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 diocesan seminary of Mantua, the Pontifical Theological Faculty of Northern Italy (obtaining his licentiate in theology), and the

Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) A pontifical ( la, pontificale) is a Christian liturgical book containing the liturgies that only a bishop may perform. Among the liturgies are those of the ordinal for the ordination and consecration of deacons, priests, and bishops to Holy O ...

(licentiate in

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 Pontifical Biblical Institute (diploma to teach biblical science) in Rome. He was ordained to the 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 of Seminaries and Universities on 28 October 1928. Ruffini was made a

protonotary apostolic In the Roman Catholic Church, protonotary apostolic (PA; Latin: ''protonotarius apostolicus'') is the title for a member of the highest non-episcopal college of prelates in the Roman Curia or, outside Rome, an honorary prelate on whom the pop ...

on 15 June 1931. In 1930, Ruffini was made prefect of studies at the Pontifical Lateran University, of which he was named

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

''magnifico'' in the following year. Noted for his interest in science, Ruffini founded the Medical Biological Union of St. Luke, examining the relationships between 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.Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...

. Ruffini received his episcopal consecration on the following 8 December from Giuseppe Cardinal Pizzardo, with Archbishop Francesco Duca and Bishop Domenico Menna 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, ...

. Ruffini was created Cardinal-Priest of ''

S. Sabina The Basilica of Saint Sabina ( la, Basilica Sanctae Sabinae, it, Basilica di Santa Sabina all'Aventino) is a historic church on the Aventine Hill in Rome, Italy. It is a titular minor basilica and mother church of the Roman Catholic Order of Pre ...

'' by Pius XII in the consistory of 18 February 1946. He was the first cardinal-designate to place his wardrobe order to the Gammarelli episcopal tailors, which he did the same morning as the announcement of his elevation to the

Sacred College 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 appoi ...

.'' Time''
"The Roads to Rome"
January 7, 1946. He later participated in the

1958 papal conclave The 1958 papal conclave occurred following the death of Pope Pius XII on 9 October 1958. The College of Cardinals met from 25 to 28 October and on the eleventh ballot elected Cardinal Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, Patriarch of Venice as the new pope. ...

, which selected Pope John XXIII. Cardinal Ruffini was also among the ''

papabili ''Papabile'' (, also , ; ; or "able to be pope") is an unofficial Italian term first coined by Vaticanologists and now used internationally in many languages to describe a Catholic man, in practice always a cardinal, who is thought a likely ...

'' at that conclave. During his tenure as

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 ...

's archbishop, he supported

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War ...

,''Time''
"Milestones"
June 23, 1967. but protested against communism and anti-Mafia activist

Danilo Dolci Danilo Dolci (June 28, 1924 – December 30, 1997) was an Italian social activist, sociologist, popular educator and poet. He is best known for his opposition to poverty, social exclusion and the Mafia in Sicily, and is considered to be one of the ...

. He also demanded that the Sicilian bandit

Salvatore Giuliano Salvatore Giuliano (; Sicilian: Turiddu or Sarvaturi Giulianu; 16 November 1922 – 5 July 1950) was an Italian bandit, who rose to prominence in the disorder that followed the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943. In September of that year, Giul ...

cease murdering within Palermo, and was cautious to be tricked into implying that 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 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 preparatory session of the Council. During the discussion on the Council's proposed declaration against

anti-Semitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

, 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 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 ...

who participated in the

1963 papal conclave The 1963 papal conclave was convoked following the death of Pope John XXIII on 3 June 1963 in the Apostolic Palace. After the cardinal electors assembled in Rome, the conclave to elect John's successor began on 19 June and ended two days later, o ...

, which selected Pope Paul VI. He died from a 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 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