All corrections
Wikipedia July 7, 2026 at 03:52 PM

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardinal-nephew

3 corrections found

1
Claim
The last cardinal-nephew was named in 1689
Correction

This date is too early. Popes continued elevating relatives to the cardinalate after 1689, including Romualdo Braschi-Onesti in 1786 and Leo XIII's brother Giuseppe Pecci in 1879.

Full reasoning

The article itself defines a cardinal-nephew broadly as "a cardinal elevated by a pope who was that cardinal's relative." Under that definition, 1689 cannot be the last such appointment.

Credible reference works document later examples:

  • Treccani's biography of Pius VI states that among his many cardinal appointments were those of "the nephew Romualdo Braschi-Onesti", and Treccani's standalone biography of Romualdo says that "Il 18 dic. 1786 ebbe la porpora" (he received the red hat on 18 December 1786).
  • A Vatican publication on the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas says Leo XIII "named his brother Giuseppe ... as cardinals" in 1879 and later explicitly identifies "Cardinal Giuseppe Pecci, the brother of Leo XIII."

So while 1689 may refer to the last holder of the curial office of Cardinal Nephew under the old system, it is not the date of the last cardinal-nephew in the broader sense used in the article's opening definition.

3 sources
2
Claim
Romoaldo Braschi-Onesti
Correction

The name is misspelled here. Pius VI's nephew was Romualdo Braschi-Onesti, not "Romoaldo" Braschi-Onesti.

Full reasoning

Standard biographical references give Pius VI's nephew's name as Romualdo Braschi-Onesti.

Treccani's dedicated biography is titled "BRASCHI ONESTI, Romualdo" and identifies him as the son of Giulia Braschi and the nephew of Pope Pius VI. Treccani's biography of Pius VI also refers to the same nephew as "Romualdo Braschi-Onesti."

So this occurrence of "Romoaldo Braschi-Onesti" is an incorrect spelling of the cardinal's name.

2 sources
3
Claim
and the practice was abolished in 1692
Correction

1692 did not end the broader practice of making papal relatives cardinals. Innocent XII's bull restricted it, but later popes still elevated relatives such as Romualdo Braschi-Onesti and Giuseppe Pecci.

Full reasoning

This overstates what Romanum decet pontificem did.

Innocent XII's 1692 bull curtailed nepotism and limited future popes to creating no more than one cardinal-relative; it did not end the broader practice of promoting papal relatives to the cardinalate. Later, Pius VI elevated his nephew Romualdo Braschi-Onesti in 1786, and Leo XIII elevated his brother Giuseppe Pecci in 1879.

So 1692 marks the abolition of the office of Cardinal Nephew and a major reform of papal nepotism, but not the complete abolition of the practice of elevating papal relatives as cardinals.

3 sources
Model: OPENAI_GPT_5 Prompt: v1.16.0