ABSTRACT
Pietro Gasparri (1852–1934) was a jurist, cardinal, diplomat, and politician. He is placed by historians among the most important political personalities in the history of the Catholic Church of the last centuries. After studying theology and law, he wrote important works on canon law and was appointed apostolic delegate in Latin America. On his return to Italy, Gasparri was commissioned by Pope Pius X to carry out the codification of canon law. He is considered to be the principal architect of the project of the codification of canon law which occupied him for thirteen years and was promulgated in 1917 as the Code of Canon Law (Codex Iuris Canonici). In 1914 Pope Benedict XV appointed him as secretary of state. In this capacity Gasparri carried out a work of diplomatic intermediation and provided humanitarian aid and support to the people involved in the First World War. He also held the position of secretary of state under Pope Pius XI, and in 1929 he ended the “Roman Question” by signing the Lateran Treaty.
