Francesco di Paola Cassetta

infobox cardinalstyles
cardinal name=Francesco Cassetta
dipstyle=His Eminence
offstyle=Your Eminence
See=Frascati (suburbicarian) |

Francesco di Paola Cassetta (August 12, 1841—March 23, 1919) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of the Council from 1914 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1899.

Biography

Francesco Cassetta was born in Rome, and received the Sacrament of Confirmation on September 1, 1848. He studied at the Pontifical Roman Seminary, from where he obtained his doctorates in theology (September 10, 1863) and in canon and civil law (August 24, 1866). Cassetta was ordained to the priesthood on June 10, 1865, and later raised to the rank of Domestic Prelate of His Holiness.

He was made referendary prelate of the Apostolic Signatura on June 23, 1878, auditor of the Vicar General of Rome on April 3, 1884, and later counselor of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith and of the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office. He became a canon of the chapter of the Liberian Basilica on November 23, 1884.

On December 2, 1884, Cassetta was appointed Titular Bishop of "Amathus in Palaestina" by Pope Leo XIII. He received his episcopal consecration on the following December 21, from Lucido Cardinal Parocchi, with Archbishop Pierre Dufal, CSC, and Bishop Guillaume-Marie Sourrieu serving as co-consecrators, in the church of "S. Luigi dei Francesi". Cassetta was later named Privy Almoner of His Holiness on September 20, 1887, and Titular Archbishop of "Nicomedia" on November 25, 1887. After becoming a canon of the chapter of St. Peter’s Basilica on July 17, 1889, he was served as Vice-Gerent of Rome from November 12, 1895 to June 19, 1899. On November 29, 1895, Cassetta was made Titular Patriarch of Antioch.

Pope Leo created him Cardinal Priest of "S. Crisogono" in the consistory of June 19, 1899. He was given the titular church of "Ss. Vito, Modesto e Crescenzia" in commendam on April 28, 1901. Cassetta was the Chamberlain of the Sacred College of Cardinals from June 9, 1902 to June 22, 1903, and he was one of the cardinal electors in the 1903 papal conclave, which selected Pope Pius X. He opted to become Cardinal Bishop of Sabina and perpetual abbot of Farfa on March 27, 1905, and was made Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Studies on June 3, 1911. On the following November 27, he was transferred to the suburbicarian see of Frascati. Pope Pius appointed him Archivist and Librarian of the Holy Roman Church on January 3, 1914, remaining in that post until his resignation in 1917. Before participating in the conclave of 1914, Cassetta was named Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of the Council on February 10 of that same year. He then served as Apostolic Visitor to the Hospice of the Catechumens, and Commissioner for the apostolic visitation of the Italian dioceses.

The Cardinal died in Rome, at the age of 77. He is buried in the chapel of Pontifical Urbanian Athenaeum at the Campo di Verano cemetery.

External links

* [http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios1899.htm#Cassetta Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church]
* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bcassetta.html Catholic-Hierarchy]