Sisto Riario Sforza
Encyclopedia
Sisto Riario Sforza was an Italian
cardinal
of the Roman Catholic Church
and Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals
.
. He was the son of Giovanni Antonio Riario Sforza and Maria Gaetana Cattaneo della Volta.
Sforza was a nephew of Cardinal Tommaso Riario Sforza
who announced the election of Pope Pius IX
and who also held the position of Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals
35 years before his nephew from 1828 to 1830. Other cardinals belonging to his family were Pietro Riario
, O.F.M., Raffaele Riario
and Alessandro Riario.
, the Pontifical Academy of Ecclesiastical Nobles
, Rome and La Sapienza University, Rome. He obtained a Doctorate in Theology
by apostolic brief on April 23, 1845. On January 1, 1825 he received the ecclesiastical habit
, followed by the clerical tonsure
on February 13, 1825. Minor orders
were received on December 25, 1826, subdiaconate on April 21, 1832 and he was ordained a priest on September 1, 1833 by Filippo Giudice Caracciolo
who he later replaced as Archbishop of Naples
.
and was made abbot commendatario of S. Paolo in Albano and vicar of the cardinal camerlengo in the school of S. Maria in Via Lata Abletgato. He also was canon
of the patriarchal Vatican basilica and private secretary
of the pope in 1841.
As secretary of memorials, Sforza accompanied Pope Gregory XVI on his trip to Umbria
and Rieti
in 1842. He contributed to the conversion to Roman Catholicism of count
Otto Magnus von Stackelberg
and prince
Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin
. King Ferdinando II of the Two Sicilies proposed him to the pope to occupy the see of the Bishopric of Aversa, which he did on April 24, 1845.
Sforza was made Assistant at the Pontifical Throne
on May 17, 1845 and was promoted to the metropolitan see of Naples on November 24, 1845. He was made a cardinal-priest in the consistory of January 19, 1846 with dispensation for having an uncle who was a cardinal. He received the red hat (symbol of a cardinal) and the title church of S. Sabina on April 16, 1846. He participated in the Papal conclave of 1846
.
, September 1860 to July 1861 and 1862 to 1866 and also participated in the First Vatican Council
, where he spoke out against the decision to proclaim the Dogma
of papal infallibility
.
Pope Leo XIII had said that he would not be elected pope with Cardinal Riario Sforza alive.. Sforza died in 1877 and Leo XIII was elected the following year in 1878.
The informative process for his beatification
started in 1927 in Naples and the canonical process in Rome in 1947.
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...
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...
.
Family
Sforza was born in Naples, Italy and belonged to the noble House of Riario-SforzaHouse of Sforza
Sforza was a ruling family of Renaissance Italy, based in Milan.-History:The dynasty was founded by Muzio Attendolo , called Sforza , a condottiero from Romagna serving the Angevin kings of Naples...
. He was the son of Giovanni Antonio Riario Sforza and Maria Gaetana Cattaneo della Volta.
Sforza was a nephew of Cardinal Tommaso Riario Sforza
Tommaso Riario Sforza
Tommaso Riario Sforza was the Neapolitan Cardinal who, as protodeacon, announced at the end of the 1846 conclave the election of Cardinal Giovanni Mastai-Ferretti as Pope Pius IX....
who announced the election of 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 who also held the position of 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...
35 years before his nephew from 1828 to 1830. Other cardinals belonging to his family were Pietro Riario
Pietro Riario
Pietro Riario was an Italian cardinal and Papal diplomat.-Biography:Born in Savona, he was the son of Paolo Riario and Pope Sixtus IVs' sister, Bianca Della Rovere. Sixtus nominated him in 1471 bishop of Treviso and cardinal, and, in 1473, archbishop of Florence. He was entrusted with Sixtus'...
, O.F.M., Raffaele Riario
Raffaele Riario
Raffaele Sansoni Galeoti Riario was an Italian Cardinal of the Renaissance, mainly known as the constructor of the Palazzo della Cancelleria and the one who invited Michelangelo to Rome. He was a patron of the arts...
and Alessandro Riario.
Education
Sforza was educated at the Roman Seminary, 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...
, the Pontifical Academy of Ecclesiastical Nobles
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....
, Rome and La Sapienza University, Rome. He obtained a Doctorate 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....
by apostolic brief on April 23, 1845. On January 1, 1825 he received the ecclesiastical habit
Religious habit
A religious habit is a distinctive set of garments worn by members of a religious order. Traditionally some plain garb recognisable as a religious habit has also been worn by those leading the religious eremitic and anachoritic life, although in their case without conformity to a particular uniform...
