Mario Nasalli Rocca di Corneliano
Encyclopedia
Mario Nasalli Rocca di Corneliano (August 12, 1903—November 9, 1988) was an Italian
Cardinal
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He served as Prefect of the Apostolic Palace from 1967 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate
in 1969.
to Count
Camillo Nasalli Rocca and Marchioness
Katie Taffini d'Accegliano. His father died when Mario was a child, and his uncle was Giovanni Nasalli Rocca di Corneliano
, who was later Archbishop of Bologna
. Nasalli Rocca studied at the Pontifical Roman Seminary
, Pontifical Roman Athenaeum S. Apollinare
, and the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy
before being ordained
to the priesthood
on April 8, 1927.
He then began pastoral
work in Rome
, and was made a canon
of St. Peter's Basilica
. After being raised to the rank of a Privy Chamberlain of His Holiness
on November 22, 1931, he later became a Domestic Prelate of His Holiness
on July 1, 1949. Pope John XXIII
named Nasalli Rocca as Master of the Papal Chamber the day after his election
, on October 29, 1958. Upon the death of John XXIII on June 3, 1963, Nasalli Rocca and all major Vatican officials, in accord with custom, automatically lost their positions during the sede vacante
. He was later confirmed as the papal
majordomo by Pope Paul VI
on the following June 21. He also became Prefect
of the Apostolic Palace
on April 1, 1967.
On April 11, 1969, Nasalli Rocca was appointed Titular Archbishop
of Antium by Paul VI. He received his episcopal consecration
on the following April 20 from Cardinal Paolo Marella
, with Archbishop Diego Venini and Bishop Alberto Scola, serving as co-consecrators
, in St. Peter's Basilica. Pope Paul later created Nasalli Rocca Cardinal-Deacon
of S. Giovanni Battista Decollato in the consistory
of April 28 of that same year. He was one of the cardinal electors
who participated in the conclaves
of August and October 1978, which selected Popes John Paul I
and John Paul II
respectively. After ten years' standing as a Cardinal Deacon, Nasalli Rocca opted to become a Cardinal Priest
, with the same titular church, on June 30, 1979. He then lost the right to participate any future conclaves
upon reaching age 80 on August 12, 1983.
The Cardinal died in a Roman clinic
, where he had been admitted a week earlier, at age 85. He is buried in his native Piacenza.
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...
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...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. He served as Prefect of the Apostolic Palace from 1967 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate
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...
in 1969.
Biography
Mario Nasalli Rocca di Corneliano was born in PiacenzaPiacenza
Piacenza is a city and comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Piacenza...
to Count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
Camillo Nasalli Rocca and Marchioness
Marchioness
Marchioness could refer to:*A noblewoman with the rank of Marquess, or the wife of a Marquess.*The Marchioness, a pleasure boat that was sunk on the River Thames in 1989....
Katie Taffini d'Accegliano. His father died when Mario was a child, and his uncle was Giovanni Nasalli Rocca di Corneliano
Giovanni Nasalli Rocca di Corneliano
Giovanni Battista Nasalli Rocca di Corneliano was an Italian Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of Bologna from 1921 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1923.-Biography:...
, who was later Archbishop of Bologna
Archdiocese of Bologna
The Archdiocese of Bologna is a Roman Catholic archbishopric in northern Italy, with the archiepiscopal seat in Bologna Cathedral. The current Archbishop is Cardinal Carlo Caffarra since 2003.The archdiocese has the following suffragans:*diocese of Imola...
. Nasalli Rocca studied at the Pontifical Roman Seminary
Pontifical Roman Seminary
The Pontifical Roman Seminary is a seminary in Rome, Italy located at the Basilica of St. John Lateran.Its teachings are based on the Roman Pontifical.-History:...
, Pontifical Roman Athenaeum S. Apollinare
Pontifical Roman Athenaeum S. Apollinare
Pontifical Roman Athenaeum S. Apollinare was a university named after Saint Apollinaris. Notable people who have attended include:*Alfredo Ottaviani*Amleto Giovanni Cicognani*Eugène-Gabriel-Gervais-Laurent Tisserant*Benedetto Aloisi Masella*Gustavo Testa...
