Sisto Riario Sforza

Sisto Riario Sforza (5 December 1810 – 29 September 1877) was an Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church in the mid 19th century.

Biography

Sforza was born in Naples, Italy and belonged to the noble House of Riario-Sforza. He was the son of Giovanni Antonio Riario Sforza and Maria Gaetana Cattaneo della Volta. He was also a nephew of Cardinal Tommaso Riario Sforza. Other cardinals belonging to his family were Pietro Riario, O.F.M., Raffaele Sansoni Riario and Alessandro Riario.

Sforza was educated at the Roman Seminary, Rome, the Pontifical Academy of Ecclesiastical Noble, Rome and La Sapienza University, Rome. He obtained a Doctorate in Theology by apostolic brief on April 23 1845. On January 1 1825 he received the ecclesiastical habit, followed by the clerical tonsure on February 13 1825. Minor orders were received on December 25 1826, subdiaconate on April 21 1832 and he was ordained a priest on September 1 1833 in Naples by archbishop Filippo Giudice Caracciolo.

He worked for many years as privy chamberlain of the pope and was made "abbot commendatario" of "S. Paolo in Albano" and "vicar of the cardinal camerlengo" in the "school of S. Maria in Via Lata Abletgato". He also was canon" of the patriarchal Vatican basilica" and private secretary of the pope in 1841.

As secretary of memorials, Sforza accompanied Pope Gregory XVI on his trip to Umbria and Rieti in 1842. He contributed to the conversion to Roman-Catholicism of count Otto-Magnus von Stackelberg and prince Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin. King Ferdinando II of the Two Sicilies proposed him to the pope to occupy the see of the Bishopric of Aversa, which he did on April 24 1845.

Sforza was made Assistant at the Pontifical Throne on May 17 1845 and was promoted to the metropolitan see of Naples on November 24 1845. He was created a cardinal priest in the consistory of January 19 1846 with dispensation for having an uncle who was a cardinal. He received the red hat (symbol of a cardinal) and the title church of S. Sabina on April 16 1846. He participated in the Papal conclave of 1846.

Sforza was forcibly exiled after the collapse of the kingdom of the Two Sicilies, September 1860 to July 1861 and 1862 to 1866 and also participated in the First Vatican Council, where he spoke out against the decision to proclaim the Dogma of papal infallibility. [http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/91007Biography website (Italian )]

He died September 29 1877 in Naples and was exposed and buried in the metropolitan cathedral of Naples.

The informative process for his beatification started in 1927 in Naples and the canonical process in Rome in 1947.

Pope Leo XIII has said that he would not be elected pope with Cardinal Riario Sforza alive.

Bibliography

*di Domenico, Francesco, La vita del Cardinale Sisto Riari Sforza, Arcivescovo di Napoli, Naples, 1904
*Ritzler, Remigium, & Pirminum, Sefrin, Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recientoris Aevi. Volumen VII (1800-1846), Patavii, Typis et Sumptibus Domus Editorialis "Il Messaggero di S. Antonio" apud Basilicam S. Antonii, 1968, pp. 35, 44, 100 and 278
*Zigarelli, Daniello Maria, Biografie dei vescovi e arcivescovi della chiesa di Napoli con una descrizione del clero, della cattedrale, della basilica di s. Restituta e della cappella del tesoro di s. Gennaro, Napoli, Tipografico di G. Gioja, 1861, pp. 289-320.

References

ee also

*Our Lady of La Salette