Fernando Cento (10 August 1883 – 13 January 1973) was a

cardinal of the Catholic 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 Major Penitentiary of Apostolic Penitentiary.

Early life

Fernando Cento was born in

Pollenza Pollenza is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Macerata in the Italian region Marche, located about southwest of Ancona and about southwest of Macerata. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 6,086 and an area of .All de ...

, Italy. His parents were Evaristo Cento and his second wife, Ermelinda Andreani. He had a half-sister, Rosa, and a brother, Vincenzo. He was educated 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 ...

Macerata Macerata () is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy, the county seat of the province of Macerata in the Marche region. It has a population of about 41,564. History The historical city centre is on a hill between the Chienti and Potenza r ...

from 1893 to 1905, where he was taught philosophy and

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 th ...

, and later at the

Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school (pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

, where he studied

canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

. He continued his studies at

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 where he obtained a doctorate in letters. He received the

diaconate A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

on 17 December 1905 in the basilica of the Madonna della Misericordia.

Priest

He was ordained on 23 December 1905 in

; he had to obtain a dispensation for being not yet 23. He served as professor of literature at the Seminary of Macerata and of philosophy at the State Institute of Macerata from 1906 to 1916. He demonstrated excellent qualities as a preacher in several Italian dioceses. He was called to military service when Italy entered the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

in 1915 and was attached to the military hospital of

Ancona Ancona (, also , ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region in central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region. The city is located northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic ...

from 1915 to 1917. He was created

Privy chamberlain of His Holiness A Chaplain of His Holiness is a priest to whom the Pope has granted this title. They are addressed as Monsignor and have certain privileges with respect to ecclesiastical dress and vestments.Bishop of Acireale The Italian Catholic diocese of Acireale ( la, Dioecesis Iaciensis) is in Sicily. It has existed since 1844. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Catania. Bishops * Gerlando Maria Genuardi (1872–1907) * Giovanni Battista Arista (1907–19 ...

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fr ...

on 22 July 1922. He was consecrated on 3 September 1922, by Cardinal

Giovanni Tacci Porcelli Giovanni Tacci Porcelli known as Giovanni Tacci (12 November 1863 – 30 June 1928) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who was Bishop of Città della Pieve for twenty years, then a papal ambassador, and finally secretary of the ...

, Secretary of the Congregation for the Oriental Church, assisted by Domenico Pasi,

Bishop of Macerata-Tolentino The Diocese of Macerata- Tolentino was a Roman Catholic diocese in Italy founded in 1586 from a merger of the Diocese of Macerata and the Diocese of Tolentino. In 1986 it became the Diocese of Macerata-Tolentino-Recanati-Cingoli-Treia The Dioc ...

, and by Placido Ferniani,

Bishop of Ruvo e Bitonto The diocese of Ruvo was a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory in Apulia, southern Italy, which existed until 1986, when it was united into the diocese of Molfetta-Ruvo-Giovinazzo-Terlizzi. From 1818 to 1982, it was united with the diocese o ...

. He was promoted to

Titular Archbishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In ...

of Seleucia Pieria on 24 June 1926 and was appointed

Apostolic Nuncio to Venezuela The Apostolic Nunciature to Venezuela is the diplomatic mission of the Holy See to Venezuela, formally established in 1921. The most recent Apostolic Nuncio is Archbishop Aldo Giordano, who was named to the position by Pope Francis on 26 Octo ...

four days later. He was next named

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

on 26 July 1936. In addition, he was responsible for the affairs of the church in

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar language, Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechuan ...

, which did not have diplomatic relations with the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

for nearly forty years. He was named nuncio to Ecuador on 25 July 1937 once the Ecuadorian government and the Holy See established diplomatic relations. He was appointed nuncio to Belgium and Internuncio to

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small land ...

on 9 March 1946. He became Nuncio to Portugal on 26 October 1953.

Cardinal

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 Roman Catholic Church, Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 28 Oc ...

created him a cardinal of the order of cardinal priests on 15 December 1958 and assigned

Sant'Eustachio Sant'Eustachio is a Roman Catholic titular church and minor basilica in Rome, named for the martyr Saint Eustace. It is located on Via di Sant'Eustachio in the rione Sant'Eustachio, a block west of the Pantheon and via della Rotonda, and a b ...

as his titular church on 12 March 1959. He was appointed as Major Penitentiary of Apostolic Penitentiary on 12 February 1962. He attended the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...

for which he produced a report on the practice of

indulgences 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 ...

that was not favorably received by many at the council. He participated in the conclave of 1963 that elected

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

. He was named a Cardinal bishop and given the title of the

suburbicarian see The seven suburbicarian dioceses are Roman Catholic dioceses located in the vicinity of Rome, whose (titular) bishops are the (now six) ordinary members of the highest-ranking order of cardinals, the cardinal bishops (to which the cardinal-patriarch ...

Velletri Velletri (; la, Velitrae; xvo, Velester) is an Italian ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, approximately 40 km to the southeast of the city centre, located in the Alban Hills, in the region of Lazio, central Italy. Neighbouring co ...

on 23 April 1965. He resigned his post of Major Penitentiary in 1967. He died on 13 January 1973 in Rome. He was buried in the parish church of S. Antonio, Pollenza, where he had celebrated his first mass.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cento, Fernando 1883 births 1973 deaths 20th-century Italian Roman Catholic titular archbishops Bishops in Sicily 20th-century Italian cardinals Apostolic Nuncios to Belgium Apostolic Nuncios to Luxembourg Apostolic Nuncios to Portugal Apostolic Nuncios to Venezuela Apostolic Nuncios to Peru Apostolic Nuncios to Ecuador Participants in the Second Vatican Council Grand Crosses with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Major Penitentiaries of the Apostolic Penitentiary Cardinals created by Pope John XXIII