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Name:
Pope Leo XIII
Born: Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi
Preceded by: Blessed Pius IX (1846 - 1878)
Succeeded by: St. Pius X (1903 - 1914)
Roman Catholic Pope #257
Dates:
Born: March 2, 1810 (Italy)
Died: July 20, 1903
Pope: February 20, 1878 - July 20, 1903 (25 years)
Ordained: December 31, 1837
Biography:
Leo XIII was the first pope to make an effort to bring the Roman Catholic Church into
harmony with the modern world. For example, he offered some support to democratic
reforms and opened up the Vatican archives to outside scholars. He also issued the
encyclical Rerum Novarum ("Of New Things") which supported the rights of
workers and of the poor - despite his general opposition to both socialism and
communism in their various guises. This is generally regarded as the first major
document expressing modern Church teachings.
Politically, Leo continued the efforts of his predecessor Pius IX to gain independence for the Vatican from the kingdom of Italy. Because the pope had lost all real political and temporal power, other world leaders began to regard him as a netural observer and, hence, as someone who could mediate in international disputes.
Leo expanded the influence of the Catholic Church, created 248 new episcopal or archiepiscopal sees, looking forward to a time when all of Christianity would be united under papal leadership. This vision was not always expressed positively, as with Apostolicae Curae (1896) which condemned Anglican orders and declared them "absolutely null and utterly void."
Also Known As: none
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
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