Fernando Cento

Fernando Cento (10 August 1883 – 13 January 1973) was a cardinal of the Catholic Church who served as Major Penitentiary of Apostolic Penitentiary.

Fernando Cento was born in Pollenza, Italy. His parents were Evaristo Cento and his second wife, Ermelinda Andreani. He had a half-sister, Rosa, and a brother, Vincenzo.

He was educated at the Seminary of Macerata from 1893 to 1905, where he was taught philosophy and theology, and later at the Pontifical Gregorian University, where he studied canon law. He continued his studies at La Sapienza University, Rome where he obtained a doctorate in letters. He received the diaconate on 17 December 1905 in the basilica of the Madonna della Misericordia.

He was ordained on 23 December 1905 in Macerata; he had to obtain a dispensation for being not yet 23. He served as professor of literature at the Seminary of Macerata and of philosophy at the State Institute of Macerata from 1906 to 1916. He demonstrated excellent qualities as a preacher in several Italian dioceses. He was called to military service when Italy entered the First World War in 1915 and was attached to the military hospital of Ancona from 1915 to 1917. He was created Privy chamberlain of His Holiness on 15 November 1917.

He was appointed Bishop of Acireale by Pope Pius XI on 22 July 1922. He was consecrated on 3 September 1922, by Cardinal Giovanni Tacci Porcelli, Secretary of the Congregation for the Oriental Church, assisted by Domenico Pasi, Bishop of Macerata-Tolentino, and by Placido Ferniani, Bishop of Ruvo e Bitonto.

He was promoted to Titular Archbishop of Seleucia Pieria on 24 June 1926 and was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Venezuela four days later. He was next named Apostolic Nuncio to Peru on 26 July 1936. In addition, he was responsible for the affairs of the church in Ecuador, which did not have diplomatic relations with the Holy See for nearly forty years. He was named nuncio to Ecuador on 25 July 1937 once the Ecuadorian government and the Holy See established diplomatic relations.

He was appointed nuncio to Belgium and Internuncio to Luxembourg on 9 March 1946.^[1]

He became Nuncio to Portugal on 26 October 1953.

El Papa Juan XXIII , el 15 de diciembre de 1958, lo creó Cardenal Presbítero de Sant'Eustachio como su iglesia titular el 12 de marzo de 1959. Fue nombrado Penitenciario Mayor de la Penitenciaría Apostólica el 12 de febrero de 1962. Asistió al Concilio Vaticano II , para el cual dirigió la comisión que elaboró ​​el Decreto sobre el Apostolado de los Laicos . ^{[ 2 ]} También elaboró ​​un informe sobre la práctica de las indulgencias que no fue bien recibido por muchos en el concilio. ^{[ 3 ]} Participó en el cónclave de 1963 que eligió al Papa Pablo VI . Fue nombrado Cardenal Obispo y se le otorgó el título de la sede suburbicaria de Velletri el 23 de abril de 1965. Renunció a su cargo de Penitenciario Mayor en 1967.

Falleció el 13 de enero de 1973 en Roma. Fue enterrado en la iglesia parroquial de San Antonio, en Pollenza, donde había celebrado su primera misa.