Mario Nasalli Rocca di Corneliano

Mario Nasalli Rocca di Corneliano (August 12, 1903&mdash;November 9, 1988) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Prefect of the Apostolic Palace from 1967 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1969.

Biography
Mario Nasalli Rocca di Corneliano was born in Piacenza to Count Camillo Nasalli Rocca and Marchioness Katie Taffini d'Accegliano. His father died when Mario was a child, and his uncle was Giovanni Nasalli Rocca di Corneliano, who was later Archbishop of Bologna. Nasalli Rocca studied at the Pontifical Roman Seminary, Pontifical Roman Athenaeum S. Apollinare, and the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy before being ordained to the priesthood on April 8, 1927.

He then began pastoral work in Rome, and was made a canon of St. Peter's Basilica. After being raised to the rank of a Privy Chamberlain of His Holiness on November 22, 1931, he later became a Domestic Prelate of His Holiness on July 1, 1949. Pope John XXIII named Nasalli Rocca as Master of the Papal Chamber the day after his election, on October 29, 1958. Upon the death of John XXIII on June 3, 1963, Nasalli Rocca and all major Vatican officials, in accord with custom, automatically lost their positions during the sede vacante. He was later confirmed as the papal majordomo by Pope Paul VI on the following June 21. He also became Prefect of the Apostolic Palace on April 1, 1967.

On April 11, 1969, Nasalli Rocca was appointed Titular Archbishop of Antium by Paul VI. He received his episcopal consecration on the following April 20 from Cardinal Paolo Marella, with Archbishop Diego Venini and Bishop Alberto Scola, serving as co-consecrators, in St. Peter's Basilica. Pope Paul later created Nasalli Rocca Cardinal Deacon of S. Giovanni Battista Decollato in the consistory of April 28 of that same year. He was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the conclaves of August and October 1978, which selected Popes John Paul I and John Paul II respectively. After ten years' standing as a Cardinal Deacon, Nasalli Rocca opted to become a Cardinal Priest, with the same titular church, on June 30, 1979. He then lost the right to participate any future conclaves upon reaching age 80 on August 12, 1983.

The Cardinal died in a Roman clinic, where he had been admitted a week earlier, at age 85. He is buried in his native Piacenza.