed Bishop of Bergamo and seven years later, Bishop of Padua. In both roles, he drew inspiration from Saint Charles Borromeo: he sold his possessions to help the poor, personally visited parishes, cared for the sick, taught the Catechism, and prayed unceasingly.
Aware of the importance of solid clerical formation, he founded the Seminary of Padua, which, under his guidance, became one of the most prestigious in Europe thanks to its high-quality theological education deeply rooted in Church tradition. His tireless pastoral work culminated in the widespread establishment of schools for Catholic doctrine throughout the diocese.
Made a Cardinal in 1658, he became an advisor to Pope Innocent XI. A central aspect of his apostolic mission was his commitment to dialogue and the reunification with the Eastern Churches—a cause to which he dedicated much effort.
Beloved by the people and esteemed by the Popes, he died in Padua on June 18, 1697, shortly after completing one of his pastoral visits. His life remains a shining example of active pastoral care, concrete charity and openness to ecumenical dialogue.