Sebastiano Martinelli (20 August 1848 – 4 July 1918) 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

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who served as Prefect of the Congregation of Rites.

Early life

Sebastiano Martinelli was born in Borgo Sant'Anna within the Archdiocese of Lucca,

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 the son of Cosma Martinelli and Maddalena Pardini. His brother was Cardinal Tommaso Martinelli. He studied in the San Michele Seminary in

Lucca Città di Lucca ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its Province of Lucca, province has a population of 383,9 ...

and later the Collegio Sant'Agostino in Rome. He joined the Order of the Hermits of Saint Augustine (

Augustinians Augustinians are members of several religious orders that follow the Rule of Saint Augustine, written about 400 A.D. by Augustine of Hippo. There are two distinct types of Augustinians in Catholic religious orders dating back to the 12th–13 ...

) on 6 December 1863 and was professed on 6 January 1865.

Ecclesiastical career

Priesthood

He was ordained on 4 March 1871 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, ...

. He served as a

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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 ...

at the Santa Maria in Posterula College, Rome. He was named ''postulator causarum servorum Dei'' of the

Augustinian Order Augustinians are members of several religious orders that follow the Rule of Saint Augustine, written about 400 A.D. by Augustine of Hippo. There are two distinct types of Augustinians in Catholic religious orders dating back to the 12th–13th ...

in 1881. He became prior general of his Order in 1889 and was reelected in 1895.

Episcopate

He was appointed apostolic delegate to the United States on 18 April 1896 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 ...

and

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 ...

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on 18 August 1896. He was consecrated on 30 August 1896, by Mariano Rampolla,

Cardinal 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 of the Holy See, the oldest and most important dicastery of the Roman Curia. Th ...

. He took possession of the apostolic delegation on 4 October 1896. He was much more popular than his predecessor, Cardinal Satolli. In this role, he attended the dedication of St. Mary's Church in

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Cardinalate

He was created and proclaimed '' Cardinal-Priest of Sant'Agostino'' by

on 15 April 1901, and received the red hat on 9 June 1902. He participated in the 1903 conclave 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 ...

. He was a member of the commission, headed by Cardinal Pietro Gasparri, for the codification of

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 ...

(1906–1917). He was Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals from 15 April 1907 until 29 April 1909. He was appointed Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Rites on 8 February 1909. He did not participate in the conclave of 1914 that elected

Pope Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (; ; born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, ; 21 November 1854 – 22 January 1922) was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His pontificate was largely overshadowed by World War I a ...

because of illness. He died in Rome on 4 July 1918, and is buried in Rome's Campo Verano cemetery.

Personality and appearance

The ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', upon Martinelli's arrival in America as the new apostolic delegate in 1896, published a thorough assessment of the bishop's personal appearance and personality. The newspaper described him thus:

ishop Martinelli speaksexcellent English, with only a slight accent. His voice is soft and musical, and he is very graceful, with an attractive manner. He is a small man, not over 5 feet 5 inches in height, of good build, and he has a typical Italian face. He is very dark, his hair is black and his eyes brilliantly black. The eyes are of the kind that seem to look clear through one. They are the most pronounced feature of their possessor. He has a very square jaw, and when he smiles there is a slight curl of the under lip . Altogether the face is one that strikes an observer as that of a more than ordinarily intelligent man.

Notes and references

;Notes ;References ;Works cited * * *

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martinelli, Sebastiano Apostolic nuncios to the United States 20th-century Italian cardinals Cardinals created by Pope Leo XIII 1848 births 1918 deaths Members of the Sacred Congregation for Rites Burials at Campo Verano Augustinian cardinals