Antonio Vico

Antonio Vico S.T.D. J.U.D. (9 January 1847 – 25 February 1929) was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and Prefect of the Congregation of Rites.

Vico was born in Agugliano, Italy. He was educated at the Collegio Capranica in Rome and from 1873 until 1876 he studied at the Pontifical Gregorian University where he earned doctorates in philosophy, theology and a doctorate in both civil and canon law.

He was ordained on 20 September 1873 in Ancona. He did pastoral work in the diocese of Rome from 1876 until 1877. He served as the secretary of the nunciature in Spain from 1877 until 1880 and was Secretary of the apostolic delegation in Constantinople until 1883. He served as Auditor of the nunciature in France from 1883 until 1887 and of the nunciature in Spain until 1893 and in of the nunciature in Portugal from 1893 until 1897. He was created Privy chamberlain of His Holiness on 25 May 1886.

Episcopate

He was appointed titular Archbishop of Philippi by Pope Leo XIII on 22 December 1897. He served as Apostolic Delegate to Colombia from 1897 and as Apostolic Nuncio to Belgium from 1904 and to Spain until 1907.

Cardinalate

He was created and proclaimed Cardinal-Priest of San Callisto in the consistory of 27 November 1911 by Pope Pius X. He participated in the conclave of 1914 that elected Pope Benedict XV. Pope Benedict appointed him Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Rites on 11 February 1915. He was elected to the order of cardinal bishops, taking the suburbicarian see of Porto e Santa Rufina on 6 December 1915. He participated in the conclave of 1922 that elected Pope Pius XI. He died in Rome in 1929 at the age of 82.

Having consecrated Filippo Cortesi to the episcopacy, Cardinal Vico is in the episcopal lineage of Pope Francis.