Ernesto Ruffini (19 January 1888 – 11 June 1967) was an Italian

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 Catholic Church who served as

Biography

Ruffini was born in

San Benedetto Po San Benedetto Po ( Lower Mantovano: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Mantua in the Italian region Lombardy, located about southeast of Milan and about southeast of Mantua. It is best known as the location of the Polirone Abbe ...

in the

Province of Mantua The Province of Mantua ( it, provincia di Mantova; Mantovano, Lower Mantovano: ; Upper Mantovano: ) is a province in the Lombardy region of Northern Italy. Its capital is the city of Mantua. It is bordered to the north-east by the Province o ...

, and studied at the Diocese, diocesan seminary of Mantua, the Pontifical Theological Faculty of Northern Italy (obtaining his Licentiate of Sacred Theology, licentiate in theology), and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) (licentiate in philosophy) and Pontifical Biblical Institute (diploma to teach biblical science) in Rome. He was Holy orders in the Catholic Church, ordained to the Priesthood (Catholic Church), priesthood on 10 July 1910, and finished his studies in 1912. Ruffini taught at the Major Roman Seminary (1913–1930), and then the Pontifical Urbaniana University (1917–1929). Raised to the rank of monsignor in 1925, he was appointed secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education, Congregation of Seminaries and Universities on 28 October 1928. Ruffini was made a protonotary apostolic on 15 June 1931. In 1930, Ruffini was made prefect of studies at the Pontifical Lateran University, of which he was named Rector (ecclesiastical), rector ''magnifico'' in the following year. Noted for his interest in science, Ruffini founded the Medical Biological Union of St. Luke, examining the relationships between Roman Catholic Church, Catholicism and science, in 1944. On 11 October 1945, he was named

Archbishop of Palermo The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Palermo ( la, Archidioecesis Panormitana) was founded as the Diocese of Palermo in the first century and raised to the status of archdiocese in the 11th century.''Time (magazine), Time''
"The Roads to Rome"
January 7, 1946. He later Cardinal electors in Papal conclave, 1958, participated in the Papal conclave, 1958, 1958 papal conclave, which selected Pope John XXIII. Cardinal Ruffini was also among the ''Papabile, papabili'' at that Papal conclave, conclave. During his tenure as Palermo's archbishop, he supported Francisco Franco,''Time''
"Milestones"
June 23, 1967. but protested against communism and anti-Mafia activist Danilo Dolci. He also demanded that the Sicilian bandit Salvatore Giuliano cease murdering within Palermo, and was cautious to be tricked into implying that Sicilian Mafia, the Mafia was the main problem of Sicily. To a journalist's question of "What is the Mafia?" he responded: "So far as I know, it could be a brand of detergent."Memory of anti-Mafia priest pervades summit
National Catholic Reporter, September 13, 2002 A stern opponent of Aggiornamento, reform, he attended the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), and sat on its Board of Presidency. Ruffini was also part of the conservative-minded study group Coetus Internationalis Patrum at the council. He was forced to intervene in a heated discussion between Cardinals Alfredo Ottaviani and Augustin Bea in the course of the last Central Preparatory Commission, preparatory session of the Council. During the discussion on the Council's proposed declaration against Antisemitism, anti-Semitism, Cardinal Ruffini accused the document of being overly kind to the Jews, whom he saw as hostile to Christianity. He also disapproved of ''Gaudium et spes'', ''Sacrosanctum Concilium'', and ''Dignitatis humanae''. Cardinal Ruffini was one of the Cardinal electors in Papal conclave, 1963, cardinal electors who participated in the Papal conclave, 1963, 1963 papal conclave, which selected Pope Paul VI. He died from a Myocardial infarction, heart attack in Palermo, at age 79. Ruffini is buried in the shrine of ''Madonna dei Rimedi''.

Miscellaneous

*While still a priest, Ruffini also served as president of the Academy of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. *He collaborated with John XXIII in deciding to convene the Second Vatican Council. *Ruffini was a Creationism, creationist.McIver, Thomas Allen (1989)
''Creationism: Intellectual Origins, Cultural Context, and Theoretical Diversity''
University of California, Los Angeles.

Publications

*''The Theory of Evolution Judged by Reason and Faith'' (Translated by Rev. Francis O'Hanlon, 1959)

References

* * Giuseppe Petralia: ''Il Cardinale Ernesto Ruffini, arcivescovo di Palermo.'' Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Città del Vaticano 1989. * Angelo Romano: ''Ernesto Ruffini.'' Sciascia, Caltanissetta 2002.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ruffini, Ernesto 1888 births 1967 deaths Clergy from the Province of Mantua 20th-century Italian cardinals Cardinals created by Pope Pius XII Christian creationists Roman Catholic archbishops of Palermo Participants in the Second Vatican Council Coetus Internationalis Patrum Members of the Congregation for Catholic Education Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas alumni Pontifical Biblical Institute faculty 20th-century Italian Roman Catholic archbishops