Pope Leo XIII
pope|English name=Leo XIII|image=
|birth_name=Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaelle Luigi Pecci|term_start=
February 20,
1878|term_end=
July 20,
1903|predecessor=
Pius IX|successor=
Pius X|birth_date=
March 2,
1810|birthplace=
Carpineto Romano,
Italy|dead=dead|death_date=
July 20,
1903|deathplace=
Apostolic Palace,
Vatican City|other=Leo}}
Pope Leo XIII (
March 2,
1810 –
July 20,
1903), born
Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci , was
Pope of the
Roman Catholic Church, having succeeded
Pope Pius IX (1846–78) on
February 20,
1878 and reigning until his death in 1903. Born in
Carpineto Romano,
Italy, he received his
doctorate in
theology in
1836 and doctorates of civil and
Canon Law in
Rome also. He was appointed domestic prelate to the pope in
1837. He was ordained on
31 December 1837. He became titular archbishop of Damietta in
1843 and
apostolic nuncio to
Belgium on
28 January 1843. He was named papal assistant in
1843. Pecci first achieved note as the popular and successful
Archbishop of
Perugia from
1846 till
1877, which led to his appointment as a
Cardinal in
1853. Later, he was appointed as
Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, a position he held until his election as Pope.
 |
Arms of Leo XIII. |
Leo XIII worked to encourage understanding between the Church and the
modern world. He firmly re-asserted the
Scholastic doctrine that science and religion co-exist, and required the study of
Thomas Aquinas. [
1] Although he had stated that it "is quite unlawful to demand, defend, or to grant unconditional freedom of thought, or speech, of writing or worship, as if these were so many rights given by nature to man," he did open the
Vatican Secret Archives to qualified researchers, among whom was the noted historian of the Papacy
Ludwig von Pastor.Leo XIII was also the first Pope to come out strongly in favour of the
French Republic, upsetting many French
monarchists, but his support for
democracy did not necessarily imply his acceptance of
egalitarianism: "People differ in capacity, skill, health, strength; and unequal fortune is a necessary result of unequal condition. Such inequality is far from being disadvantageous either to individuals or to the community." (
Rerum Novarum, 17 [
2]) His relations with the Italian state were less progressive; Leo XIII continued the Papacy's self-imposed
incarceration in the Vatican stance, and continued to insist that Italian
Catholics should not vote in Italian elections or hold elected office.
He beatified
Saint Gerard Majella in 1893 and
Saint Edmund Campion in 1886.
He canonized the following saints:
In 1881:
Clare of Montefalco (d. 1308),
John Baptist de Rossi (1696-1764),and
Lawrence of Brindisi (d. 1619)
In 1883:
Benedict Joseph Labre 1748-1783)
In 1888: Seven Holy Founders of the
Servite Order,
Peter Claver (1561-1654),
John Berchmans (1599-1621), and
Alphonsus Rodriguez (1531-1617)
In 1897:
Anthony M. Zaccaria (1502-1539) and
Peter Fourier of Our Lady (1565-1640)
In 1900:
John Baptist de la Salle (1651-1719) and
Rita of Cascia (1381-1457)
|
One of the Papal Tiaras given to Pope Leo XIII during his reign. |
He is most famous for his
social teaching, in which he argued the flaws of
capitalism and
communism. His encyclical
Rerum Novarum focused on the rights and duties of
capital and
labor, and introduced the idea of
subsidiarity into Catholic social thought.
In his
1893 encyclical Providentissimus Deus, Leo gave new encouragement to
Bible study while warning against rationalist interpretations which deny the inspiration of Scripture:
"For all the books which the Church receives as sacred and canonical, are written wholly and entirely, with all their parts, at the dictation of the
Holy Ghost: and so far is it from being possible that any error can co-exist with inspiration, that inspiration not only is essentially incompatible with error, but excludes and rejects it as absolutely and necessarily as it is impossible that God Himself, the supreme Truth, can utter that which is not true." (
Providentissimus Deus)
The
1896 bull Apostolicae Curae declared the
ordination of
deacons,
priests, and
bishops in
Anglican churches (including the
Church of England) invalid, while granting recognition to ordinations in the
Eastern Orthodox and
Oriental Orthodox churches although they were considered illicit.
His
1899 apostolic letter Testem Benevolentiae condemned the heresy called
Americanism.
