Pope Innocent XI
Alexander VIII | |
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Orders | |
Ordination | 20 November 1650 by Francesco Maria Macchiavelli |
Consecration | 29 January 1651 by Francesco Maria Macchiavelli |
Created cardinal | 6 March 1645 by Innocent X |
Personal details | |
Born | Benedetto Odescalchi 16 May 1611 |
Died | 12 August 1689 Rome, Papal States | (aged 78)
Previous post(s) |
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Motto | Avarus non implebitur ("The covetous man is not (never) satisfied [with money]") |
Coat of arms | |
Other popes named Innocent |
Pope Innocent XI (
Political and religious tensions with
After a difficult cause for canonization, starting in 1791, which caused considerable controversy over the years and which was stopped on several occasions, he was beatified in 1956 by Pope Pius XII.
Early life
Benedetto Odescalchi was born in Como on 16 May 1611, the son of a nobleman of Como, Livio Odescalchi, and his wife Paola Castelli Giovanelli from Gandino. The child's siblings were Carlo, Lucrezia, Giulio Maria, Constantino, Nicola and Paolo. He also had several collateral descendants of note through his sister: her grandson Cardinal Baldassare Erba-Odescalchi, Cardinal Benedetto Erba Odescalchi, and Cardinal Carlo Odescalchi.
The
In 1626 Benedetto's father died, and he began schooling in the humanities taught by the Jesuits at his local college, before transferring to Genoa. In 1630 he narrowly survived an outbreak of plague, which killed his mother.
Some time between 1632 and 1636, Benedetto decided to move to Rome and then
In 1650, Odescalchi became
Papacy
Election
Odescalchi was a strong papal candidate after the death of
On 21 September 1676, Odescalchi was chosen to be Clement X's successor and took the name of Innocent XI. He chose this name in honour of Pope Innocent X, who made him a cardinal in 1645. He was formally crowned as pontiff on 4 October 1676 by the protodeacon, Cardinal Francesco Maidalchini.
Papal styles of Pope Innocent XI | |
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His Holiness | |
Spoken style | Your Holiness |
Religious style | Holy Father |
Posthumous style | Blessed |
Reforming the administration of the papacy
Immediately upon his accession, Innocent XI turned all his efforts towards reducing the expenses of the
Personally not unfriendly to
Jewish relations
Innocent XI showed a degree of sensitivity in his dealings with the Jews within the Italian states. He compelled the Republic of Venice to release the Jewish prisoners taken by Francesco Morosini in 1685. He also discouraged compulsory baptisms which accordingly became less frequent under his pontificate, but he could not abolish the old practice altogether.
More controversially on 30 October 1682 he issued an edict by which all the money-lending activities carried out by the Roman Jews were to cease. Such a move would incidentally have financially benefitted his own brothers who played a dominant role in European money-lending. However, ultimately convinced that such a measure would cause much misery in destroying livelihoods, the enforcement of the edict was twice delayed.[9]
Foreign relations
The Battle of Vienna
Innocent XI was an enthusiastic initiator of the
Pope-burning in London
During England's
Relations with France
The pontificate of Innocent XI was marked by the struggle between the absolutism and hegemonic intentions of Louis XIV, and the primacy of the Catholic Church. As early as 1673, Louis had by his own power extended the right of the , where it had previously not been exercised.
All the efforts of Innocent XI to induce Louis XIV to respect the rights and primacy of the Church proved useless. In 1682, the King convoked an
To appease the Pope, Louis XIV began to act as a zealot of Catholicism. In 1685, he revoked the Edict of Nantes and inaugurated a persecution of French Huguenots. Innocent expressed displeasure at these drastic measures and continued to withhold his approbation from the episcopal candidates.
Innocent XI irritated the King still more that same year by abolishing the much abused right of asylum, by which foreign ambassadors in Rome had been able to harbor in embassies any criminal wanted by the papal court of justice. He notified the new French ambassador, Marquis de Lavardin, that he would not be recognised as ambassador in Rome unless he renounced this right, but Louis XIV would not give it up. At the head of an armed force of about 800 men Lavardin entered Rome in November 1687, and took forcible possession of his palace. Innocent XI treated him as excommunicated and on 24 December 1687 placed under interdict the Church of St. Louis at Rome where Lavardin attended services.[10]
In January 1688, Innocent XI received the diplomatic mission which had been dispatched to France and the Holy See by Narai, the King of Siam, under Guy Tachard and Ok-khun Chamnan in order to establish relations.
