Giuseppe d'Annibale

Drawn from the authors' own words; every quotation links to its place.

1815–1892

In Prümmer's Catalogue and Haringer's Index

“D'Annibale, Ios., Italian, Cardinal, bishop of Carystus (1815-1892), wrote, besides an excellent Commentary, called the Reatine Commentary, on the bull Apostolicae Sedis, a work entitled Summula theologiae moralis, which is eminent for subtlety and solidity of doctrine, 5th edition, Rome 1908, 3 volumes.” — Prümmer, Catalogue of authors

His Moral System, as Our Authors Report It

Every report quoted in the author's own words and linked to its place; point at a name to see his words. Haringer's signs give St. Alphonsus's judgment as Haringer found it in St. Alphonsus's works (his notice, Gury-Ballerini, 1884, p. XI); a sign on a writer the 1884 editor added to the list is the editor's own, and is said to be his.

Our authors disagree. Probabilist: Vermeersch. Equiprobabilist: Vermeersch, Wouters.

Probabilist
“Thus C. d'Annibale proclaims safe in conscience the use of pure probabilism”Vermeersch: he proclaims the use of pure probabilism safe in conscience	Vermeersch, Theologia moralis I, n. 357
Equiprobabilist
Counted among them by one of our authors	Vermeersch, Theologia moralis I, n. 357
“The system of Cardinal d'Annibale deserves special mention; in his Summula Theologiae moralis (I, nn. 262 and 264), relying only on the principle of possession, he gives his vote, with respect to doubt about the existence of a law, rather to Probabilism; and with respect to doubt about the cessation or fulfillment of a law, to Equiprobabilism.”Wouters: his system, on the principle of possession alone, leans to probabilism in doubt of a law and to equiprobabilism in its cessation ("Possessionism")	Wouters, Manuale I, n. 225

Where Our Authors Discuss Him

Each read in its full passage; the words quoted are the author's own. Where several authors say the same thing, one is quoted and the others follow “in nearly the same words”; point at a name to see his words.

“to speak only of the dead, Gury-Ballerini, S.J., Bishop Simar, Cardinal d'Annibale, Aertnys, C.SS.R., Cl. Marc, C.SS.R., Lehmkuhl, S.J., and Genicot, S.J., rightly excel”Among the excellent manuals and scholastic moralists of the nineteenth century	Vermeersch, Theologia moralis I, n. 21In nearly the same words: Tanquerey, Fundamental Moral Theology, n. 54; Koch-Preuss, Handbook I, history of moral theology
“For we prefer to ascribe the smallness of most works to a new beginning of life rather than”Vermeersch declines d'Annibale's view that the smallness of the nineteenth-century works showed powers failing from old age	Vermeersch, Theologia moralis I, n. 21
“IV. The system of compensation or of sufficient reason, whose origin is ascribed by C. d'Annibale to Father Potton , O. Pr., does not permit the use of the principle, A doubtful law does not oblige, simply, but only then when a cause excusing from the obligation of the law is proportioned to the gravity and probability of the law: the more probable and the graver the law is, the greater cause is required in order that you may permit the danger of material transgression; that danger is an evil which can be permitted on account of a proportionate good effect, but not otherwise.”Vermeersch reports that he ascribes the system of compensation to Potton	Vermeersch, Theologia moralis I, n. 357
“Wherefore C. d'Annibale, I, n. 263, note 10, seems to us to have better followed the mind of the Holy Doctor, where he writes that moderate probabilism, such as Suarez, Lessius, Laymann, Bonacina... de Lugo defended, whose doctrine for the Holy Doctor (§ 4, n. II) "how great it is, is perfect from every side," was never attacked by St. Alphonsus.”Vermeersch prefers his reading of St. Alphonsus: that the Saint never attacked the moderate probabilism of Suarez, Lessius, Laymann, Bonacina and de Lugo	Vermeersch, Theologia moralis I, n. 357
“Cardinal D'Annibale (Summ., I, 270) judged that the rule for the solution of doubts was to be drawn solely from possession”Marc: he drew the rule for solving doubts from possession alone, which brings him near St. Alphonsus	Marc, Institutiones I, n. 86
“Therefore, we cannot but marvel at how Cardinal d’Annibale, vol. 2, no. 533, wrote”Vermeersch marvels that he wrote that no manifest law makes usury illicit of itself	Vermeersch, Quaestiones de iustitia, n. 362
“Behold how D'Annib. himself requires certain and legitimate possession”Bucceroni argues against his rule of possession from his own words	Bucceroni, Institutiones, n. 121
“And indeed, as D'Annibale says, Summ., ed. 4, P. 1, n. 10 seqq., probabilism, namely in terms, according to the expression of St. Alphonsus, "having gone out from the borders of Spain from about the year 1610 until the year 1650, held sway over almost all the schools...”Bucceroni follows his account of probabilism’s reign over the schools, about 1610-1650	Bucceroni, Commentarii, n. 110

In the Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)

“Giuseppe d'Annibale”, vol. 1, by John Joseph A'Becket. Public domain; transcription at New Advent (which expands some of the print's abbreviations).

Cardinal, theologian, b. at Borbona in the Diocese of Rieti, 22 September, 1815; d. at the same place, 18 July, 1892. He was appointed professor in the Seminary of Rieti and later vicar-general of the diocese. He was preconized Titular Bishop of Caryste by Leo XIII, 12 Aug., 1881, was created Cardinal-Priest of Sts. Boniface and Alexis, 11 Feb., 1889, and became Prefect of the Congregation of Indulgences. His treatise on moral theology is entitled "Summula theologiae moralis," (Milan, 1881-83). Another work, a commentary on the Constitution, "Apostolicae Sedis" (Rieti, 1880), is also valuable to theologians and canonists.

Sources: HURTER, Nomenclator, III, 1448; BEUGNET, in Dict. de Theol. Cath., s.v.