P. Sebastiano Casara and Mgr. Luigi Cesare Pavissich

Abstract

The life and work of Msgr. Luigi Cesare (De) Pavissich (1823-1905) are at present forgotten; nevertheless, he was an eclectic scholar, interested in many disciplines (including history and culture). He was an important school inspector during the Habsburg Empire. This paper focuses its attention on Passavich’s friendship with Fr. Sebastiano Casara (1811-98), with whom he shared a deep admiration for Rosmini and Rosmini’s doctrine. It also provides a cross section of the sharp dispute between supporters and opponents of Rosmini’s ideas in the decade 1883-93. The dispute had arisen for three main reasons: Rosmini’s heavy, sometimes abstruse language; his unusual way of thinking; last but not least, his relationships with the political debate of the time. Along with other supporters, Pavissich made Rosmini well known in eastern Italy and among Slavic populations.