, followed by the clerical tonsure
Tonsure
Tonsure is the traditional practice of Christian churches of cutting or shaving the hair from the scalp of clerics, monastics, and, in the Eastern Orthodox Church, all baptized members...
on February 13, 1825. Minor orders
Minor orders
The minor orders are the lowest ranks in the Christian clergy. The most recognized minor orders are porter, lector, exorcist, and acolyte. In the Latin rite Catholic Church, the minor orders were in most cases replaced by "instituted" ministries of lector and acolyte, though communities that use...
were received on December 25, 1826, subdiaconate on April 21, 1832 and he was ordained a priest on September 1, 1833 by Filippo Giudice Caracciolo
Filippo Giudice Caracciolo
Filippo Giudice Caracciolo was an Italian prelate who was archbishop of Naples from 1833 to 1844.- Life :Born in a noble family in Naples on 27 March 1785 he entered in the order of oratrian in the late years of the 18th century. He was ordained on March 18, 1809...
who he later replaced as Archbishop of Naples
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Naples
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Naples is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory in southern Italy, the see being in Naples. A Christian community was founded in the 1st century AD and the diocese was raised to the level of an Archdiocese in the 10th century. Two of Archbishops of Naples have...
.
Vatican service
He worked for many years as privy chamberlain of the popePope
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...
and was made abbot commendatario of S. Paolo in Albano and vicar of the cardinal camerlengo in the school of S. Maria in Via Lata Abletgato. He also was 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 the patriarchal Vatican basilica and private secretary
Private Secretary
In the United Kingdom government, a Private Secretary is a civil servant in a Department or Ministry, responsible to the Secretary of State or Minister...
of the pope in 1841.
As secretary of memorials, Sforza accompanied Pope Gregory XVI on his trip to Umbria
Umbria
Umbria is a region of modern central Italy. It is one of the smallest Italian regions and the only peninsular region that is landlocked.Its capital is Perugia.Assisi and Norcia are historical towns associated with St. Francis of Assisi, and St...
and 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 1842. He contributed to the conversion to Roman Catholicism of 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...
Otto Magnus von Stackelberg
Otto Magnus von Stackelberg
Otto Magnus von Stackelberg may refer to:* Otto Magnus von Stackelberg , Russian diplomat* Otto Magnus von Stackelberg , Estonian archeologist...
and prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin
Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin
Prince Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin was an emigre Russian aristocrat and Catholic priest known as The Apostle of the Alleghenies. Since 2005, he has been under investigation for possible canonization by the Catholic Church...
. King Ferdinando II of the Two Sicilies proposed him to the pope to occupy the see of the Bishopric of Aversa, which he did on April 24, 1845.
Sforza was made Assistant at the Pontifical Throne
Assistant at the Pontifical Throne
Assistant at the Pontifical Throne is an ecclesiastical title in the Roman Catholic Church. It signifies a prelate belonging to the papal chapel, who stands near the throne of the Pope at solemn functions....
on May 17, 1845 and was promoted to the metropolitan see of Naples on November 24, 1845. He was made a cardinal-priest in the consistory of January 19, 1846 with dispensation for having an uncle who was a cardinal. He received the red hat (symbol of a cardinal) and the title church of S. Sabina on April 16, 1846. He 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...
.
Exile
Sforza was forcibly exiled after the collapse of the kingdom of the Two SiciliesKingdom of the Two Sicilies
The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, commonly known as the Two Sicilies even before formally coming into being, was the largest and wealthiest of the Italian states before Italian unification...
, September 1860 to July 1861 and 1862 to 1866 and also participated in the First Vatican Council
First Vatican Council
The First Vatican Council was convoked by Pope Pius IX on 29 June 1868, after a period of planning and preparation that began on 6 December 1864. This twentieth ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church, held three centuries after the Council of Trent, opened on 8 December 1869 and adjourned...
, where he spoke out against the decision to proclaim the Dogma
Dogma
Dogma is the established belief or doctrine held by a religion, or a particular group or organization. It is authoritative and not to be disputed, doubted, or diverged from, by the practitioners or believers...
of papal infallibility
Papal infallibility
Papal infallibility is a dogma of the Catholic Church which states that, by action of the Holy Spirit, the Pope is preserved from even the possibility of error when in his official capacity he solemnly declares or promulgates to the universal Church a dogmatic teaching on faith or morals...
.
Death and beatification
He died September 29, 1877 in Naples and was exposed and buried in the metropolitan cathedral of Naples.Pope Leo XIII had said that he would not be elected pope with Cardinal Riario Sforza alive.. Sforza died in 1877 and Leo XIII was elected the following year in 1878.
The informative process for his beatification
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
started in 1927 in Naples and the canonical process in Rome in 1947.