Giovanni Simeoni (July 12, 1816 – January 14, 1892) 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 Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for Propagation of the Faith from 1878 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1875.

Biography

Giovanni Simeoni was born in

Paliano Paliano is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone, in the Lazio region of central Italy. History Paliano was the seat of a branch of the powerful Colonna family whose head was Lord, then Duke, then Prince of Paliano. Their fortress ...

; his father was a

majordomo A majordomo is a person who speaks, makes arrangements, or takes charge for another. Typically, this is the highest (''major'') person of a household (''domūs'' or ''domicile'') staff, a head servant who acts on behalf of the owner of a large ...

of the

Colonna family The House of Colonna, also known as ''Sciarrillo'' or ''Sciarra'', is an Italian noble family, forming part of the papal nobility. It was powerful in Middle Ages, medieval and Roman Renaissance, Renaissance Rome, supplying one pope (Pope Martin ...

. He attended the seminary in Palestrina before going to Rome to study at the '' Collegio Romano'' and ''La Sapienza'' University, where he studied theology and canon law. The Colonna family subsidized his studies. Simeoni was ordained to the priesthood in 1839. He then served as

preceptor A preceptor (from Latin, "''praecepto''") is a teacher responsible for upholding a ''precept'', meaning a certain law or tradition. Buddhist monastic orders Senior Buddhist monks can become the preceptors for newly ordained monks. In the Buddhi ...

of the children of Prince Colonna, and as professor of

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

and theology at the Pontifical Urban Athenaeum of ''Propaganda Fide''. After being raised to the rank of Privy Chamberlain of His Holiness, he was made auditor of the nunciature to Spain and Domestic Prelate of His Holiness (1857). Simeoni later became ''adiutor ab actis'' of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, and served as the Congregation's secretary from 1868 to 1875. On March 5, 1875, Simeoni was appointed

Nuncio An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international or ...

to Spain and

Titular Archbishop of Chalcedon Chalcedon ( or ; , sometimes transliterated as ''Chalkedon'') was an ancient maritime town of Bithynia, in Asia Minor. It was located almost directly opposite Byzantium, south of Scutari (modern Üsküdar) and it is now a district of the city ...

by Pope Gregory XVI. Pope Gregory also secretly (''

in pectore ''In pectore'' (Latin for "in the breast/heart") is a term used in the Catholic Church for an action, decision, or document which is meant to be kept secret. It is most often used when there is a papal appointment to the College of Cardinals wit ...

'') elevated him to the College of Cardinals in the consistory of March 15 of that same year. Simeoni received his episcopal consecration on the following April 4 from Cardinal

Alessandro Franchi Alessandro Franchi may refer to: * Alessandro Franchi (cardinal) (1819–1878), Italian cardinal and archbishop * Alessandro Franchi (painter) Alessandro Franchi (15 March 1838, in Prato – 29 April 1914, in Siena) was an Italian painter. He ...

, with Archbishops Edward Henry Howard and Pietro Villanova Castellacci serving as

co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches, ...

, in the chapel of the Pontifical Urban Athenaeum of ''Propaganda Fide''. Simeoni was published as Cardinal Priest of '' San Pietro in Vincoli'' in the consistory of September 17, 1875. Between December 18, 1876 and the death of

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 ...

on February 7, 1878, he also served as Vatican Secretary of State, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Public Ecclesiastical Affairs, Prefect of the Apostolic Palace, and Administrator of the Patrimony of the Holy See; Pius IX had designated him as

executor An executor is someone who is responsible for executing, or following through on, an assigned task or duty. The feminine form, executrix, may sometimes be used. Overview An executor is a legal term referring to a person named by the maker of a ...

of his

will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

as well. The Cardinal then participated in the conclave of 1878, which resulted in the election of Pope Leo XIII, who confirmed him as Prefect of the Apostolic Palace and Administrator of the Patrimony of the Holy See. From 1878 until his death, he served as Protector of the

Pontifical North American College The Pontifical North American College (NAC) is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy, that prepares seminarians to become priests in the United States and elsewhere. The NAC also provides a residence for Pri ...

in Rome. Simeoni was named Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, also known as the "Red Pope", on March 5, 1878, and president of the missionary seminaries of Rome on January 1, 1885. From March 27, 1885 to January 15, 1886, he served as

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 ...

. Cardinal Simeoni died in Rome, at the age of 75. After lying in state in the church of the Pontifical Urban Athenaeum of ''Propaganda Fide'', he was buried in the chapel of the same athenaeum in the Campo Verano cemetery. Simeoni also left his notable art collection to the Pope in his will.

Episcopal lineage

Simeoni's episcopal lineage, or

apostolic succession Apostolic succession is the method whereby the ministry of the Christian Church is held to be derived from the apostles by a continuous succession, which has usually been associated with a claim that the succession is through a series of bish ...

was: * Cardinal

Scipione Rebiba Scipione Rebiba (3 February 1504 – 23 July 1577) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church, a protégé of Gian Pietro Carafa, who became Pope Paul IV. He held a variety of positions in the Church hierarchy, including some of the most sen ...

* Cardinal Giulio Antonio Santorio * Cardinal Girolamo Bernerio *

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

Galeazzo Sanvitale * Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi * Cardinal

Luigi Caetani Luigi Caetani (July 1595 – 15 April 1642) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Biography Caetani was born in Piedimonte. Son of Filippo I Caetani, duke of Sermoneta, and Camilla Gaetani dell'Aquila d'Aragona, of the duke ...

* Cardinal Ulderico Carpegna * Cardinal Paluzzo Paluzzi Altieri degli Albertoni * Pope Benedict XIII * Pope Benedict XIV * Cardinal

Enrico Enríquez Enrique Enríquez (30 September 1701 – 25 April 1756) was an Italian Roman Catholic cardinal. Born in Campi Salentina, in the Kingdom of Naples, he studied canon and civil law at the La Sapienza University, Rome, was later made governo ...

* Archbishop

Manuel Quintano Bonifaz Manuel Quintano Bonifaz (c. 1699 – 18 December 1774) was a Spanish cleric who was Grand Inquisitor of Spain from 1755 to 1774. Biography Manuel Quintano Bonifaz was born in Salas de los Infantes in around 1699. He was appointed Auxiliary Bis ...

* Cardinal Buenaventura Fernández de Córdoba Spínola * 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 Giusepp ...

* Pope Pius VIII *

* Cardinal

* Cardinal Giovanni Simeoni

References

External links

Catholic-Hierarchy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simeoni, Giovanni 1816 births 1892 deaths People from the Province of Frosinone 19th-century Italian cardinals Cardinals created by Pope Pius IX 19th-century Italian Roman Catholic archbishops Diplomats of the Holy See Cardinal Secretaries of State Members of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith