A Cardinal for the Ages: Merry del Val and His Enduring Influence on the Church

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.

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