Pietro La Fontaine

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.