Reference style His Eminence Spoken style Your Eminence | Informal style Cardinal Name Giuseppe Ferretto | |
See Sabina e Poggio Mirteto (suburbicarian) Died March 17, 1973, Rome, Italy | ||
Giuseppe Antonio Ferretto (March 9, 1899 – March 17, 1973) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Major Penitentiary in the Roman Curia from 1967 to 1973, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1961.
Biography
Ferretto was born in Rome to Tommaso and Adele (née Stazi) Ferretto. He studied at the Pontifical Roman Seminary (minor and major branches), the Pontifical Lateran University (from where he obtained his doctorates in theology and canon and civil law), and the Pontifical Institute of Christian Archeology in Rome. Ordained to the priesthood on February 24, 1923, Ferretto finished his studies in 1926 and then taught at the Pontifical Lateran University and the Pontifical Urbaniana University until 1958. He served as an official in the Vicariate of Rome from 1929 to 1939, when he was made a referendary of the Apostolic Signatura on April 23. Before becoming a canon of St. Peter's Basilica on May 1, 1953, he was named substitute (June 7, 1943) and later assessor (June 27, 1950) of the Sacred Consistorial Congregation.
On December 14, 1958, Ferretto was appointed Titular Archbishop of Serdica by Pope John XXIII. He received his episcopal consecration on the following December 27 from Pope John himself, with Bishops Girolamo Bortignon, OFM Cap, and Gioacchino Muccin serving as co-consecrators, in St. Peter's Basilica. Ferretto was later named Secretary of the College of Cardinals on January 20, 1959, and was created Cardinal-Priest of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme by Pope John in the consistory of January 16, 1961. He had been speculated to be one of the cardinals reserved in pectore on March 28, 1960.
Ferretto was made Cardinal Bishop of Sabina e Poggio Mirteto on March 26, 1961, and attended the Second Vatican Council from 1962 to 1965. After participating in the 1963 papal conclave, the Cardinal, who was also a noted archaeologist, was appointed Major Penitentiary on April 7, 1967. On March 1, 1973, he resigned as Major Penitentiary, after five years of service.
Ferretto died later that month in Rome, at age 74. He is buried in the church of Immacolata e S. Benedetto Giuseppe Labre a via Taranto.