At a young age he became a chamberlain to Cardinal Federico Borromeo, Archbishop of Milan. Thereafter he went to Rome and had an audience with Pope Paul V, who asked him to move to Rome and named him a consistorial lawyer in 1607. He was named Governor of Orvieto in 1618, Governor of Camerino in 1619 and Governor of Perugia in 1619, where he stayed until 1621 when he was elevated to cardinal on 11 January. He was installed as Cardinal-Priest at the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva.
Roma was appointed Vice-Dean and then Dean of the College of Cardinals in April 1652, but died a few months later on 16 September, the day of his 68th birthday.[2]