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Name:
Pope Clement XI
Born: Giovanni Francesco Albani
Preceded by: Innocent XII (1691 - 1700)
Succeeded by: Innocent XIII (1721 - 1724)
Roman Catholic Pope #244
Dates:
Born: July 23, 1649 (Italy)
Died: March 19, 1721
Pope: November 23, 1700 - March 19, 1721 (20 years)
Biography:
Pope Clement XI's reign was consumed by numerous political and religious problems.
For one, he was faced with dissent from the Jansenist priests and in the papal bull
Unigentius Dei Filius, published in September, 1713, Clement condemned Jansenism
and excommunicated many of its followers.
Clement also had to intervene in a dispute between Jesuits and Dominicans in China. The Jesuits had insisted on accomodating Catholicism to the native Chinese culture - for example, by conducting Catholic rites in Chinese and by paying honor to Confucius or the ancestors of the emperors of China. Clement opposed both and ruled in 1715 that such practices could not continue. As a consequence, the Chinese authorities embarked upon extensive persecution of Chinese Christians and closed down many of the missions throughout the country. The ban on rites in Chinese was not lifted by untili 1939 by Pius XII.
Also Known As: none
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
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