Of noble birth in
Venice, Zinelli was ordained a deacon on 22 September 1827 and a priest on 26 December 1827. He became known for his high culture and rigid theological positions. In 1832, Zinelli published
Dei due metodi analitico e sintetico ("Of the two methods analytical and synthetic"). He became director of the seminary of Venice, then canon theologian of
St Mark's Basilica and vicar general of the
Patriarchate of Venice. Zinelli took part in the
First Vatican Council in Rome between 1869 and 1870, interrupted by the
Capture of Rome by the forces of
Raffaele Cadorna during the
Risorgimento. He was appointed as a member of the De Fide Commission, chaired by
Luigi Maria Cardinal Bilio, and was the author of the third chapter of
Pastor aeternus, which defines the doctrine of
papal infallibility. In April 1875, Zinelli appointed
Giuseppe Sarto (the future
Pope Pius X) as
chancellor of his diocese. In the summer of the same year he was struck down by
apoplexy and was almost unable to continue as a bishop. However, he continued in office until his death in 1879, when Giuseppe Sarto issued the following statement: The body of Zinelli was buried first in a tomb within the new church of Santa Bona di Treviso, which he had had built. In 1931, his remains were moved to the chapel of Our Lady in
Treviso Cathedral and are now with those of other bishops of Treviso in the crypt. ==Notes==