A Cardinal for the Ages

This fascinating work on the life and times of Cardinal Merry del Val from renowned historian Roberto de Mattei provides a first-ever, in-depth look at the remarkable life of a Servant of God who served four popes.

Spanish by birth, English by education, Cardinal del Val studied in Rome, entering in 1885, by the will of Leo XIII, the Pontifical Academy of Ecclesiastical Nobles. From then until his death, for a span of forty-five years, Merry del Val lived essentially in the Vatican, at the service of four popes (Leo XIII, Pius X, Benedict XV, and Pius XI). Secretary of the conclave that elected Pope St. Pius X, he was appointed by him, at just thirty-eight years old, secretary of state and cardinal. For eleven years, he stood by Pius X, through all the difficult trials of his pontificate, beginning with the battle against Modernism. Under Benedict XV, he was secretary of the Holy Office, a role he continued to hold under Pius XI.

In the conclaves of 1914 and 1922, he himself came close to being elected pope. A veil of mystery still surrounds his death, which occurred in Rome on February 26, 1930. His beatification process was opened on February 26, 1953, by the will of Pius XII, and he was proclaimed Servant of God.

In this sweeping life story, you will see how, through it all, Cardinal del Val remained a model of virtue, leading by example in obedience, fidelity, and devotion. The book describes:

Even in turbulent times, amid anticlerical violence, war, and personal attacks, Cardinal del Val remained the epitome of humility. Whether drafting papal documents, mediating tense religious and political situations, sending consequential encoded telegrams, or defending the teachings of the Church, he lived a life of asceticism and mysticism and steadfastly preserved the truth.

Roberto de Mattei is a Catholic historian who has taught in several Italian universities. Between 2003 and 2011, he served as vice president of the National Research Council, the highest Italian scientific institution. He is president of the Lepanto Foundation and editor of the magazine Radici Cristiane and the news agency Corrispondenza Romana. He has authored thirty-five books, including The Second Vatican Council: An Unwritten Story, which was translated into eight languages; Love for the Papacy & Filial Resistance to the Pope in the History of the Church; Saint Pius V; The Meaning of God's Providence in Our Lives; The Paths of Evil; and The Church in Storms. He has received many awards, including membership in the Order of St. Gregory the Great from the Holy See for his service to the Roman Catholic Church. He is married with five children.