Cologne controversy
The tension between the Pope and the King of France was increased by Innocent's procedure in filling the vacant
Joseph Clement was not only the candidate of Emperor Leopold I (1658–1705) but of all European rulers, with the exception of the King of France and his supporter and cousin, King James II of England (1685–88). At the election, which took place on 19 July 1688, neither of the candidates received the required number of votes. The decision, therefore, fell to Innocent XI, who designated Joseph Clemens as Archbishop and Elector of Cologne.
Louis XIV retaliated by taking possession of the papal territory of
Innocent XI and William of Orange
Innocent XI dispatched Ferdinando d'Adda as nuncio to the Kingdom of England, the first representative of the Papacy to go to England for over a century. Even so, the Pope did not approve the imprudent manner in which James II attempted to restore Catholicism in England. He also repeatedly expressed his displeasure at the support which James II gave to the autocratic King Louis XIV in his measures against the Church. It is not surprising, therefore, that Innocent XI had less sympathy for James than for William of Orange[11] and that he did not afford James help in his hour of trial.[10] Innocent refused to appoint James II's choice as a Cardinal, Sir Edward Petre, 3rd Baronet.
Moral theology
Abortion
Innocent XI issued the papal bull Sanctissimus Dominus in 1679 to condemn 65 propositions that favored a liberal approach to doctrine which included two that related to abortion. He first condemned proposition 34 and countered that it was unlawful to procure abortion. He also condemned proposition 35, which stated: "It seems probable that the fetus (as long as it is in the uterus) lacks a rational soul and begins first to have one when it is born; and consequently it must be said that no abortion is a homicide."[12][13]
Other activities
Innocent XI was no less intent on preserving the purity of faith and morals among all people. He insisted on thorough education and an exemplary lifestyle for all people and he passed strict rules in relation to the modesty of dress among Roman women. Furthermore, he put an end to the ever-increasing passion for gambling by suppressing the gambling houses at Rome. By a decree of 12 February 1679 he encouraged frequent and even daily reception of Holy Communion.[4] On 4 March 1679, he condemned the proposition that "the precept of keeping Holy Days is not obligatory under pain of mortal sin, aside from scandal, if contempt is absent".[14] In 1688, he reiterated a decree of Pope Sixtus V that banned women from singing on stage in all public theatres or opera houses.[15]
Innocent XI was hostile towards the book Varia Opuscula Theologica (Various Theological Brochures) that the Spanish Jesuit Francisco Suárez published. He ordered all copies to be burnt in 1679 but his orders went ignored. One of the books was discovered in 2015.[16]
Consistories
He elevated 43 new cardinals into the cardinalate in two consistories. In 1681 he named Antonio Pignatelli as a cardinal, who would later become Pope Innocent XII (taking his name in honor of the pope who elevated him). Innocent XI also intended to nominate his confessor Ludovico Marracci as a cardinal, but he declined the invitation.
Beatifications and canonizations
He also canonized two saints: Bernard of Menthon in 1681 and Pedro Armengol on 8 April 1687. He beatified six individuals.
Death and beatification
Final days and death
Innocent XI is known to have suffered from kidney stones since 1682 and in 1689 his health declined notably. In June that year he was confined to his bed. For reasons of ill health, he cancelled a consistory of cardinals convoked for 19 June for the examination of bishops and he also cancelled meetings on 21 June. The pope was suddenly assailed by a strong fever on 25 June and on 29 June he was unable to celebrate the solemn Mass for the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, deputing Cardinal Flavio Chigi to celebrate it in his place. The Pope's condition worsened on 2 July and his doctors were led to lance his left leg, which caused fluid release, and eventually to undertake an operation on his right leg on 31 July, and two more in the following two days.[17]
On 9 August he received the Viaticum since doctors were of the opinion that he had little time left to live. On 11 August he received in audience Cardinal Leandro Colloredo, who came to remind him that the pope had been set to raise ten men to the cardinalate but the pope refused to do so despite the cardinal's insistence. On the morning of 12 August he lost the ability to speak and suffered from breathing difficulties.[17]
Innocent XI died on 12 August 1689 at 22:00 (Rome time) Following his death, he was buried in
In April 2011 the remains of Innocent XI were moved to make way for remains of the beatified John Paul II.[22]
Beatification
Patronage | Diocese of Novara Diocese of Como Bavarian Congregation |
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The process of Innocent XI's
Following his beatification, his sarcophagus was placed under the Altar of St. Sebastian in the basilica's Chapel of St. Sebastian, where it remained until 8 April 2011 when it was moved to make way for the remains of
The feast day assigned to Innocent XI is 12 August, the date of his death. In the Hungarian calendar, it is commemorated on August 13.
