Tommaso Ruffo

Tommaso Ruffo ( born September 15, 1663 Naples, † February 16, 1753 in Rome ) was an Italian cardinal.

Life

Early years

The late Cardinal was born in 1663 as son of the Duke Carlo Ruffo and studied at the University La Sapienza in Rome civil and canon law. Well under Pope Innocent XI. He was ordained a priest, who sent him as nuncio to Brussels. In 1693 he was Fellow at the Apostolic court after he was previously Vizelegat in Romagna. One year later, was Tommaso Ruffo Inquisitor in Malta and brought prevailed when the reconciliation between the Order of Malta and the Republic of Genoa.

As bishop

On April 13, 1698, he was Titular Archbishop of Nicaea. He received his episcopal consecration Secretary of State Cardinal Fabrizio Spada, assisted by the future Pope Innocent XIII. and Francesco Acquaviva d' Aragona. Only six days later he was nuncio in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. In 1702 he should be appointed as Archbishop of Naples, but he refused.

Cardinal and Cardinal Dean

But it took Clement XI. on May 17, 1706 to the College of Cardinals to. After many years of activities as papal legate, among other things, in Ferrara, he was in May 1717 Bishop of Ferrara ( he held the title of archbishop ). Four years later he took part in the conclave of 1721. He then traveled again as legate to Bologna. As Pope Innocent XIII. died relatively early, in 1724 he came back to Rome to take part in the conclave. 1726, he was inducted into the class of cardinal bishops, cardinal-bishop of Palestrina was. A year later he returned as legate to Ferrara, where he remained three years. In 1738 he gave the archbishopric (since 1725) Ferrara and became Cardinal Bishop of Porto- Santa Rufina and Kardinalsubdekan. During the conclave of 1740, the Cardinal Dean Pietro Ottoboni died. After the election of Benedict XIV, he was elected on August 29, 1740 to the Cardinal Dean. The new pope appointed him on the same day as Secretary of the Holy Office. Both a post he retained until his death.

Death

Tommaso Ruffo died in 1753 with almost 90 years in Rome. He was buried in the church of San Lorenzo in Damaso, where he was formerly Cardinal Priest. He had allowed himself to build himself before his grave.