Giulio Tonti
Encyclopedia
Giulio Tonti was an Italian
Cardinal
of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Religious
from 1917 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate
in 1915.
, from where he obtained his doctorates in philosophy, in theology
, and in canon and civil law.
Tonti was ordained
to the priesthood
on 21 December 1867, and then served as professor of theology
and vice-rector
of the Pontifical Urbanian Athenaeum De Propaganda Fide
until 1879. He became an official of the Sacred Congregation of Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs
in the Roman Curia
before serving as auditor
of the nunciature
to France (1879–1882) and to Portugal
(1882–1892). He was raised to the honorary rank of Privy Chamberlain of His Holiness
as well.
On 11 July 1892, Tonti was appointed Apostolic Delegate
to Santo Domingo
, Haiti, and Venezuela
and Titular Archbishop
of Samos by Pope Leo XIII
. He received his episcopal consecration
on the following 25 July from Cardinal Vincenzo Vannutelli, with Bishops Michele dei Baroni Zezza Zaponetta and Augusto Berlucca serving as co-consecrators
. He was later named Apostolic Administrator
of Port-au-Prince
and of Les Gonaïves
on 24 February 1893, and Titular Archbishop of Sardes
on the following 15 July.
Archbishop Tonti rose to become Archbishop of Port-au-Prince
, whilst retaining the administration of the Diocese of Les Gonaïves, on 1 October 1894. He was then appointed Nuncio to Brazil
and Titular Archbishop of Ancyra on 23 August 1902, and Nuncio
to Portugal on 4 October 1906. On 25 October 1910, Tonti resigned his diplomatic post in Portugal as a result of the country's revolution, and returned to Rome.
Pope Benedict XV
created him Cardinal-Priest
of Ss. Silvestro e Martino ai Monti
in the consistory
of 6 December 1915. He was later named Prefect
of the Sacred Congregation of Religious
on 13 February 1917, also becoming a member of the Council for the Administration of the Wealth of the Apostolic See on 21 May of that same year.
Tonti died in his native Rome, at two days after his 74th birthday. He is buried in the tomb
of the chapter
of St. Peter's Basilica
at the Campo Verano cemetery in Rome.
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 who served as Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Religious
Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
The Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life is the congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for everything which concerns institutes of consecrated life and Society of Apostolic Life regarding their government, discipline, studies, goods, rights, and...
from 1917 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 1915.
Biography
Giulio Tonti was born in Rome, and received the Sacrament of Confirmation on 17 August 1856. He studied at the Pontifical Roman SeminaryPontifical 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:...
, from where he obtained his doctorates in philosophy, in theology
Doctor of Theology
Doctor of Theology is a terminal academic degree in theology. It is a research degree that is considered by the U.S. National Science Foundation to be the equivalent of a Doctor of Philosophy....
, and in canon and civil law.
Tonti was 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 21 December 1867, and then served as professor of theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and vice-rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of the Pontifical Urbanian Athenaeum De Propaganda Fide
Pontifical Urbaniana University
The Pontifical Urbaniana University or Pontifical Urban University is a pontifical university under the authority of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.-History:...
until 1879. He became an official of the Sacred Congregation of Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs
Congregation for Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs
The Sacred Congregation for Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs was a congregation of the Roman Curia, erected by Pope Pius VII on 19 July 1814 by extending the competence to the Sacred Congregation for the Ecclesiastical Affairs of the Kingdom of France , which Pope Pius VI had set up in 1793...
in the Roman Curia
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...
before serving as auditor
Auditor (ecclesiastical)
In ecclesiastical terminology, an Auditor is a person given authority to hear cases in an ecclesiastical court.- Roman Catholic Church :...
of the nunciature
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...
to France (1879–1882) and to Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
(1882–1892). He was raised to the honorary rank of 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"...
as well.
On 11 July 1892, Tonti was appointed Apostolic Delegate
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...
to Santo Domingo
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
, Haiti, and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
and 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 Samos by Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
. 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 25 July from Cardinal Vincenzo Vannutelli, with Bishops Michele dei Baroni Zezza Zaponetta and Augusto Berlucca 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...
. He was later named Apostolic Administrator
Apostolic Administrator
An apostolic administrator in the Roman Catholic Church is a prelate appointed by the Pope to serve as the ordinary for an apostolic administration...
of Port-au-Prince
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince is a metropolitan diocese, responsible for the suffragan Dioceses of Jacmel, Jérémie, Anse-à-Veau and Miragoâne and Les Cayes....
and of Les Gonaïves
Roman Catholic Diocese of Les Gonaïves
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Les Gonaïves is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Cap-Haïtien.-Ordinaries:*Joseph-François-Marie Julliot *Paul-Sanson-Jean-Marie Robert...
on 24 February 1893, and Titular Archbishop of Sardes
See of Sardis
The See of Sardis was an episcopal see in Sardis. It was one of the Seven Churches of the Apocalypse, held by metropolitan bishops since the middle to late 1st century, with jurisdiction over the province of Lydia...
on the following 15 July.
Archbishop Tonti rose to become Archbishop of Port-au-Prince
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince is a metropolitan diocese, responsible for the suffragan Dioceses of Jacmel, Jérémie, Anse-à-Veau and Miragoâne and Les Cayes....
, whilst retaining the administration of the Diocese of Les Gonaïves, on 1 October 1894. He was then appointed Nuncio to Brazil
Apostolic Nuncio to Brazil
The Apostolic Nunciature to the Republic of Brazil is an ecclesiastical office of the Roman Catholic Church in Brazil. It is a diplomatic post of the Holy See, whose representative is called the Apostolic Nuncio with the rank of an ambassador....
and Titular Archbishop of Ancyra on 23 August 1902, and 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...
to Portugal on 4 October 1906. On 25 October 1910, Tonti resigned his diplomatic post in Portugal as a result of the country's revolution, and returned to Rome.
Pope Benedict XV
Pope Benedict XV
Pope Benedict XV , born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, reigned as Pope from 3 September 1914 to 22 January 1922...
created him 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...
of Ss. Silvestro e Martino ai Monti
San Martino ai Monti
San Martino ai Monti, also known as Santi Silvestro e Martino ai Monti - Titolo Equizio, is a basilica church in Rome, Italy, in the Rione Monti neighbourhood.-History:...
in the consistory
Consistory
-Antiquity:Originally, the Latin word consistorium meant simply 'sitting together', just as the Greek synedrion ....
of 6 December 1915. He was later named Prefect
Prefect
Prefect is a magisterial title of varying definition....
of the Sacred Congregation of Religious
Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
The Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life is the congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for everything which concerns institutes of consecrated life and Society of Apostolic Life regarding their government, discipline, studies, goods, rights, and...
on 13 February 1917, also becoming a member of the Council for the Administration of the Wealth of the Apostolic See on 21 May of that same year.
Tonti died in his native Rome, at two days after his 74th birthday. He is buried in the tomb
Tomb
A tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes...
of the chapter
Chapter (religion)
Chapter designates certain corporate ecclesiastical bodies in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Nordic Lutheran churches....
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...
at the Campo Verano cemetery in Rome.