Carlo Passaglia (2 May 1812 – 12 March 1887) was an Italian Jesuit. Life He was born at Lucca. Passaglia was soon destined for the priesthood, and was placed under the care of the Jesuits at the age of fifteen. He became successively doctor in mathematics, philosophy and theology in the university of Rome. In 1844 he was made professor in the Collegio Romano, the well known Jesuit college in Rome. In 1845 he took the vows as a member of the Jesuit order. In 1848, during the expulsion of the Jesuits from Rome which followed on the revolutionary troubles in the Italian peninsula, he paid a brief visit to England. On his return to Italy he founded, with the assistance of Father Curc and Luigi Taparelli D'Azeglio, the celebrated organ of the Jesuit order entitled La Civiltà Cattolica. In 1854 came the decision of the Roman Church on the long-debated question of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin. Into the agitation for the promulgation of this dogma Passaglia threw himself with great eagerness, and by so doing recommended himself strongly to Pope Pius IX. But his favor with the pope was of short duration. In 1859, when the war between Austria and France (the first step towards the unification of Italy) broke out, Passaglia espoused the popular side. He took refuge at Turin, and under the influence of Cavour he wrote an Epistola ad Episcopos Catholics pro causa Italica, in which, like Liverani before him, he boldly attacked the temporal power of the pope. For this he was expelled from the order of Jesuits, his book was put on the Index, and his figure struck out, by the popes order, from a picture painted to commemorate the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. A refuge from the anger of the pope was afforded him in the Casa Cavour at Turin, the house in which Cavour was born. There he labored for Italian unity with indomitable energy in the north of Italy, in conjunction with Cardinal d'Andrea in the south, and he collected the signatures of 9000 priests to an address to the pope in opposition to the temporal power, and in favor of abandoning all resistance to the union of Italy under a king of the House of Savoy. He and the 9000 priests were excommunicated on 6 October 1862. Passaglia disregarded his excommunication, and continued his