Francesco Segna S.T.D. (31 August 1836 - 4 January 1911) was a

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and Archivist of the Holy Roman Church. Francesco Segna was born in Poggio Ginolfo,

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. He was of a noble and rich family. He was educated at the Jesuit school, Tivoli and later at the Roman Seminary in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

where he earned a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

and at the

La Sapienza University The Sapienza University of Rome (), formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", abbreviated simply as Sapienza ('Wisdom'), is a Public university, public research university located in Rome, Italy. It was founded in 1303 and is ...

where he received a doctorate in

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

Priesthood

He was ordained to the priesthood on 20 December 1860. He was appointed as

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

of dogma at the Pontifical Roman Athenaeum of S. Apollinare in 1869. He served as a canonist of the

Apostolic Penitentiary The Apostolic Penitentiary (), formerly called the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Penitentiary, is a dicastery led by the Major Penitentiary of the Roman Curia and is one of the three ordinary tribunals of the Holy See, Apostolic See. The Ap ...

. While in Rome he was also

undersecretary Undersecretary (or under secretary) is a title for a person who works for and has a lower rank than a secretary (person in charge). It is used in the executive branch of government, with different meanings in different political systems, and is a ...

of the Congregation for Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs from 1881. He was created Domestic prelate of His Holiness in 1884. He left Rome to become the

Auditor An auditor is a person or a firm appointed by a company to execute an audit.Practical Auditing, Kul Narsingh Shrestha, 2012, Nabin Prakashan, Nepal To act as an auditor, a person should be certified by the regulatory authority of accounting an ...

of the nunciature in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

in 1884 and was promoted to be the

chargé d'affaires A (), plural ''chargés d'affaires'', often shortened to ''chargé'' (French) and sometimes in colloquial English to ''charge-D'', is a diplomat who serves as an embassy's chief of mission in the absence of the ambassador. The term is Frenc ...

in 1887. After his service in Spain he returned to Rome to become an auditor of the

Roman Rota The Roman Rota, formally the Apostolic Tribunal of the Roman Rota (), and anciently the Apostolic Court of Audience, is the highest appellate tribunal of the Catholic Church, with respect to both Latin Church members and the Eastern Catholic m ...

in 1888. He returned to the Congregation for Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs to become its secretary (in effect its chief official as the Pope held the title of Prefect) on 13 July 1891.

Cardinalate

He was created and Cardinal-Deacon of Santa Maria in Portico by

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...

in the consistory of 18 May 1894. He resigned his post at the Congregation for Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs the same day and was appointed Archivist of the Holy Roman ChurchFlorida International University website, Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church website, ''Biographical Dictionary of Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903), Consistory of May 18, 1894 (XX)''
/ref> on 4 July 1896. He was a cardinal elector in the conclave of 1903 that elected

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X (; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing Modernism in the Catholic Church, modern ...

.California State University Northbridge website, ''Sede Vacante 1903''
/ref> He was Cardinal protodeacon (that is the longest serving Cardinal-Deacon). He was appointed as Prefect of the Congregation of the Index on 13 January 1908 holding the post until his death in 1911.

Publications

*''Francisci Card: Segna Libellus Retractationum'' *''De ecclesiae Christi; constitutione et regimine ...''Hathi Trust website, ''De ecclesiae Christi; constitutione et regimine ...'' (1900)
/ref>

References

External links

Lumen Association website
''Il Cardinale Francesco Segna'' by Terenzio Flamini (online copy in Italian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Segna, Francesco 1836 births 1911 deaths Italian archivists 19th-century Italian cardinals Cardinals created by Pope Leo XIII Protodeacons 19th-century Italian Roman Catholic titular archbishops 20th-century Italian cardinals