Pietro La Fontaine

The Servant of God Pietro La Fontaine was an Italian Roman Catholic cardinal who served as the Patriarch of Venice from 1915 until his death. He was also a member of the Roman Curia and held several other positions prior to his elevation to the cardinalate and patriarchate. La Fontaine remained a simple pastor at heart and was known for his gentleness and his welcoming nature as both a bishop and patriarch. He was supportive of some aspects of fascism but came to oppose it when he saw it was becoming a totalitarian regime. La Fontaine was viewed as "papabile" in the 1922 papal conclave that elected Pope Pius XI and was a serious contender for the papal see, having garnered a great deal of votes until Cardinal Ratti's selection on the fourteenth ballot.