Francesco Ricci Paracciani (8 June 1830 – 9 March 1894) was an Italian priest of the Catholic Church, who spent his career in the service of the papal household and in the Roman Curia.

Francesco Ricci Paracciani was born in Rome on 8 June 1830 into a family of the Tuscan nobility.

[3] He entered the papal service shortly after being ordained a priest, following a career path suited a member of the nobility.

He joined the papal household as a privy chamberlain and held positions of increasing administrative responsibility and ceremonial distinction, including canon of the chapter of St. Peter's Basilica.

[5] Pope Leo XIII made him a cardinal on 13 December 1880, reserving his name in pectore and announcing his elevation publicly on 27 March 1882.