Antonio Carafa (25 March 1538 – 13 January 1591) was an Italian Roman Catholic Cardinal from the House of Carafa.″
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Biography
Early years
Antonio Carafa was born in Naples to Rinaldo I Carafello Carafa, a local patrician, and Giovanna of the signori of Montefalcone. He was a relative of Pope Paul IV through whose household he gained preferment in the Roman Curia.
He studied in the University of Padua and in Naples. He entered the Roman Curia in 1555 and became a canon of the patriarchal Vatican basilica in 1558. Carafa was expelled from Rome in 1561 following the trial and execution of some of the Carafa family.
A few years later, Pope Pius V rehabilitated the Carafas and Antonio was reappointed to the canonship on 1 June 1566.
Cardinalate
He was created cardinal deacon in the consistory of in the consistory of 24 March 1568 and was opted for the deaconary of Sant'Eusebio. He was made Perfect of the Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature from 29 January 1569 until his death. Together with Cardinal Giulio Antonio Santorio, archbishop of Santa Severina, and Cardinal Guglielmo Sirleto, cardinal librarian of the Vatican Library, Carafa dealt with non-Latin communities and participated in the ‘congregation of the Greeks’ created by Gregory XIII in 1573, following Santorio’s initiative. Further, he was appointed protector of the Maronites on 9 December 1569. As such, he sent two missions to the Lebanon (1578 and 1580) and was a generous patron of the Pontifical Maronite College, endowing it further in his will.