Giovanni Giacomo Panciroli

Who was Giovanni Giacomo Panciroli?

Giovanni Giacomo Panciroli was an Italian Catholic Cardinal and Cardinal Secretary of State.

Panciroli was born in 1587 in Rome and was educated there, receiving a doctorate utroque iure in 1605.

He became an advocate to the Roman Curia and then accompanied Giovanni Battista Pamphili during his service as nuncio to Naples and Spain. When he returned to Rome, he entered the service of the Barberini. He became chamberlain to the Pope and superintendent of the house of Cardinal Francesco Barberini.

In 1641 he was appointed Latin Patriarch of Constantinople; a position he held until 1643. In 1642 he was appointed papal nuncio extraordinaire to Spain.

Panciroli was elevated to cardinal on 13 July 1643 by Pope Urban VIII and was installed as Cardinal Priest at the Basilica of Santo Stefano Rotondo. The following year, Pope Urban died and Panciroli participated in the Papal conclave of 1644 which elected Pope Innocent X.

Upon Pope Innocent's election, Panciroli was appointed Cardinal Secretary of State, a position he held together with the Pope's Cardinal-Nephew Camillo Francesco Maria Pamphili until Pamphili resigned his cardinalate to marry Olimpia Aldobrandini.