, and the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy
Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy
The Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy is one of the Roman Colleges of the Roman Catholic Church. The academy is dedicated to training priests to serve in the diplomatic corps and the Secretariat of State of the Holy See....
before being ordained
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
to the priesthood
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
on April 8, 1927.
He then began pastoral
Parish (Catholic Church)
In the Roman Catholic Church, a parish is the lowest ecclesiastical geographical subdivision: from ecclesiastical province to diocese to deanery to parish.-Requirements:A parish needs two things under common law to become a parish...
work in Rome
Rome
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...
, and was made a canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
of St. Peter's Basilica
St. Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter , officially known in Italian as ' and commonly known as Saint Peter's Basilica, is a Late Renaissance church located within the Vatican City. Saint Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world...
. After being raised to the rank of a Privy Chamberlain of His Holiness
Monsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
on November 22, 1931, he later became a Domestic Prelate of His Holiness
Monsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
on July 1, 1949. Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
named Nasalli Rocca as Master of the Papal Chamber the day after his election
Papal conclave, 1958
The Papal conclave of 1958 occurred following the death of Pope Pius XII on 9 October 1958 in Castel Gandolfo, after a 19-year pontificate. The conclave to elect his successor commenced on 25 October and ended three days later, on 28 October, after eleven ballots. The cardinal electors chose Angelo...
, on October 29, 1958. Upon the death of John XXIII on June 3, 1963, Nasalli Rocca and all major Vatican officials, in accord with custom, automatically lost their positions during the sede vacante
Sede vacante
Sede vacante is an expression, used in the Canon Law of the Catholic Church, that refers to the vacancy of the episcopal see of a particular church...
. He was later confirmed as the papal
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
majordomo by Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
on the following June 21. He also became Prefect
Prefect
Prefect is a magisterial title of varying definition....
of the Apostolic Palace
Apostolic Palace
The Apostolic Palace is the official residence of the Pope, which is located in Vatican City. It is also known as the Sacred Palace, the Papal Palace and the Palace of the Vatican...
on April 1, 1967.
On April 11, 1969, Nasalli Rocca was appointed Titular Archbishop
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Antium by Paul VI. He received his episcopal consecration
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
on the following April 20 from Cardinal Paolo Marella
Paolo Marella
Paolo Marella was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served in the Roman Curia following a career as a delegate of the Holy See, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1959.-Biography:...
, with Archbishop Diego Venini and Bishop Alberto Scola, serving as co-consecrators
Consecrator
Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...
, in St. Peter's Basilica. Pope Paul later created Nasalli Rocca Cardinal-Deacon
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...
of S. Giovanni Battista Decollato in the consistory
Consistory
-Antiquity:Originally, the Latin word consistorium meant simply 'sitting together', just as the Greek synedrion ....
of April 28 of that same year. He was one of the cardinal electors
Cardinal electors in Papal conclaves, August and October 1978
The following were the cardinal electors in the papal conclaves of August and October 1978. Arranged by region , and within each alphabetically .Because there was such a brief period between the two conclaves, the lists of electors...
who participated in the conclaves
Papal conclave
A papal conclave is a meeting of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a Bishop of Rome, who then becomes the Pope during a period of vacancy in the papal office. The Pope is considered by Roman Catholics to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and earthly head of the Roman Catholic Church...
of August and October 1978, which selected Popes John Paul I
Pope John Paul I
John Paul I , born Albino Luciani, , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and as Sovereign of Vatican City from 26 August 1978 until his death 33 days later. His reign is among the shortest in papal history, resulting in the most recent Year of Three Popes...
and John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
respectively. After ten years' standing as a Cardinal Deacon, Nasalli Rocca opted to become a Cardinal Priest
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...
, with the same titular church, on June 30, 1979. He then lost the right to participate any future conclaves
Papal conclave
A papal conclave is a meeting of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a Bishop of Rome, who then becomes the Pope during a period of vacancy in the papal office. The Pope is considered by Roman Catholics to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and earthly head of the Roman Catholic Church...
upon reaching age 80 on August 12, 1983.
The Cardinal died in a Roman clinic
Clinic
A clinic is a health care facility that is primarily devoted to the care of outpatients...
, where he had been admitted a week earlier, at age 85. He is buried in his native Piacenza.