Basilio Pompilj

Basilio Pompilj (16 April 1858 – 5 May 1931) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Vicar General of Rome from 1913 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1911.

Basilio Pompilj was born in Spoleto, and studied at the Pontifical Roman Seminary before being ordained to the priesthood on 5 December 1886. He then did pastoral work in Rome from 1888 to 1904. During that time, Pompilj was made auditor of the Sacred Congregation of the Council in 1891, an official in the Apostolic Penitentiary in 1896, and prelate adjunct of the Congregation of the Council on 16 March 1898. He was raised to the rank of a protonotary apostolic on 18 December 1899, and was named Auditor of the Roman Rota on 18 July 1904. During his time at the Roman Rota, Pompilj sat at the sixth trial for the annulment of Paul Ernest Boniface and Anna Gould.

Pompilj later returned to the Congregation of the Council upon becoming its Secretary on 31 January 1908. As Secretary, he served as the second-highest official of that dicastery, successively under Cardinals Vincenzo Vannutelli and Casimiro Gennari. Before becoming a bishop, Pompilj was created Cardinal Deacon of Santa Maria in Domnica by Pope Pius X in the consistory of 27 November 1911. Pius X later named him Vicar General of Rome, and thus in charge of the pastoral of the diocese of Rome, on 7 April 1913.