Gabriele Ferretti
Encyclopedia
Gabriele Ferretti was an Italian
Catholic Cardinal
and Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals
.
.
He was born into nobility, the son of Palatine Count Liverotto Ferretti and Flavia Sperelli. By birth he was Count of Castelferretti, Palatine count and a noble of Rieti
and Fermo
. He was also a patrician of Ancona
and San Marino
.
He was educated at the Collegio of Parma and the Collegio Tolomei in Siena
before entering the Seminary of Ancona and attending the Collegio Romano where he earned a doctorate in theology.
He was elected bishop of Rieti
in 1827. In 1833 he was promoted to the titular see of Seleucia
in Isauria
and was appointed Nuncio
in Sicily in the same year. In 1837 he was transferred to the see of Montefiascone e Corneto
and later that year was again transferred, this time to the metropolitan see of Fermo
.
) in 1838 and was revealed as a cardinal in 1839.
He resigned pastoral government of his archdiocese in 1842 and was appointed Prefect of the Sacred Consulta
of Indulgences and Relics in 1843.
Ferretti participated in the Papal Conclave of 1846
, which elected Pope Pius IX
and in the same year was appointed Legate
in the provinces of Urbino
and Pesaro
.
In the years following, he was appointed to a number of senior positions in the Catholic Church including:
.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Catholic Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
and Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals
Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals
The Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals was the treasurer of that body.He administered all property, fees, funds and revenue belonging to the College of Cardinals, celebrated the requiem Mass for a deceased cardinal and was charged with the registry of the Acta Consistoralia.It is...
.
Personal life
Ferretti was born on 31 January 1795 in AnconaAncona
Ancona is a city and a seaport in the Marche region, in central Italy, with a population of 101,909 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region....
.
He was born into nobility, the son of Palatine Count Liverotto Ferretti and Flavia Sperelli. By birth he was Count of Castelferretti, Palatine count and a noble of Rieti
Rieti
Rieti is a city and comune in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of c. 47,700. It is the capital of province of Rieti.The town centre rests on a small hilltop, commanding a wide plain at the southern edge of an ancient lake. The area is now the fertile basin of the Velino River...
and Fermo
Fermo
Fermo is a town and comune of the Marche, Italy, in the Province of Fermo.Fermo is located on a hill, the Sabulo with a fine view, on a branch from Porto San Giorgio on the Adriatic coast railway....
. He was also a patrician of Ancona
Ancona
Ancona is a city and a seaport in the Marche region, in central Italy, with a population of 101,909 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region....
and San Marino
San Marino
San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino , is a state situated on the Italian Peninsula on the eastern side of the Apennine Mountains. It is an enclave surrounded by Italy. Its size is just over with an estimated population of over 30,000. Its capital is the City of San Marino...
.
He was educated at the Collegio of Parma and the Collegio Tolomei in Siena
Siena
Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It is one of the nation's most visited tourist attractions, with over 163,000 international arrivals in 2008...
before entering the Seminary of Ancona and attending the Collegio Romano where he earned a doctorate in theology.
Ecclesiastical service
Ferretti was ordained in June 1817.He was elected bishop of Rieti
Rieti
Rieti is a city and comune in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of c. 47,700. It is the capital of province of Rieti.The town centre rests on a small hilltop, commanding a wide plain at the southern edge of an ancient lake. The area is now the fertile basin of the Velino River...
in 1827. In 1833 he was promoted to the titular see of Seleucia
Seleucia
Seleucia was the first capital of the Seleucid Empire, and one of the great cities of antiquity standing in Mesopotamia, on the Tigris River.Seleucia may refer to:...
in Isauria
Isauria
Isauria , in ancient geography, is a rugged isolated district in the interior of South Asia Minor, of very different extent at different periods, but generally covering what is now the district of Bozkır and its surroundings in the Konya province of Turkey, or the core of the Taurus Mountains. In...
and was appointed Nuncio
Nuncio
Nuncio is an ecclesiastical diplomatic title, derived from the ancient Latin word, Nuntius, meaning "envoy." This article addresses this title as well as derived similar titles, all within the structure of the Roman Catholic Church...
