Born in
Montefranco di Spoleto, Sbarretti was educated and first served in the
Archdiocese of Spoleto. His uncle, Enea Sbarretti, was named a
Cardinal in 1877, two years before Donato was
ordained a
priest at the age of 22. However, Donato Sbarretti's career advancement cannot be ascribed to
nepotism; his uncle's longtime patron
Pope Pius IX had died before Donato even became a priest, and his uncle died in 1884, when Donato's career was barely underway. In 1893, after pastoral work, teaching, and minor curial staff positions, such as a
minutante at Propaganda, Sbarretti was made canon of a church in
Rome and posted to the
United States as
auditor in the apostolic delegation. In 1895 he was named a
privy chamberlain, then the lowest grade of
monsignor. His next postings were results of the aftermath of the
Spanish–American War, as he was named Bishop of
Havana in 1900, serving only briefly, before the
Holy See named him Apostolic Delegate Extraordinary to settle an urgent matter in the
Philippines. In 1916
Pope Benedict XV elevated Sbarretti to the cardinalate as
Cardinal-Priest of
San Silvestro in Capite. Then serving as Assessor of the Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office, he became Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of the council (predecessor of today's
Dicastery for the Clergy) in 1919. A
Cardinal Bishop after 1928, he finally became Secretary of the Holy Office (today's
Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith), of which the Pope then personally served as Prefect in 1930, and
Vice-Dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals in 1935. He died less than a month after
participating in the
conclave that elected
Pope Pius XII, and according to his will was buried in the parish church of Montefranco, where he had been born. ==Notes==