Giuseppe II Pozzobonelli (or Puteobonellus, 1696–1783) was an Italian Cardinal and the Archbishop of Milan from 1743 to 1783.
Early life
Giuseppe Pozzobonelli was born on 11 August 1696 in Milan,[1] which at the time was part of Duchy of Milan. Pozzobonelli was the son of a noble family, and lost his mother during childhood. He was educated by the Jesuits and on 5 January 1722 he earned a doctorate in utroque iure at the University of Pavia.[2]
In July 1743, Pope Benedict XIV named him archbishop of Milan, and on 21 July 1743 he was consecrated bishop by the pope himself in San Carlo al Corso, Rome. However he could formally take possession of Milan's diocese only eleven months later, on 21 June 1744, due to the late assent from Maria Theresa of Austria.[3]
Giuseppe Pozzobonelli took very seriously his service as bishop: he made pastoral visits to almost all areas of his large diocese, he often preached and personally conferred the sacraments. He paid particular attention to the instruction and to the morality of the clergy. He celebrated a Jubilee in 1751 whose main event was the translation of the body of Saint Charles Borromeo among the streets of the town.[4] He supported the idea to place a statue of Virgin Mary atop Milan Cathedral (now known as the Madonnina), which was so erected in 1774 and became a reference point for the people of Milan.[4]
During his tenure as archbishop he kept good relations with the Habsburg authorities and he give his support to the former Jesuits after the Jesuit suppression. However starting from 1767 some contrasts arose with the Habsburgs due to some ecclesiastic reforms decided by the government.[4] Due to these rifts and to his poor health on 19 March 1769 Pozzobonelli tendered his resignation, but Pope Clement XIII refused to free him from his duties as archbishop of Milan.[3]
