Mariano Rampolla del Tindaro (17 August 1843 –17 December 1913) was an Italian Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church.
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Born in Polizzi Generosa, Sicily, Rampolla was the son of Ignazio Rampolla, Count of Tindaro, and of his wife, Orsola Errante. He is often referred to with the title of marquess, but this appears to be inaccurate.
Rampolla was educated at the Collegio Capranica and the Pontifical Gregorian University. Having displayed a considerable knowledge in Oriental affairs, he was sent to the Pontifical Academy of Ecclesiastical Nobles as preparation for service in the Roman Curia.
In 1866 Rampolla was ordained a priest. In 1874 he was named a Canon of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. In 1875 he was sent to Spain as Auditor of the papal nunciature. In 1877 he returned to Rome and was named Secretary for Oriental Affairs of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith. The following year he was made a Protonotary apostolic de numero participantium. In 1880 he was named Secretary of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, and then also Secretary of the Congregation of Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs. On 1 December 1882 Rampolla was appointed titular archbishop of Heraclea in Europa, and consecrated bishop by Cardinal Edward Henry Howard. This was in preparation for his nomination as Apostolic Nuncio to Spain several weeks later.
| Styles of Mariano Rampolla del Tindaro |
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|---|---|
| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
| See | Heraclea in Europa (titular) |
On 14 March 1887, at the age of 43, Pope Leo XIII created and proclaimed Rampolla del Tindaro, Cardinal-Priest of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere. On 2 June he was appointed Secretary of State. In this office (as previously in Spain), Rampolla employed Giacomo della Chiesa, the future Benedict XV, as his secretary.
When Leo XIII died in 1903, it was widely expected that Rampolla would be elected pope. His candidacy gained momentum until the last moment, but the Austrian Emperor Francis Joseph I (one of the three Catholic powers with pretensions to such a capacity) imposed a veto, the "Jus Exclusivæ", right in the middle of the Conclave, through the agency of Cardinal Jan Puzyna de Kosielsko, Prince-Archbishop of Kraków, who was subsequently awarded the highest Austro-Hungarian decoration, the Grand Cross of State. The Austrian Cardinal Anton Josef Gruscha refused to express the veto of his emperor, who turned then to the Polish Cardinal of Krakow. The Polish cardinal was jeered by the others with "Pudeat te! Pudeat te!" (Shame on you! Shame on you!), when he announced the veto.[1]
Secretary of the Conclave, Archbishop Rafael Merry del Val reported later that Cardinal Jan Puzyna de Kosielsko of Krakow came to see him, demanding to announce his veto against Cardinal Rampolla in the name of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria of Austria-Hungary. Merry Del Val protested and refused to even accept the document, which, in the heat of the debate fell on the floor and was picked up by Jan Puzyna de Kosielsko himself, as the young Monsignore refused to bend down and touch such a document.[2] Rampolla, according to Merry del Val, actually gained votes after the veto. Later, Merry del Val opined to Ludwig von Pastor that Rampolla never had a chance, because the cardinals wanted a new direction after the pontificate of Pope Leo XIII.[2]
The reasons for Austria's opposition have never been clarified. Possibly, the veto was a result of the pro-French positions adopted by Rampolla, positions which reflected the policies of Leo XIII. Part of the Holy See's unsuccessful policy involving France was the attempted reconciliation of French Catholics with their nation's republican government. Informed sources at the time claimed that Austria acted on behalf of Italy's government through the intervention of State Minister Zanardelli [3]
Craig Heimbichner, writing in the August 2003 Catholic Family News, states that Monsignor Jouin is said to have intervened personally with Emperor Franz Joseph to ask for the Jus Exclusivae to be invoked, having some evidence that Cardinal Rampolla had at least a close affinity with the Freemasons.[4] The OTO itself, in the November, 1999 newsletter for Thelema Lodge in Berkeley, California, acknowledges that Msgr. Jouin accused Cardinal Rampolla of belonging to the OTO..[5][6]
While formally protesting this intrusion, the Cardinals recognized the existing legal right of the emperor and would not specifically offend such a prominent Catholic power, and support for Rampolla dissipated, leading to the election of Giuseppe Sarto as Pope Pius X. Explicitly abolishing any veto rights was one of the new Pope's first official acts.
Pius X chose the secretary of the conclave that had elected him, Rafael Merry del Val, to succeed Rampolla as Secretary of State. However, Rampolla remained Arch-Priest of Saint Peter's.,[3] a position to which he had been appointed by Leo XIII. He lived in a modest house behind Saint Peter's Basilica. Between 1908 and his death in 1913, Rampolla served as Secretary (then the head) of the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office. In 1912, Pope Pius X appointed Rampolla, in addition to his role as head the Holy Office, as Archivist and Librarian of the Holy Roman Church, a position he held until his death.
Symbolising successful papal diplomacy and worldwide contacts, he continued to be viewed as a most likely successor to Pope Pius X in case of the pontiff's death. Rampolla died suddenly in Rome on December 16, 1913 at age seventy, some months before the pope died in August 1914.[7] His friend and closest collaborator, Cardinal Giacomo della Chiesa, presided over his funeral ceremonies and a few months later was elected as Pope Benedict XV.
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Angelo Bianchi |
Nuncio to Spain 19 December 1882 - 2 June 1887 |
Succeeded by Angelo Di Pietro |
| Preceded by Luigi Jacobini |
Cardinal Secretary of State 1887-1903 |
Succeeded by Rafael Merry del Val |
| Preceded by Gaetano Aloisi Masella |
Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals 16 January 1893-18 May 1894 |
Succeeded by Fulco Luigi Ruffo-Scilla |
| Preceded by Francesco Ricci Paracciani |
Archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica 1894 - 1913 |
Succeeded by Rafael Merry del Val |
| Preceded by Francesco Salesio Della Volpe |
Archivist of the Holy Roman Church 1912 - 16 December 1913 |
Succeeded by Francesco di Paola Cassetta |
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