in Sicily in the same year. In 1837 he was transferred to the see of Montefiascone e Corneto
Diocese of Montefiascone
The diocese of Montefiascone is a Catholic ecclesiastical territory in Italy. It was created from the diocese of Bagnorea in 1396, and in 1986 was united into the diocese of Viterbo, Acquapendente, Bagnoregio, Montefiascone, Tuscania e San Martino al Monte Cimino.-History:Its first bishop was the...
and later that year was again transferred, this time to the metropolitan see of Fermo
Fermo
Fermo is a town and comune of the Marche, Italy, in the Province of Fermo.Fermo is located on a hill, the Sabulo with a fine view, on a branch from Porto San Giorgio on the Adriatic coast railway....
.
Cardinalate
Ferretti was elevated to cardinal (in pectoreIn pectore
In pectore is a term used in the Catholic Church to refer to appointments to the College of Cardinals by the Pope when the name of the newly appointed cardinal is not publicly revealed...
) in 1838 and was revealed as a cardinal in 1839.
He resigned pastoral government of his archdiocese in 1842 and was appointed Prefect of the Sacred Consulta
Roman Curia
The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Catholic Church, together with the Pope...
of Indulgences and Relics in 1843.
Ferretti participated in the Papal Conclave of 1846
Papal conclave, 1846
The death of Pope Gregory XVI on 1 June 1846 triggered the Papal conclave of 1846. Fifty of the 62 members of the College of Cardinals assembled in the Quirinal Palace, one of the papal palaces in Rome and the seat of two earlier 19th century conclaves...
, which elected Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX
Blessed Pope Pius IX , born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was the longest-reigning elected Pope in the history of the Catholic Church, serving from 16 June 1846 until his death, a period of nearly 32 years. During his pontificate, he convened the First Vatican Council in 1869, which decreed papal...
and in the same year was appointed Legate
Papal legate
A papal legate – from the Latin, authentic Roman title Legatus – is a personal representative of the pope to foreign nations, or to some part of the Catholic Church. He is empowered on matters of Catholic Faith and for the settlement of ecclesiastical matters....
in the provinces of Urbino
Urbino
Urbino is a walled city in the Marche region of Italy, south-west of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially under the patronage of Federico da Montefeltro, duke of Urbino from 1444 to 1482...
and Pesaro
Pesaro
Pesaro is a town and comune in the Italian region of the Marche, capital of the Pesaro e Urbino province, on the Adriatic. According to the 2007 census, its population was 92,206....
.
In the years following, he was appointed to a number of senior positions in the Catholic Church including:
- Vatican Secretary of StateCardinal Secretary of StateThe Cardinal Secretary of State—officially Secretary of State of His Holiness The Pope—presides over the Holy See, usually known as the "Vatican", Secretariat of State, which is the oldest and most important dicastery of the Roman Curia...
- 1847 - Secretary of Memorials - 1847
- Apostolic PenitentiaryApostolic PenitentiaryThe Apostolic Penitentiary, formerly called the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Penitentiary, is one of the three tribunals of the Roman Curia. The Apostolic Penitentiary is chiefly a tribunal of mercy, responsible for issues relating to the forgiveness of sins in the Catholic Church.The...
- 1852 (a position he held until his death) - Camerlengo of the Sacred College of CardinalsCamerlengo of the Sacred College of CardinalsThe Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals was the treasurer of that body.He administered all property, fees, funds and revenue belonging to the College of Cardinals, celebrated the requiem Mass for a deceased cardinal and was charged with the registry of the Acta Consistoralia.It is...
- 1854 to 1855 - Grand prior of the Equestrian Order of St. John of Jerusalem - 1858
Death
Ferretti died on 13 September 1860 in Rome and his funeral was held on 17 September 1860. Pope Pius IX (whom he had helped to elect) participated in his funeral and he was buried, according to his will, in the Capuchin church of the Santissima Concezione in RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
See also
- College of CardinalsCollege of CardinalsThe College of Cardinals is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church.A function of the college is to advise the pope about church matters when he summons them to an ordinary consistory. It also convenes on the death or abdication of a pope as a papal conclave to elect a successor...