Roman Catholic Cardinal. The uncle of Cardinal Benedetto Aloisi Masella (1879-1970), Cardinal Gaetano Aloisi Masella was born in Pontecorvo to noble family of Neapolitan origins and was ordained priest on June 3, 1849 at the Patriarchal Lateran Basilica of Rome. Named secretary of the apostolic nunciature in Naples, he was appointed auditor of the nunciature in Bavaria in 1858 and successively of the nunciature in France in 1862, before being named consulter for diplomatic affairs of the Secretariat of State in 1869 and referendary of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature in 1870. Appointed secretary for Oriental Affairs of the Sacred Congregation of the Propaganda Fide, he was elected archbishop of the titular see of Neocesarea and appointed apostolic nuncio in Bavaria, receiving his episcopal consecration in June 1877 from Cardinal Alessandro Franchi. Transferred to the nunciature of Portugal on September 30, 1879, Pope Leo XIII created him cardinal priest in the consistory of March 14, 1887 with the title of San Tommaso in Parione and appointed him prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Indulgences and Relics on the following November 16. The Cardinal was furthermore appointed prefect of the office of economic planning of the Sacred Congregation of the Propaganda Fide, president of the General Administration of the Chamber of Despoilments on February 13, 1888 and prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Rites on October 3, 1889. Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals as of July 11, 1892, he opted for the title of Santa Prassede on January 16, 1893 and was named pro-datary of His Holiness on May 29, 1897, an office which he held until his death. Declining the option to a suburbicarian see in order to continue working in the reorganization of the named datary, Cardinal Aloisi Masella died unexpectedly on November 22, 1902. He was found dead sitting on his desk with a pen in hand already cold. Early in the morning, he had celebrated mass as usual. His death was predicted four days earlier by future Blessed Grimoaldo Santamaria CP., on his deathbed at the early age of nineteen, who had received his confirmation from the Cardinal's hands at the cathedral of Pontecorvo in September 1883. Exposed in the palace of the Datary and later at the basilica of the Ss. XII Apostoli of Rome, where the solemn funeral mass was celebrated, according to his wishes, the Cardinal was buried in the family's tomb at the right hand side of the main altar of Pontecorvo's cathedral. A splendid marble monument adorns the site with the inscription: "Nella dolce terra natale, che gli fu cara e beneficò, e scelse a suprema dimora, attende la Gloria della Resurrezione".