Domenico Jorio S.T.D. J.U.D. (7 October 1867 – 21 October 1954) was a

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

who served as Prefect of the Congregation for Discipline of Sacraments from 1935 until his death.

Biography

Domenico Jorio was born in

Villa Santo Stefano Villa Santo Stefano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Frosinone in the Italian region Lazio, located about southeast of Rome and about south of Frosinone. Villa Santo Stefano borders the following municipalities: Amaseno, Castro ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. He was educated at the

Seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

Ferentino Ferentino is a town and ''comune'' in Italy, in the province of Frosinone, Lazio, southeast of Rome. It is situated on a hill above sea level, in the Monti Ernici area. History ''Ferentinum'' was a town of the Hernici; it was captured from the ...

and the

Pontifical Roman Seminary , type = Major seminary , established = , founder = Pope Pius IV , parent = Diocese of Rome , religious_affiliation = Catholic Church , rector = Gabriele Fara ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, where he earned a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and a ''doctorate utriusque iuris'' (in both

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

and civil

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

). He was ordained on 17 September 1891 in

Palestrina Palestrina (ancient ''Praeneste''; grc, Πραίνεστος, ''Prainestos'') is a modern Italian city and ''comune'' (municipality) with a population of about 22,000, in Lazio, about east of Rome. It is connected to the latter by the Via Pre ...

, and continued his studies in Rome. He worked in pastoral care in the

diocese of Rome The Diocese of Rome ( la, Dioecesis Urbis seu Romana; it, Diocesi di Roma) is the ecclesiastical district under the direct jurisdiction of the Pope, who is Bishop of Rome and hence the supreme pontiff and head of the worldwide Catholic Church. ...

and as a staff member of the Apostolic Dataria from 1891 until 1918. He was created

Privy Chamberlain of His Holiness A Chaplain of His Holiness is a priest to whom the Pope has granted this title. They are addressed as Monsignor and have certain privileges with respect to ecclesiastical dress and vestments.Protonotary apostolic In the Roman Catholic Church, protonotary apostolic (PA; Latin: ''protonotarius apostolicus'') is the title for a member of the highest non-episcopal college of prelates in the Roman Curia or, outside Rome, an honorary prelate on whom the pop ...

on 20 November 1918. He was appointed Secretary of the Congregation for Discipline of Sacraments on 5 January 1928. He was made

Cardinal-Deacon A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

of Sant'Apollinare alle Terme Neroniane-Alessandrine in the

consistory Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church *Consistory ...

of 16 December 1935 by

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fro ...

and on 20 December 1935 was appointed Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Discipline of the Sacraments. He participated in the conclave of 1939 that elected

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...

. After ten years as a Cardinal-Deacon he opted to become a member of the order of cardinal priests. Following Italy's invasion and occupation of Ethiopia, on 29 April 1937 Italy introduced race-based legislation for the first time. The Lessona Decree, named for Italy's Minister for Africa

Alessandro Lessona Alessandro Lessona (Rome, 9 September 1891 – Florence, 10 November 1991) was an Italian Fascist politician, Minister of the Colonies of the Kingdom of Italy from June 1936 to April 1937 and Minister of Italian Africa from April to November 193 ...

, punished sexual relations between Italians and Ethiopians with imprisonment for one to five years. It was aimed more at longterm living arrangements,

concubinage Concubinage is an interpersonal and sexual relationship between a man and a woman in which the couple does not want, or cannot enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarded as similar but mutually exclusive. Concubin ...

, than at casual encounters. Jorio produced an assessment on behalf of his Congregation on 24 August. It asserted at length the Church's belief that race could not be an impediment to marriage. Reflecting the controversy over eugenics a few years earlier in Germany, it said the Church granted "maximum freedom" even to those afflicted "by chronic hereditary disorders". It then welcomed the government's proscription of interracial concubinage as a first step toward outlawing concubinage in all its forms. It said the Church could encourage its missionaries "to prevent such hybrid unions for the wise hygienic and social motivations" the government had outlined. The Church, he offered, would do its part by not granting dispensations for intermarriage between Catholic and Muslims. He died on 21 October 1954 in his apartment in the

Palace of the Holy Office The Palace of the Holy Office ( it, Palazzo del Sant'Uffizio) is a building in Rome which is an extraterritorial property of Vatican City. It houses the Holy Office of the Roman Catholic Church. The palace is situated south of Saint Peter's Ba ...

, Rome. The funeral took place on 25 October 1954 in the church of Sant'Andrea della Valle. After the funeral, his body was buried in the church of Sant'Apollinare.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jorio, Domenico 20th-century Italian cardinals 1867 births 1954 deaths Members of the Congregation for the Discipline of the Sacraments Pontifical Roman Seminary alumni People from the Province of Frosinone