List of Encyclicals
(Please note: Pope Leo XIII wrote several encyclicals on some of the same or similar subjects; it is not a confusion of information)
*
Ad Extremas (On Seminaries for Native Clergy)
* Adiutricem (On the Rosary--especially Marian Devotion)
*
Aeterni Patris (On the Restoration of Christian Philosophy)
* Affari Vos (On the Manitoba School Question)
*
Annum Sacrum (On the Consecration to the Sacred Heart)
* Arcanum Divinae (On Christian Marriage)
*
Augustissimae Virginis Mariae (On the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary)
* Au Milieu Des Sollicitudes (On the Church and State in France)
*
Auspicato Concessum (On Saint Francis of Assisi)
* Caritatis (On the Church in Poland)
*
Caritatis Studium (On the Church in Scotland)
* Catholicae Ecclesiae (On Slavery in the Missions)
*
Christi Nomen (On the Propagation of the Faith and Eastern Churches)
* Constanti Hungarorum (On the Church in Hungary)
*
Cum Multa (On Conditions in Spain)
* Custodi di quella Fede (On Freemasonry--for the Italian people)
*
Dall'alto dell'Apostolico Seggio (On Freemasonry in Italy)
* Depuis le Jour (On the Education of the Clergy)
*
Diuturni Temporis (On the Rosary--especially papal approval)
* Diuturnum (On the Origin of Civil Power)
*
Divinum Illud Munus (On the Holy Spirit)
* Dum Multa (On Marriage Legislation)
*
Etsi Cunctas (On the Church in Ireland)
* Etsi Nos (On Conditions in Italy)
*
Exeunte Iam Anno (On the Right Ordering of Christian Life)
* Fidentem Piumque Animum (On the Rosary--especially the necessity of prayer)
*
Fin dal Principio (On the Education of the Clergy)
* Grande Munus (On Saints Cyril and Methodius)
*
Graves de Communi Re (On Christian Democracy)
* Gravissimas (On Religious Orders in Portugal)
*
Humanum Genus (On Freemasonry--written for the entire Church)
* Iampridem (On Catholicism in Germany)
*
Immortale Dei (On the Christian Constitution of States)
* In Amplissimo (On the Church in the United States)
*
Inimica Vis (On Freemasonry--for the Italian bishops)
* In Ipso (On Episcopal Reunions in Austria)
*
In Plurimis (On the Abolition of Slavery)
* Inscrutabili Dei Consilio (On the Evils of Society)
*
Insignes (On the Hungarian Millennium)
* Inter Graves (On the Church in Peru)
*
Iucunda Semper Expectatione (On the Rosary--especially Mary as Mediatrix)
* Laetitiae Sanctae (Commending Devotion to the Rosary)
*
Libertas (On the Nature of Human Liberty)
* Licet Multa (On Catholics in Belgium)
*
Litteras a Vobis (On Clergy in Brazil)
* Longinqua (On Catholicism in the United States--especially universities and morals)
*
Magnae Dei Matris (On the Rosary--especially filial devotion to Mary)
* Magni Nobis (On the Catholic University of America)
*
Militantis Ecclesiae (On Saint Peter Canisius)
* Mirae Caritatis (On the Holy Eucharist)
*
Nobilissima Gallorum Gens (On the Religious Question in France)
* Non Mediocri (On the Spanish College in Rome)
*
Octobri Mense (On the Rosary--especially Mary and the Church)
* Officio Sanctissimo (On the Church in Bavaria)
*
Omnibus Compertum (On Unity among the Greek Melchites)
* Pastoralis (On Religious Union)
*
Pastoralis Officii (On the Morality of Dueling)
* Paternae (On the Education of Clergy)
*
Paterna Caritas (On Reunion with Rome)
* Pergrata (On the Church in Portugal)
*
Permoti Nos (On Social Conditions in Belgium)
* Providentissimus Deus (On the Study of Holy Scripture)
*
Quae Ad Nos (On the Church in Bohemia and Moravia)
* Quam Aerumnosa (On Italian Immigrants)
*
Quamquam Pluries (On Devotion to Saint Joseph)
* Quam Religiosa (On Civil Marriage Law)
*
Quarto Abeunte Saeculo (On the Columbus Quadricentennial)
* Quod Anniversarius (On His Sacerdotal Jubilee)
*
Quod Apostolici Muneris (On Socialism)
* Quod Auctoritate (Proclaiming an Extraordinary Jubilee))
*
Quod Multum (On the Liberty of the Church)
* Quod Votis (On the Proposed Catholic University)
*
Quum Diuturnum (On the Latin American Bishops' Plenary Council)
* Reputantibus (On the Language Question in Bohemia)
*
Rerum Novarum (On Capital and Labor)
* Saepe Nos (On Boycotting in Ireland)
*
Sancta Dei Civitas (On Mission Societies)
* Sapientiae Christianae (On Christians as Citizens)
*
Satis Cognitum (On the Unity of the Church)
* Spectata Fides (On Christian Education)
*
Spesse Volte (On the Suppression of Catholic Institutions)
* Superiore Anno (On the Recitation of the Rosary)
*
Supremi Apostolatus Officio (On Devotion of the Rosary)
* Tametsi Futura Prospicientibus (On Jesus Christ the Redeemer)
*
Urbanitatis Veteris (On the Foundation of a Seminary in Athens)
* Vi รจ Ben Noto (On the Rosary and Public Life)
*Leo XIII was the first Pope to be born in the
19th century. He was also the first to die in the
20th century.
*Leo XIII was the oldest Pope at the time of his passing. He was 93 years old.
*Leo XIII awarded a gold medal [
3] to a fashionable
19th century cocaine-laced wine called
Vin Mariani, the drink that inspired
Coca-Cola. The dangers of cocaine being unknown, Vin Mariani was also praised and used by many doctors and scientists as well as Queen
Victoria of the United Kingdom (1837–1901) and
Pope Pius X (1903-14).
*Leo XIII was the first Pope of whom a
sound recording was made. The recording can be found on a compact disc of
Alessandro Moreschi's singing. He was also the first Pope to be filmed on the
motion picture camera. He was filmed by its inventor,
W. K. Dickson, and blessed the camera afterward.
 |
Pope Leo XIII wearing his Papal Tiara. |
*Leo XIII approved the foundation of a Catholic university in the
United States in
1887, which became
The Catholic University of America.
*At the time of his death, Leo XIII was the second-longest reigning Pope, exceeded only by his immediate predecessor, Pius IX (unless one counts
St. Peter as having reigned from the time that
Jesus is said to have given him "the keys to the kingdom" until his death, rather than from his arrival in Rome). Leo XIII's regnal length was subsequently exceeded by that of
Pope John Paul II on
March 14,
2004. (1978–2005).
*
Distributism*
Pope Leo XIII texts and biography from the
Vatican*
Pope Leo XIII in the
Catholic Encyclopedia*
Pope Leo XIII, overview of pontificate*
Etexts of his encyclicals and other documents
