Agostino Oreggi was born in 1577 in the little town of
Santa Sofia, in the
Grand Duchy of Tuscany near the borders with
Romagna. His parents were from
Bironico in the
canton of
Ticino in
Switzerland. He moved to Rome in 1594 for studying. With the support of Cardinal
Roberto Bellarmino he graduated in
philosophy and
theology in the
Collegio Romano held by the
Jesuits, and he earned also a
doctorate in utroque iure. He became the "personal theologian" of Card Bellarmino. In 1605, already a
priest, Oreggi moved to
Faenza where he taught and entered in contact with
Maffeo Barberini,
Cardinal legate of the near
Bologna from 1611 to 1614. He remained in service of Maffeo Barberini as his almoner and theologian. A turning point in the life of Agostino Oreggi was the elevation of Maffeo Barberini to the papacy as
Pope Urban VIII in August 1623. In January 1624 he became Consultor (judge) of the
Holy Office and member of the
Congregation of the Council. He worked with his colleagues of
Congregation of Propaganda Fide in publishing a rebuttal of
Islamic doctrine in 1625 and in 1630 to permit the
Jesuits to evangelize Japan. In 1633 he was part of a committee that studied a reshape of the
dioceses in Irland, due to the persecutions suffered by the Catholics there. Oreggi, together with
Melchior Inchofer and Zaccaria Pasqualigo, studied the
Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems of
Galileo Galilei, and certified that, with the publishing of such book, Galileo did violate the order received in 1616 not to hold, teach, or defend that the sun stands still at the center of the world and the earth moves. Oreggi was created
cardinal priest with the title of
S. Sisto in the consistory of 28 November 1633, and on the same day he was appointed
Archbishop of Benevento. He died in
Benevento on 12 July 1635 and was buried in that
cathedral. ==Works==