Gennaro Granito Pignatelli di Belmonte

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cardinal name=Gennaro Granito Pignatelli di Belmonte
dipstyle=His Eminence
offstyle=Your Eminence
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See=Albano (suburbicarian), Ostia (suburbicarian) Gennaro Granito Pignatelli di Belmonte (April 10, 1851 - February 16, 1948) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and a prominent member of the Roman Curia.

Gennaro Granito Pignatelli di Belmonte was born on April 10, 1851 in Naples, Italy, the second son of eight children born to Her Serene Highness Donna Francesca di Paola (Paolina) Pignatelli y Aymerich Squarciafico Pinelli Ravaschieri Fieschi, Princess of Belmonte and of the Holy Roman Empire and Don Angelo Granito, Marquess of Castellabate. He was ordained a priest on June 7, 1879 in Naples. He worked in the archdiocese in various roles, amongst which as secretary to Archbishop Guglielmo Sanfelice D'Acquavella, O.S.B.. He was appointed a domestic prelate to the Holy Father on April 4th 1884 and joined the Roman Curia in 1892, where he was attached to the Sacred Congregation for Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs, concerned with foreign affairs of the Holy See. As attaché and counselor, he held posts in the Paris nunciature from 1893 to 1896.

In 1899 Granito Pignatelli di Belmonte was appointed Titular Archbishop of "Edessa di Osrhoëne", consecrated by Mariano Cardinal Rampolla del Tindaro, Secretary of State, in Rome. Concurrently, he became Nuncio in Belgium, later in Austria-Hungary (1904-1911). In 1909 the Nuncio stood as godparent, representing Pope Pius X, to Don Carlos de Austria y de Borbón, son of Archduke Don Leopold Salvator of Habsburg-Lorraine and Infanta Doña Blanca de Borbón y de Borbón.

Pope St. Pius X created him Cardinal Priest with effect from November 27th 1911 giving him the title of "S. Maria degli Angeli". He was appointed a papal legate to the Eucharistic Congress of Lourdes July 12th 1914. On December 6th 1915 he was promoted to Cardinal Bishop of Albano. From December 4th 1916 to March 16th 1919 His Eminence held the post of Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals. He was appointed a papal legate to the Eucharistic Congress of Palermo on August 6th 1924. On February 25th 1930 he was appointed vice-Dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals, becoming Dean on July 9th 1930, when he was chosen as Cardinal Bishop of Ostia in 1930. On July 14th of the same year the new Dean was appointed Prefect of the Congregation of Ceremonies by Pope Pius XI.

He held both of these last posts until his death on February 16, 1948 in Rome. At 96 years of age, he was the longest living cardinal and last surviving cardinal of Pius X. He participated in the conclaves of 1914, 1922 and 1939.

Cardinal Gennaro Granito Pignatelli di Belmonte was appointed Grand Prior of Rome of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta from 1937. In 1911 His Eminence was knighted with the Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Stephen (Santo Stefano) by Archduke Franz Joseph I of Austria.

ources

* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bgranito.html Catholic Hierarchy]
* [http://cgi.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios-g.htm Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church]