Federico Tedeschini (12 October 1873 – 2 November 1959) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

cardinal of the Holy Roman 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 ...

who served as papal datary in the Roman Curia from 1938 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1933 '' in pectore'' (published 1935) by Pope Pius XI.

Biography

Born in Antrodoco, Tedeschini studied 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 ...

in Rieti and, together with his fellow theologian

Eugenio Pacelli 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 ...

, later to be Pope Pius XII, at the

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

, before being

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 ...

to the priesthood on 25 July 1896. He then served as a seminary professor and

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

theologian 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 ...

of the cathedral chapter in Rieti until 1901. Father Tedeschini was raised to the rank of privy chamberlain of his holiness on 6 November 1903, and chancellor of the Secretariat of Briefs in the Roman Curia on 20 October 1908. He became substitute for general affairs, or deputy, of the Secretary of State on 24 September 1914. On 31 March 1921, he became

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

and on 30 April 1921 was appointed

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 Naupactus by

Pope Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (Latin: ''Benedictus XV''; it, Benedetto XV), born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, name=, group= (; 21 November 185422 January 1922), was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His ...

. He received his

episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

on the following 5 May from Pope Benedict, with Archbishop

Giovanni Nasalli Rocca di Corneliano Giovanni Battista Nasalli Rocca di Corneliano (27 August 1872 – 13 March 1952) was an Italian Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of Bologna from 1921 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1923. Biog ...

and Bishop Agostino Zampini, OSA, serving as co-consecrators, in the

Sistine Chapel The Sistine Chapel (; la, Sacellum Sixtinum; it, Cappella Sistina ) is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the pope in Vatican City. Originally known as the ''Cappella Magna'' ('Great Chapel'), the chapel takes its nam ...

. During his tenure as nuncio, Tedeschini founded the Spanish

Catholic Action Catholic Action is the name of groups of lay Catholics who advocate for increased Catholic influence on society. They were especially active in the nineteenth century in historically Catholic countries under anti-clerical regimes such as Spain, I ...

. With Spain on the brink of

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, Pope Pius XI secretly (''in pectore'') elevated him to 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 ...

on 13 March 1933. His appointment was published in the

consistory Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church * Consistor ...

of 16 December 1935, and he became

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 ...

of Santa Maria della Vittoria. He was named papal datary on 25 February 1938, and served as a cardinal elector in the 1939 papal conclave that selected Pope Pius XII,

Tedeschini and Pope Pius XII

Pope Pius XII appreciated in his former fellow student "a very special quality of spirit and heart". He appointed him his own successor as Archpriest of

St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal e ...

on 14 March 1939. He was appointed

Cardinal Bishop of Frascati The Diocese of Frascati (Lat.: ''Tusculana'') is a suburbicarian see of the Holy Roman Church and a diocese of the Catholic Church in Italy, based at Frascati, near Rome. The bishop of Frascati is a Cardinal Bishop; from the Latin name of the a ...

on 28 April 1951. In 1950,

Pius XII Pius ( , ) Latin for "pious", is a masculine given name. Its feminine form is Pia. It may refer to: People Popes * Pope Pius (disambiguation) * Antipope Pius XIII (1918-2009), who led the breakaway True Catholic Church sect Given name * Pius ...

gratefully acknowledged the participation of Tedeschini in preparing the proclamation of the dogma of the Assumption of the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

and highlighted his role in the apostolic constitution ''

Munificentissimus Deus ''Munificentissimus Deus'' ( la, The most bountiful God) is the name of an apostolic constitution written by Pope Pius XII. It defines ''ex cathedra'' the dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was the first ''ex-cathedra'' in ...

''. Sharing a special affection for the Virgin Mary, Pope Pius XII asked Tedeschini to be his representative at the centennial celebrations in

Lourdes Lourdes (, also , ; oc, Lorda ) is a market town situated in the Pyrenees. It is part of the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. Prior to the mid-19th century, the town was best known for the Châ ...

. He participated in the conclave of 1958, which resulted in the election of

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...

. Cardinal Tedeschini died from cancer in Rome, at age 86, leaving his entire estate (over $25,000) to his nephews."Question of Money"
''Time''. 22 August 1960. He is buried in the grotto of St. Peter's Basilica.

Sources

* Pio XII, ''Discorsi e Radiomessaggi di Sua Santità'' (Vol I-XX) Tipografia Poliglotta Vaticana, 1939-1959

References

External links

Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tedeschini, Federico 1873 births 1959 deaths 20th-century Italian cardinals Cardinal-bishops of Frascati Diplomats of the Holy See Cardinals created by Pope Pius XI Pontifical Roman Seminary alumni Grand Crosses 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Deaths from cancer in Lazio