Francesco Saverio Caruana (7 July 1759 – 17 November 1847) was a

Maltese Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of Maltese ...

prelate who was

Bishop of Malta The Archdiocese of Malta ( Malti: ''Arċidjoċesi ta' Malta'') is a metropolitan archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in Malta. History Tradition claims that St. Paul the Apostle established the diocese of Malta in the year ...

from 1831 to his death in 1847. He was also a rebel leader during the Maltese uprising of 1798–1800. Caruana was born in

Żebbuġ Żebbuġ ( ), also known by its title Città Rohan, is a city in the Western Region of Malta. It is one of the oldest towns in the country, and its population is 11,074 as of June 2021. History and origins The parish church is dedicated to P ...

on 7 July 1759. At the age of 24, he was ordained priest by Archbishop

Vincenzo Labini Vincenzo Labini (28 April 1735 – 30 April 1807) was an Italian archbishop who served as Bishop of Malta from 1780 till 1807. Biography Labini was born in Bitonto, Italy on April 28, 1735. In 1758 he was ordained priest of the Sovereign Milita ...

, and in 1796 he became canon of the Mdina Cathedral chapter. During the

French occupation of Malta The island of Malta was occupied by France from 1798 to 1800. The Knights Hospitaller surrendered to Napoleon Bonaparte following the French landing in June 1798. In Malta, the French established a constitutional tradition in Maltese history (as ...

Canon Caruana was made a member of the '' Commission de gouvernement'' (Government commission) but resigned some time later when he saw that he could not prevent the French from establishing unjust laws and when they started stealing precious artifices from the Maltese churches. Canon Caruana played a prominent role in the Maltese uprising against the French and in bringing the British to Malta. During the revolt, he was the commander of the battalions of

and

Siġġiewi Siġġiewi ( ), also called by its title Città Ferdinand, is a city and a local council in the Western Region of Malta. It is the third largest council in Malta by surface area, after Rabat and Mellieħa. Siġġiewi is situated on a plateau ...

. Tas-Samra camp and battery fell under his overall command. In 1822 Caruana was nominated as the cathedral archdeacon and in 1829 he was appointed

diocesan administrator A diocesan administrator (also known as archdiocesan administrator, archiepiscopal administrator and eparchial administrator for the case, respectively, of an archdiocese, archeparchy, and eparchy) is a provisional ordinary of a Catholic partic ...

upon the death of Bishop Ferdinando Mattei. Two years later,

Pope Gregory XVI Pope Gregory XVI (; ; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in June 1846. He had adopted the name Mauro upon enteri ...

appointed him as the successor of Mattei; he was consecrated on 15 May 1831 by Publio Maria Sant, who would eventually become his successor in 1847. Bishop Caruana died in 1847, at the age of 88, after 16 years as bishop.

References

1759 births 1847 deaths 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Malta French occupation of Malta People from Żebbuġ Maltese rebels Bishops of Malta {{Malta-RC-bishop-stub