# Luigi Lavitrano

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Italian cardinal

His Eminence Luigi Lavitrano Prefect of the Congregation for Religious Cardinal Lavitrano in 1939. Appointed 14 May 1945 Term ended 2 August 1950 Predecessor Vincenzo Lapuma Successor Clemente Micara Other post Cardinal-Priest of San Silvestro in Capite (1929–50) Previous posts Bishop of Cava (1914–24) Bishop of Sarno (1914–24) Archbishop of Benevento (1924–28) Archbishop of Palermo (1928–44) Apostolic Administrator of Piana degli Albanesi (1937–46) Orders Ordination 21 March 1898 by Francesco Satolli Consecration 21 June 1914 by Basilio Pompili Created cardinal 16 December 1929 by Pope Pius XI Rank Cardinal-Priest Personal details Born Luigi Lavitrano 7 March 1874 Forio, Kingdom of Italy Died 2 August 1950(1950-08-02) (aged 76) Castel Gandolfo, Rome, Italy Alma mater Pontifical Urbaniana University Pontifical Roman Athenaeum S. Apollinare Sapienza University of Rome Motto Per crucem ad astra

Styles of Luigi Lavitrano Reference style His Eminence Spoken style Your Eminence Informal style Cardinal See Palermo (emeritus)

**Luigi Lavitrano** (7 March 1874 – 2 August 1950) was an Italian [cardinal](/source/Cardinal_(Catholic_Church)) of the [Catholic Church](/source/Catholic_Church) who served as [Archbishop of Palermo](/source/Roman_Catholic_Archdiocese_of_Palermo) from 1928 to 1944, and as [prefect](/source/Prefect) of the [Sacred Congregation for Religious](/source/Congregation_for_Institutes_of_Consecrated_Life_and_Societies_of_Apostolic_Life) from 1945 until his death. Lavitrano was elevated to the cardinalate in 1929.

## Biography

Born in [Forio](/source/Forio), Lavitrano lost his entire family in an [earthquake](/source/Earthquake) in 1883 that devastated the island of [Ischia](/source/Ischia). He studied at the [Pontifical Urbaniana University](/source/Pontifical_Urbaniana_University), the [Pontifical Roman Athenaeum Saint Apollinare](/source/Pontifical_Roman_Athenaeum_Saint_Apollinare), the [Royal University](/source/Sapienza_University_of_Rome), and the [Pontifical Leonine Institute](/source/Roman_Colleges#Collegio_Apostolico_Leoniano) in [Rome](/source/Rome). He was [ordained](/source/Holy_Orders) to the [priesthood](/source/Priesthood_(Catholic_Church)) on 21 March 1898, and then taught at the Leonine Institute until 1910, when he became its [rector](/source/Rector_(ecclesiastical)). He was raised to the rank of [Privy Chamberlain of His Holiness](/source/Monsignor) on 8 March 1904.

On 25 May 1914, Lavitrano was appointed [Bishop of Cava e Sarno](/source/Bishop_of_Cava_e_Sarno) by [Pope Pius X](/source/Pope_Pius_X). He received his [episcopal consecration](/source/Bishop_(Catholic_Church)) on the following 21 June from [Basilio Cardinal Pompili](/source/Basilio_Pompili), with Bishops Giovanni Regine and Giovanni Scotti serving as [co-consecrators](/source/Consecrator). Lavitrano was later named [Archbishop of Benevento](/source/Archbishop_of_Benevento) on 16 July 1924, and finally [archbishop of Palermo](/source/Roman_Catholic_Archdiocese_of_Palermo) on 29 September 1928. In addition, he served as [Apostolic Administrator](/source/Apostolic_Administrator) of [Castellammare di Stabia](/source/Castellammare_di_Stabia) from 1924 to 1925.

[Pope Pius XI](/source/Pope_Pius_XI) created him [Cardinal-Priest](/source/Cardinal_(Catholic_Church)) of *[San Silvestro in Capite](/source/San_Silvestro_in_Capite)* in the [consistory](/source/Papal_consistory) of 16 December 1929. Lavitrano, who once scolded [Italian Catholics](/source/Catholic_Church_in_Italy) for their religious negligence,[1] was one of the [cardinal electors](/source/Cardinal_electors_in_Papal_conclave%2C_1939) who participated in the [1939 papal conclave](/source/1939_papal_conclave) that selected [Pope Pius XII](/source/Pope_Pius_XII). After resigning as [Palermo](/source/Palermo)'s archbishop in December 1944, he was made [Prefect](/source/Prefect) of the [Sacred Congregation for Religious](/source/Congregation_for_Institutes_of_Consecrated_Life_and_Societies_of_Apostolic_Life) in the [Roman Curia](/source/Roman_Curia) on 14 May 1945. Lavitrano's resignation was unexpected, and it is considered that he resigned because his alleged sympathy for the Fascists—he voted for the [National Fascist Party](/source/National_Fascist_Party) in the [1929 Italian general elections](/source/1929_Italian_general_election)[2]—became unpopular.[3]

Lavitrano died in [Marino](/source/Marino%2C_Italy), in the [Alban Hills](/source/Alban_Hills), at age 76. He is buried in the [basilica](/source/List_of_Italian_basilicas) of Santa Maria di Loreto in his native Forio.

