Giovanni Andrea Mercurio

Giovanni Andrea Mercurio (1518–1561) was an Italian Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal.

Biography

Giovanni Andrea Mercurio was born to a poor family in Messina in 1518.[1]

As a young man, he worked for the notary for the Archdiocese of Messina.[1] Following an incident with that notary, he decided to move to Rome.[1] There, he entered the court of Cardinal Giovanni Maria Ciocchi del Monte, the future Pope Julius III, as his minoribus secretarius.[1]

On February 20, 1545, he was elected Archbishop of Manfredonia.[1] He was transferred to the Archdiocese of Messina on May 30, 1550.[1]

Pope Julius III made him a cardinal priest in the consistory of November 20, 1551.[1] He received the red hat and the titular church of Santa Barbara dei Librai on December 4, 1551.[1] He opted for the titular church of San Ciriaco alle Terme Diocleziane on August 18, 1553.[1]

He was a participant in the papal conclave of April 1555 that elected Pope Marcellus II; the papal conclave of May 1555 that elected Pope Paul IV; and the papal conclave of 1559 that elected Pope Pius IV.[1] On January 19, 1560, he opted for the titular church of San Marcello al Corso.

He died in the Apostolic Palace on February 2, 1561.[1] He was buried in San Marcello al Corso.[1]

While bishop, he was the principal consecrator of: Paolo de Cupis, Bishop of Montepeloso (1546); and Filippo Roccabella, Bishop of Macerata (1546).[2]

References

1. Miranda, Salvador. "MERCURIO, Giovanni Andrea (1518-1568)". The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church. Florida International University. OCLC 53276621.
2. Cheney, David M. "Giovanni Andrea Cardinal Mercurio". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. Retrieved February 14, 2019. ^{[self-published]}