Reports suggest that following the attacks on the United States of America on
It was believed that the canonization would have taken place in 2003 but the book's publication halted all plans to canonize Innocent XI.[27]
Encyclicals
- Sollicitudo pastoralis (Fostering and Preserving the Orders of Men Religious)
- Coelestis Pastor (Condemning the errors of Molinos)
See also
- Cardinals created by Innocent XI
- Odescalchi
Notes
- ^ "August 12 - Blessed Pope Innocent XI (in Italian)". Diocese of Novara. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
- ^ "Cardinal Scola in the Cathedral for the closing of the Year of Innocent (in Italian)". Diocese of Como. 8 May 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
- ^ "Patrons of the Bavarian Congregation". Catholic Saints. 20 May 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
- ^ a b "Pope Innocent XI". Catholic Encyclopedia. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ^ "Pope Innocent XI". Cultural Catholic. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ^ "Pope Innocent XI". NNDB. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ISBN 978-1-84162-285-9. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
At the square's centre is a statue of Pope Innocent XI, who is known as the 'saviour of Hungary' because of his endeavors in funding the European forces that freed Hungary from Turkish rule.
- ^ a b c d Kelly, 287
- ^ Isidore Singer, The Jewish Encyclopedia, Varda Books, 2003
- ^ a b c Kelly, 288
- ^ Crane Brinton, "Italy and the Papacy, 1655 A.D.-1799 A.D." in An Encyclopedia of World History (1941), Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
- ^ "Pope Innocent XI (1611-1689)". The Embryo Project Encyclopedia. 18 March 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
- ^ Decret de N.S.P. le Pape Innocent XI contre plusieurs propositions de morale, suivant les exemplaires de rome, de l'Imprimerie de la Reverendissime Chambre Apostolique. [Paris] : [F. Muguet]. 1679. p. 12. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
- ^ "Is it really a mortal sin to skip Sunday Mass?". The New Theological Movement. 21 October 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
- ^ "The Castrati-Mutilation in the Name of Religion". Retrieved 11 April 2015.
- ^ "Extremely rare book from 17th century, banned by Pope Innocent XI, resurfaces". Catholic Online. 11 April 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
- ^ a b "Sede Vacante 1689". CSUN. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
- ^ Bradshaw's Illustrated Hand-Book to Italy (1865) describes Innocent XI's tomb as being that of his Monument in St Peter's Basilica, which is near that of Pope Leo XI's monument and tomb. Francis Wey's Rome (1875) and S. Russell Forbes' Rambles in Rome: An Archaeological and Historical Guide (1882) also refer to Innocent XI's Monument as being his tomb.
- ^ Cevetello, Joseph F.X., "Blessed Innocent XI," Homiletic & Pastoral Review. New York, NY: Joseph F. Wagner, Inc., 1957. Pp. 331–339.
- ^ "Monument to Bl. Innocent XI". SaintPetersBasilica.org. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
- ^ Reardon, Wendy J. (2004), The Deaths of the Popes, Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc. P. 215.
- ^ Kerr, David. "Pope Innocent XI's remains make way for John Paul II". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
- ^ a b Index ac status causarum beatificationis servorum dei et canonizationis beatorum (in Latin). Typis polyglottis vaticanis. January 1953. p. 99.
- ^ "Blessed Pope Innocent XI". Catholic News Agency. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
- ^ a b Kerr, David. "Pope Innocent XI's remains make way for John Paul II". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
- ^ The Independent, 13 May 2008 at https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/a-papal-mystery-827008.html
- ^ "The return of Imprimatur in Italy: censorship is over?". Cultora. 9 September 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
References
- Kelly, J.N.D. (1986). The Oxford History of the Popes. ISBN 978-0-19-282085-3.
- Michaud, Eugène (1882). Louis XIV et Innocent XI (in French). Vol. Tome Premier: Innocent XI et son cour. Paris: Charpentier.
Acknowledgment
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Pope Innocent XI". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
External links
- The Body of Innocent XI in St Peter's Basilica
- The Altar of Transfiguration
- Coelestis Pastor
- Video footage showing the beatification of Pope Innocent XI
- Innocent XI, 1611-1689 - The Lawyer-Pope Archived 2019-09-26 at the Wayback Machine
- Diocese of Como