Sebastiano Martinelli

infobox cardinalstyles
cardinal name=Sebastiano Cardinal Martinelli| dipstyle=His Eminence
offstyle=Your Eminence
See=Epheusus (titular see)|"His Most Reverend Eminence" Sebastiano Cardinal Martinelli (20 August 1848 - 4 July 1918) was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and was former Prefect of the Congregation of Rites.

Sebastiano Martinelli was born in Borgo Sant'Anna within the Archdiocese of Lucca, Italy. He was the son of Cosma Martinelli and Maddalena Pardini. His brother was Tommaso Cardinal Martinelli.

Education

He entered the Seminary "San Michele" in Lucca and later the Collegio Sant'Agostino in Rome. He joined the Order of the Hermits of Saint Augustine on 6 December 1863 and was professed on 6 January 1865.

Priesthood

He was ordained on 4 March 1871 in Rome. He served as a Professor of theology at the Collegio "Santa Maria in Pusterula", Rome. Named postulator causarum servorum Dei of the Augustinian order in 1881. He was Prior general of his Order in 1889 and was reelected in 1895. He was appointed as apostolic delegate to the United States on 18 April 1896 by Pope Leo XIII.

Episcopate

He was appointed titular archbishop of Ephesus on 18 August 1896. He was consecrated on August 30 1896, by Mariano Cardinal Rampolla, Cardinal Secretary of State. He took possession of the delegation, October 4 1896.

Cardinalate

He was created and proclaimed Cardinal-Priest of "S. Agostino" by Pope Leo XIII on 15 April 1901. He participated in conclave of 1903 that elected Pope Pius X. He served alongside Pietro Cardinal Gasparri as a member of the commission for the codification of canon law between 1906 and 1917. He was appointed as Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals on 15 April 1907 until April 29 1909. He served as the Prefect of the Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Rites since his appointement by Pope Pius in 1909. He did not participate in the conclave of 1914 that elected Pope Benedict XV because of illness. He died in 1918, with Europe on the brink of war.