Francesco Satolli (21 July 1839 – 8 January 1910) was an Italian theologian, professor,

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 ...

, and the first Apostolic Delegate to the United States.

Biography

He was born on 21 July 1839, at

Marsciano Marsciano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Perugia in the Italian region Umbria, located about 25 km south of Perugia. Marsciano borders the following municipalities: Collazzone, Deruta, Fratta Todina, Perugia, Piegaro, S ...

near

Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part o ...

. 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, ...

of Perugia,

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

in 1862, and after receiving the doctorate at the Roman

Sapienza university The Sapienza University of Rome ( it, Sapienza – Università di Roma), also called simply Sapienza or the University of Rome, and formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", is a public research university located in Rome, Ita ...

, was appointed in 1864 professor in the seminary of Perugia. In 1870 he became pastor at Marsciano and in 1872 went to

Montecassino Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Latin Valley, Italy, west of Cassino and at an elevation of . Site of the Roman town of Casinum, it is widely known for its abbey, the first h ...

, where he remained two years. Called to Rome by Leo XIII in 1880, Satolli was appointed professor of

dogmatic theology Dogmatic theology, also called dogmatics, is the part of theology dealing with the theoretical truths of faith concerning God and God's works, especially the official theology recognized by an organized Church body, such as the Roman Catholic Ch ...

in the

Propaganda Fide Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

. In 1882 he was appointed professor at the Roman Seminary. On 7 March 1882 at the Dominican church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva Satolli delivered the annual encomium in honor of St.

Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known wi ...

to the Dominican College of St. Thomas, the future

Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas A pontifical ( la, pontificale) is a Christian liturgical book containing the Christian liturgy, liturgies that only a bishop may perform. Among the liturgies are those of the ordinal (liturgy), ordinal for the ordination and consecration of dea ...

Satolli was rector of the Greek College (1884). He was appointed president of the

Accademia dei Nobili Ecclesiastici The Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy ( la, Pontificia Ecclesiastica Academia, it, Pontificia Accademia Ecclesiastica) is one of the Roman Colleges of the Catholic Church. The academy is dedicated to training priests to serve in the diplomatic c ...

in 1886. In 1888 he was appointed Titular Archbishop of

Naupactus Nafpaktos ( el, Ναύπακτος) is a town and a former municipality in Aetolia-Acarnania, West Greece, situated on a bay on the north coast of the Gulf of Corinth, west of the mouth of the river Mornos. It is named for Naupaktos (, Latinize ...

. As professor he had an important share in the neo-Scholastic movement inaugurated by pope Leo XIII. His lectures, always fluent and often eloquent, aroused the enthusiasm of his students for the study of St. Thomas Aquinas, while his writings opened the way for an extended literature in Thomistic philosophy and theology. Satolli came to the United States in 1889, was present at the centenary of the hierarchy celebrated in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

and delivered an address at the inauguration of the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...

in November. On his second visit, he attended on 16 November 1892 a meeting of the archbishops held in New York City and formulated in fourteen propositions the solution of certain school problems which had been for some time under discussion. He then took up his residence at the Catholic University of America, where he gave a course of lectures on the philosophy of St. Thomas. On 24 January 1893, the Apostolic Delegation in the United States was established at Washington, D.C. and Satolli was appointed first delegate. He was created cardinal-priest on 29 November 1895, with the titular church of Santa Maria in Ara Coeli. His three-quarter length seated portrait was painted in 1893 by the Swiss-born American artist Adolfo Müller-Ury (1862–1947). Returning to Rome in October 1896, he was appointed prefect of the Congregation of Studies and

archpriest The ecclesiastical title of archpriest or archpresbyter belongs to certain priests with supervisory duties over a number of parishes. The term is most often used in Eastern Orthodoxy and the Eastern Catholic Churches and may be somewhat analogous ...

of the

Lateran Basilica The Archbasilica Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist in the Lateran ( it, Arcibasilica del Santissimo Salvatore e dei Santi Giovanni Battista ed Evangelista in Laterano), also known as the Papa ...

. He became Cardinal Bishop of Frascati on 22 June 1903. His last visit to the United States was on the occasion of the St. Louis Exposition, 1904. He died on 8 January 1910, at Rome.

Writings

Satolli's works include: *"Enchiridion Philosophiae" (Rome, 1884) * Commentaries on the Summa Theologica of St. Thomas (5 volumes, Rome, 1884–88) * "Prima principia juris publici ecclesiastici de concordatis" (Rome, 1888) * "Loyalty to Church and State" (Baltimore, 1895).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Satolli, Francesco 1839 births 1910 deaths People from Marsciano 20th-century Italian cardinals Cardinals created by Pope Leo XIII Cardinal-bishops of Frascati Apostolic Nuncios to the United States Presidents of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy 19th-century Italian cardinals