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** TIME Magazine. [Pope and Pastors](https://web.archive.org/web/20101014061817/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,763516,00.html) February 10, 1940

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** TIME Magazine. [98 28/100% Pure](https://web.archive.org/web/20070930063808/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,732236,00.html) April 8, 1929

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [Liberation: The Second World War in Sicily](http://www.bestofsicily.com/ww2.htm). *Best of Sicily*. Quote: "By a tradition dating from the medieval Norman rule of southern Italy, the Archbishop of Palermo is the Primate of Sicily. In modern times, this has entailed little more than a titular (and symbolic) precedence over other Sicilian bishops, but an important one. It was deemed inopportune for the Archbishop of Palermo (since 1928), Luigi Cardinal Lavitrano (1874-1950), who had been sympathetic to the Fascist regime, or at least perceived in that light, to continue in his position; General Patton's dislike of cardinal Lavitrano was well-known. Therefore, he 'resigned' to a post in the Roman Curia in December 1944. For a bishop to retire from active pastoral work at seventy years of age was unusual (the mandatory retirement age is now seventy-five), but in the case of this unforeseen wartime resignation - possibly the first of its kind in modern Italy - the Vatican did not have an immediate successor in mind. In fact, Ernesto Ruffini (1888-1967) was not appointed Archbishop of Palermo until October of the following year. Though conservative, Cardinal Ruffini was regarded as less reactionary and less monarchist than his predecessor."[*[author missing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources)*]

## External links

- [Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church](https://cardinals.fiu.edu/bios-l.htm#Lavitrano)

- [Catholic-Hierarchy](http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/blavi.html) [\[*self-published*\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability#Reliable_sources)

Catholic Church titles Preceded by Giuseppe Izzo Bishop of Cava e Sarno 1914–1924 Succeeded by Pasquale Dell'Isola Preceded by Alessio Ascalesi, CPPS Archbishop of Benevento 1924–1928 Succeeded by Adeodato Giovanni Piazza Preceded by Alessandro Lualdi Archbishop of Palermo 29 September 1928 – 14 May 1945 Succeeded by Ernesto Ruffini Preceded by Donato Cardinal Sbarretti Cardinal-Priest of S. Silvestro in Capite 1929–1950 Succeeded by Valerio Cardinal Valeri Preceded by Vincenzo Lapuma Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for Religious 1945–1950 Succeeded by Clemente Micara

v t e Cardinals created by Pius XI 1922 Locatelli Bonzano Reig y Casanova Charost Tosi Touchet Mori Ehrle 1923 V Nasalli Rocca di Corneliano Sincero XII Lucidi Galli 1924 Mundelein Hayes 1925 III Illundáin y Esteban Casanova y Marzol XII Cerretti Gasparri O'Donnell Verde 1926 VI Capotosti Perosi XII Lauri Gamba 1927 VI van Roey Hlond XII Lépicier Rouleau Segura y Sáenz Binet Serédi 1929 VI Schuster XII Gonçalves Cerejeira Pacelli Lavitrano Minoretti MacRory Verdier 1930 da Silveira Cintra Marchetti Selvaggiani Rossi Serafini Liénart 1933 Dolci Fumasoni Biondi Fossati Villeneuve Dalla Costa Innitzer Tedeschini Salloti 1935 Tappouni Sibilia Marmaggi Maglione Cremonesi Baudrillart Suhard Kašpar Copello Gomá y Tomás Caccia Dominioni Canali Jorio Lapuma Cattani Amadori Massimi Mariani Boetto 1936 Mercati Tisserant 1937 Piazza Pellegrinetti Hinsley Pizzardo Gerlier Catholic Church portal

[Portals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contents/Portals):
- [Biography](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Biography)
- [Catholicism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Catholicism)
- [Italy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Italy)

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF GND WorldCat National France BnF data Italy Vatican Other SNAC

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Luigi Lavitrano](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luigi_Lavitrano) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luigi_Lavitrano?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.