Raffaele Monaco La Valletta S.T.D. J.U.D. (23 February 1827 – 14 July 1896) was a Cardinal of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

who served as Secretary of the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office.

Education

Raffaele Monaco La Valletta was born in L'Aquila and was of a family from

Chieti Chieti (, ; , nap, label= Abruzzese, Chjïétë, ; gr, Θεάτη, Theátē; lat, Theate, ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Central Italy, east by northeast of Rome. It is the capital of the province of Chieti in the Abruzzo region. ...

. He was educated at the

Collegio Romano The Roman College ( la, Collegium Romanum, it, Collegio Romano) was a school established by St. Ignatius of Loyola in 1551, just 11 years after he founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). It quickly grew to include classes from elementary school t ...

where he earned a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...

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 ...

. He continued his studies at the

La Sapienza University The Sapienza University of Rome ( it, Sapienza – Università di Roma), also called simply Sapienza or the University of Rome, and formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", is a public research university located in Rome, Ita ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, where he earned a ''doctorate utriusque iuris'' (in both

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 ...

and civil

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

). He ended his studies at the

Pontifical Academy of Ecclesiastical Nobles 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 ...

in 1846.

Priesthood

He was ordained in 1849. He was created Protonotary apostolic supernumerary in 1858. He worked as Pro-assessor for the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office from 1859.

Cardinalate

He was created and proclaimed Cardinal-Priest of

Santa Croce in Gerusalemme The Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem or Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, ( la, Basilica Sanctae Crucis in Hierusalem) is a Catholic Minor basilica and titular church in rione Esquilino, Rome, Italy. It is one of the Seven Pilgrim ...

by Pope Pius IX in the consistory of 13 March 1868. He participated in the First Vatican Council from 1869-1870.

Episcopate

He 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 Eraclea on 9 January 1874 and consecrated by Pope Pius IX himself.Catholic Hierarchy
/ref> He was appointed

Vicar General of Rome it, Vicario Generale di Sua Santità , unofficial_names = Cardinal Vicar , insignia = Coat of arms Holy See.svg , insigniasize = 75px , insigniacaption = Coat of arms of the Diocese of Rome , image = AngeloDeDonatis.jpg , incumbent = Angel ...

by Pope Pius on 21 December 1876. He participated in the

conclave of 1878 The 1878 papal conclave, which resulted from the death of Pope Pius IX on 7 February 1878, met from 18 to 20 February. The conclave followed the longest reign of any other pope since Saint Peter. It was the first election of a pope who would not ...

that elected

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 ...

. On 21 December 1878 he ordained Giacomo della Chiesa, who was to become

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 ...

, and on 20 December 1879 he ordained Ambrogio Achille Ratti, who succeeded Benedict XV as Pope Pius XI. He was appointed Camerlengo of the

Sacred 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 ...

by Pope Leo in 1880. He served as Major Penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary, dispensing

indulgence In the teaching of the Catholic Church, an indulgence (, from , 'permit') is "a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for sins". The ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' describes an indulgence as "a remission before God of ...

s from 12 February 1884 until his death. He was also appointed to the office of Secretary of the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office, guarding the orthodoxy of Church doctrine from 1884 until his death. He was elected to the order of bishops and the suburbicarian see of Albano on 24 March 1884. He was elected to the suburbicarian see of Ostia on 24 May 1889 and thus became Dean of the

. He died in 1896 in

Agerola Agerola is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about 35 km southeast of Naples. It is part of the Amalfi Coast. Geography The municipality of Agerola, situated close to the t ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Monaco La Valletta, Raffaele 1827 births 1896 deaths Deans of the College of Cardinals 19th-century Italian cardinals Cardinals created by Pope Pius IX Cardinal-bishops of Albano Cardinal Vicars Members of the Holy Office Major Penitentiaries of the Apostolic Penitentiary Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy alumni