Niccolò Marini

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Styles of Niccolò Cardinal Marini


Reference style	His Eminence
Spoken style	Your Eminence
Informal style	Cardinal
See	none

Niccolò Cardinal Marini (August 20, 1843—July 27, 1923) was an Italian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Secretary of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches from 1917 to 1922, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1916.

[edit] Biography

Niccolò Marini was born in Rome, and a relative of Pietro Cardinal Marini. He studied at the Collegio Capranica; Pontifical Gregorian University, from where he obtained his doctorates in philosophy, in theology, and in canon and civil law; and Royal University of Rome. Marini was ordained to the priesthood on June 26, 1866, and then did pastoral work in Rome.

Founder of the Catholic daily Il buon senso, he also worked with Catholic Action in creating the feminine circle Gaetana Agnesi. Marini was later named vicar general of Luigi Cardinal Oreglia di Santo Stefano. He was made an official of the Sacred Consistorial Congregation in 1878, and Privy Chamberlain de numero participante on July 20, 1881. On March 27, 1882, he acted as ablegato in delivering the red biretta to the newly-created cardinal, Joaquín Lluch y Garriga. After being appointed a canon of the chapter of the Lateran Basilica, Marini was an attaché in the nunciature to Spain from 1882 to 1889. He was then named a canon of St. Peter's Basilica on July 11, 1889, Substitute (or deputy) of the Secretariat of Briefs on March 18, 1892, and both Domestic Prelate of His Holiness and Protonotary apostolic ad instar participantium two days later, on March 20.

Marini was highly active in pursuing greater unity between the Eastern Christianity and the Western Church. It was this pursuit that took him on travels to the Holy Land, Egypt, Greece, and North Africa. Within the Roman Curia, he was made a consultor to the Sacred Congregation of Studies (October 10, 1902), Pontifical Biblical Commission (1911), Commission for the Codification of Canon Law (March 9, 1912), and to the liturgical section of the Sacred Congregation of Rites (March 26, 1914). He was appointed Secretary of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature on October 20, 1908. As Secretary, Marini served as the second-highest official of the dicastery, under Vincenzo Cardinal Vannutelli. He was highly decorated as well, having been made Commander of the Order of Queen Isabel of Spain, of the Order of the Crown of Prussia, and of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, and an Officer of the Légion d'honneur.

Pope Benedict XV created him Cardinal Deacon of S. Maria in Domnica in the consistory of December 4, 1916. Marini, who never became a bishop, was named to the Commission of Historical Studies on January 4, 1917. He was made Secretary of the Sacred Congregation for the Oriental Churches on November 29, 1917, essentially serving as head of that congregation as the Pope was the nominal Prefect at that time. The Cardinal later resigned his post because of his advanced age and poor health in 1922. During that same year, he participated in the papal conclave that selected Pope Pius XI. One of his last appointments was as Protector and Visitor of all the Oriental Institutes of Rome on July 28, 1922.

Cardinal Marini died in Rome, at age. He is buried in the Campo di Verano cemetery.

Preceded by unknown	Secretary of the Congregation for Oriental Churches 1917–1922	Succeeded by Giovanni Tacci Porcelli