Fulco Luigi Ruffo-Scilla (6 April 1840 – 29 May 1895) was a

Cardinal of the Catholic Church 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 ...

. He was elevated in 1891.

Early life

Ruffo-Scilla was born in

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

. He was the son of Fulco Ruffo, 9th Prince of

Scilla ''Scilla'' () is a genus of about 30 to 80 species of bulb-forming perennial herbaceous plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. Sometimes called the squills in English, they are native to woodlands, subalpine meadows, and sea ...

, and Eleonora Galletti. His initial studies began with the

Barnabites , image = Barnabites.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = One version of the Barnabite logo. "P.A." refers to Paul the Apostle and the three hills symbolize the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. , a ...

at the Colegio de Pontecorvo from 1850 to 1856. He was later educated at the

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

where he received a licentiate in

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 ...

on 3 September 1860. He was ordained a priest on 20 September 1892 in Rome. He continued his studies, receiving a licentiate '' in utroque iure'' (both civil and

canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

) on 15 July 1864. He was appointed a

Domestic prelate of His Holiness A Prelate of Honour of His Holiness is a Catholic prelate to whom the Pope has granted this title of honour. They are addressed as Monsignor and have certain privileges as regards clerical clothing.Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

. He was advanced to the level of Protonotary apostolic ad instar participantium on 26 March 1873.

Episcopate

He was appointed as

archbishop of Chieti-Vasto The Italian Catholic Archdiocese of Chieti-Vasto ( la, Archidioecesis Theatina-Vastensis) received that name in 1986. The historic Archdiocese of Chieti was elevated from a diocese in 1526. History Chieti is the ancient ''Teate''. In the Go ...

on 28 December 1877; on that same day he was granted the pallium. He was consecrated on 6 January 1878 at the patriarchal Lateran basilica, Rome, by . He was named an Assistant at the Pontifical Throne, on 21 June 1881. He was transferred to the

titular see A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbish ...

of Petra and appointed nuncio to the Kingdom of Bavaria on 23 May 1887. He was later appointed as Master of the Pontifical House and prefect of the Apostolic Palace on 20 March 1889.

Cardinalate

He was created and proclaimed

Cardinal-Priest 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 ...

S. Maria in Traspontina The Church of Santa Maria del Carmelo in Traspontina (Saint Mary of Carmel Across the Bridge) is a Roman Catholic titular church in Rome, run by the Carmelites. The bridge referred to is the Ponte Sant'Angelo. The church is on the Via della Conci ...

in the consistory of 14 December 1891 by

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...

. He was appointed

Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals The Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals was the treasurer of the College of Cardinals in the Catholic Church. The title is based on an Italian word for chamberlain, a word no longer used in secular contexts. The position existed from at ...

, succeeding

Mariano Rampolla del Tindaro Mariano Rampolla del Tindaro (17 August 1843 – 16 December 1913) was an Italian Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church, and the last man to have his candidacy for papal election vetoed through ''jus exclusivae'' by a Catholic monarch. Early li ...

on 18 May 1894, holding the post until 18 March 1895. He died at the age of 55 on 29 May 1895.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruffo-Scilla, Fulco Luigi 1840 births 1895 deaths 19th-century Italian cardinals Cardinals created by Pope Leo XIII Apostolic Nuncios to Bavaria Clergy from Palermo