Giovanni Simeoni (July 12, 1816 – January 14, 1892) was an Italian prelate of the

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 ...

who was appointed 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 ...

in 1875 and served as Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for Propagation of the Faith from 1878 until his death in 1892.

Biography

Giovanni Simeoni was born in Paliano; his father was a majordomo of the Colonna family. He attended the

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

in Palestrina before going to

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, ...

to study at the '' Collegio Romano'' and ''La Sapienza'' University, where he studied

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

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

. The Colonna family subsidized his studies. Simeoni was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

to the priesthood in 1839. He then served as preceptor of the children of Prince Colonna, and 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 ...

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

and theology at the Pontifical Urban Athenaeum of ''Propaganda Fide''. After being raised to the rank of Privy Chamberlain of His Holiness, he was made

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 to

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 ...

and Domestic Prelate of His Holiness (1857). Simeoni later became ''adiutor ab actis'' of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, and served as the Congregation's

secretary A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...

from 1868 to 1875. On March 5, 1875, Simeoni was appointed

Nuncio An apostolic nuncio (; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is ...

to Spain and Titular Archbishop of Chalcedon by

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...

. Pope Pius also secretly ('' in pectore'') elevated him to the

College of Cardinals The College of Cardinals (), also called the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. there are cardinals, of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Appointed by the pope, ...

in the consistory of March 15 of that same year. Simeoni received his episcopal consecration on the following April 4 from Cardinal Alessandro Franchi, with Archbishops Edward Henry Howard and Pietro Villanova Castellacci serving as

co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churche ...

, in the

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

of the Pontifical Urban Athenaeum of ''Propaganda Fide''. Simeoni was published as

Cardinal-Priest A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. ...

of '' San Pietro in Vincoli'' in the consistory of September 17, 1875. Between December 18, 1876 and the death of

on February 7, 1878, he also served as

Vatican Secretary of State The Secretary of State of His Holiness (; ), also known as the Cardinal Secretary of State or the Vatican Secretary of State, presides over the Secretariat of State (Holy See), Secretariat of State of the Holy See, the oldest and most important ...

, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Public Ecclesiastical Affairs, Prefect of the Apostolic Palace, and Administrator of the Patrimony of the Holy See; Pius IX had designated him as

executor An executor is someone who is responsible for executing, or following through on, an assigned task or duty. The feminine form, executrix, is sometimes used. Executor of will An executor is a legal term referring to a person named by the maker o ...

of his

will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

as well. The Cardinal then participated in the conclave of 1878, which resulted in the election of

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 ...

, who confirmed him as Prefect of the Apostolic Palace and Administrator of the Patrimony of the Holy See. From 1878 until his death, he served as Protector of the Pontifical North American College in Rome. Simeoni was named

Prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect' ...

of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, also known as the "Red Pope", on March 5, 1878, and president of the

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

seminaries of Rome on January 1, 1885. From March 27, 1885 to January 15, 1886, he served as Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals. During his tenure as the head of the Catholic Church's global missionary network, Cardinal Simeoni became very important to the history of African-American Roman Catholicism. In November 1883, Cardinal Simeoni summoned all the Bishops of the

Catholic Church in the United States The Catholic Church in the United States is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in full communion, communion with the pope, who as of 2025 is Chicago, Illinois-born Pope Leo XIV, Leo XIV. With 23 percent of the United States' population , t ...

to Rome. During the meeting, the Cardinal shared a list of twelve concerns he wished the American Bishops to address. In particular, Simeoni, "noted that little had been done for emancipated slaves since the last Council. ealso proposed a special collection in parishes that would benefit missions to Blacks in America." This is also why newly ordained

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

priest Fr. Augustus Tolton was reassigned in 1886 from his original plans to be a missionary in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

to instead travel from the Pontifical Urban University in Rome to instead serve as a Catholic missionary to the Black community in the United States. Cardinal Simeoni famously quipped, while issuing the orders in a document that still survives in the Vatican archives, "America has been called the most enlightened nation. We will see if it deserves the honor. If America has never seen a Negro priest, it will see one now." Cardinal Simeoni died in Rome, at the age of 75. After lying in state in the church of the Pontifical Urban Athenaeum of ''Propaganda Fide'', he was buried in the chapel of the same athenaeum in the Campo Verano cemetery. Simeoni also left his notable art collection to the

Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

in his will.

Episcopal lineage

Simeoni's episcopal lineage, or

apostolic succession Apostolic succession is the method whereby the Christian ministry, ministry of the Christian Church is considered by some Christian denominations to be derived from the Twelve Apostles, apostles by a continuous succession, which has usually been ...

was: * Cardinal Scipione Rebiba * Cardinal Giulio Antonio Santorio * Cardinal Girolamo Bernerio *

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

Galeazzo Sanvitale * Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi * Cardinal Luigi Caetani * Cardinal Ulderico Carpegna * Cardinal Paluzzo Paluzzi Altieri degli Albertoni * Pope Benedict XIII * Pope Benedict XIV * Cardinal Enrico Enríquez * Archbishop Manuel Quintano Bonifaz * Cardinal Buenaventura Fernández de Córdoba Spínola * Cardinal Giuseppe Doria Pamphili *

Pope Pius VIII Pope Pius VIII (; born Francesco Saverio Maria Felice Castiglioni; 20 November 1761 – 30 November 1830) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 31 March 1829 to his death in November 1830. Pius VIII's pontificate wa ...

* Cardinal Alessandro Franchi * Cardinal Giovanni Simeoni

References

External links

Catholic-Hierarchy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simeoni, Giovanni 1816 births 1892 deaths People from the Province of Frosinone 19th-century Italian cardinals African-American Roman Catholicism Cardinals created by Pope Pius IX 19th-century Italian Roman Catholic archbishops Cardinal Secretaries of State Members of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith Bishops appointed by Pope Pius IX