Fabrizio Sceberras Testaferrata (1 April 1757 - 3 August 1843) was a native of Malta and a bishop and cardinal of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

. He was

Bishop of Senigallia The Diocese of Senigallia ( la, Dioecesis Senogalliensis) is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory in the Marche, Italy. It has existed since the sixth century. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Ancona-Osimo.

from 1818 until his death in 1843.

Biography

Testaferrata was born to a noble family in

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an administrative unit and capital of Malta. Located on the main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, its population within administrative limits in 2014 ...

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

, on 1 April 1757. The date of his ordination is unknown, but he was ordained at the

Collegio Clementino The Collegio Clementino is a palace in Rome, central Italy, sited between the Strada del'Orso and the banks of the Tiber. It was founded by Pope Clement VIII in 1595, to host Slavonian refugees. Giacomo della Porta was commissioned to erect a su ...

in Rome before being named a canon of Malta's cathedral in 1776. Popes

Pius VI Pope Pius VI ( it, Pio VI; born Count Giovanni Angelo Braschi, 25 December 171729 August 1799) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1775 to his death in August 1799. Pius VI condemned the French Revoluti ...

and

Pius VII Pope Pius VII ( it, Pio VII; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. Chiaramonti was also a ...

assigned him positions of increasing responsibility as administrator of ecclesiastical territories in Italy. On 20 September 1802,

Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII ( it, Pio VII; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. Chiaramonti was also a m ...

appointed him

titular archbishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of Berytus. Testaferrata was

consecrate Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

d a bishop by Cardinal

Giuseppe Doria Pamphili Giuseppe Maria Doria Pamphili (born 11 November 1751 in Genoa, the capital of the Republic of Genoa – died on 8 February 1816 in Rome) was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church who served as Cardinal Secretary of State. Biography Giuseppe ...

on 21 December 1802. In 1803, he was appointed

Apostolic Nuncio to Switzerland The Apostolic Nunciature to Switzerland is an ecclesiastical office of the Catholic Church in Switzerland. It is a diplomatic post of the Holy See, whose representative is called the Apostolic Nuncio, with the rank of an ambassador. The nunc ...

. In 1815 he was appointed Secretary of the

Congregation of Bishops and Regulars The Congregation of Bishops and Regulars () was a department of the Roman Curia that, beginning in the late 16th century, managed the diocesan bishops and those individuals, both male and female, and establishments associated with religious orders. ...

. Pope Pius VII made him a cardinal ''in pectore'', that is, without public announcement, in 1816 and then on 6 April 1818 named him Cardinal Priest of

Santa Pudenziana Santa Pudenziana is a church of Rome, a basilica built in the 4th century and dedicated to Saint Pudentiana, sister of Praxedes and daughter of Pudens (mentioned by Paul the Apostle in '' 2 Timothy'', 4: 21). It is one of the national churches in ...

. He was the first Maltese to become a member of the

College of Cardinals The College of Cardinals, or more formally the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. its current membership is , of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Cardinals are app ...

. That same day he was appointed Bishop of Senigallia,

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 ...

. Testaferrata participated in the

conclave A papal conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a bishop of Rome, also known as the pope. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church. Co ...

s that elected

Pope Leo XII Pope Leo XII ( it, Leone XII; born Annibale Francesco Clemente Melchiorre Girolamo Nicola della Genga (; 2 August 1760 – 10 February 1829), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 28 September 1823 to his death ...

in 1823,

Pope Pius VIII Pope Pius VIII ( it, Pio VIII; born Francesco Saverio Maria Felice Castiglioni; 20 November 1761 – 30 November 1830), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 31 March 1829 to his death in November 1830. Pius VIII's ...

in 1829, and

Pope Gregory XVI Pope Gregory XVI ( la, Gregorius XVI; it, Gregorio XVI; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in 1 June 1846. He ...

in 1830–31. He died on 3 August 1843 and was buried in the Cathedral of Senigallia.

References

External links

''Catholic Hierarchy''

''Times of Malta''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Testaferrata, Fabrizio Sceberras 1757 births 1843 deaths Apostolic Nuncios to Switzerland Roman Catholic titular archbishops Maltese cardinals 18th-century Maltese Roman Catholic priests People from Valletta Officials of the Roman Curia 19th-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops Cardinals created by Pope Pius VII

Biography

See also

References

External links