Pope Leo XIII

département of Rome, French Empire
Died	20 July 1903(1903-07-20) (aged 93) Apostolic Palace, Rome, Kingdom of Italy
Previous post(s)	Titular Archbishop of Tamiathis (1843–1846) Apostolic Nuncio to Belgium (1843–1846) Archbishop-Bishop of Perugia (1846–1880) Cardinal-Priest of San Crisogono (1853–1878) Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber (1877–1878)
Motto	Lumen in coelo[1] (Light in Heaven)
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Other popes named Leo

Pope Leo XIII (

He is well known for his intellectualism and his attempts to define the position of the Catholic Church with regard to modern thinking. In his famous 1891

Born in

Count and Countess Pecci, parents

His siblings were:^[5]

• Carlo (1793–1879)
• Anna Maria (1798–1870)
• Caterina (1800–1867)
• Giovanni Battista (1802–1881)
• Giuseppe (1807–1890)
• Fernando (1813–1830)

In 1824, he and Giuseppe were called to Rome, where their mother was dying. Count Pecci wanted his children near him after the loss of his wife and so they stayed with him in Rome and attended the Jesuit

In 1828, the 18-year-old Vincenzo decided in favour of

Provincial administrator, 1837–1843

On 14 February 1837, Pope Gregory XVI appointed the 27-year-old Pecci as personal prelate even before he was ordained a priest on 31 December 1837 by the Cardinal Vicar Carlo Odescalchi. He celebrated his first Mass with his priest brother Giuseppe.^[9] Shortly thereafter, Gregory XVI appointed Pecci as Papal legate (provincial administrator) to Benevento, the smallest Papal province, with a population of about 20,000.^[8]

The main problems facing Pecci were a decaying local economy, insecurity from widespread bandits, and pervasive Mafia or Camorra structures, which were often allied with aristocratic families. Pecci arrested the most powerful aristocrat in Benevento and his troops captured others, who were either killed or imprisoned by him. With public order restored, he turned to the economy and a reform of the tax system to stimulate trade with the neighboring provinces.^[10]

Pecci was first destined for Spoleto, a province of 100,000. On 17 July 1841, he was sent to Perugia with 200,000 inhabitants.^[8] His immediate concern was to prepare the province for a papal visitation in the same year. Pope Gregory XVI visited hospitals and educational institutions for several days, asking for advice and listing questions. The fight against corruption continued in Perugia, where Pecci investigated several incidents. When it was claimed that a bakery was selling bread below the prescribed pound weight, he personally went there, had all bread weighed and confiscated it if below legal weight. The confiscated bread was distributed to the poor.^[11]

Nuncio to Belgium, 1843–1846

On 27 April 1843, Pope Gregory XVI appointed Pecci Archbishop and asked his Cardinal Secretary of State Lambruschini to consecrate him.^[12] Pecci developed excellent relations with the royal family and used the location to visit neighboring Germany, where he was particularly interested in the architectural completion of the Cologne Cathedral.

In 1844, upon his initiative, a

In 1843, Pecci had been named

Provincial council

Pecci called a provincial council in 1849 to reform the religious life in his dioceses in

While archbishop, Pecci developed several activities in support of various

Allegedly, Pecci had been a cardinal reserved "in pectore" by Gregory XVI in the consistory of 19 January 1846, with the pope's death just over four months later invalidating the appointment since his name was never actually revealed publicly.^[5]

Defending the papacy

Pecci defended the papacy and its claims. When Italian authorities expropriated convents and monasteries of Catholic orders, turning them into administration or military buildings, Pecci protested but acted moderately. When the Italian state took over Catholic schools, Pecci, fearing for his theological seminary, simply added all secular topics from other schools and opened the seminary to non-theologians.^[22] The new government also levied taxes on the Catholic Church and issued legislation according to which all episcopal or papal utterances were to be approved by the government before their publication.^[23]

Organizing the First Vatican Council

On 8 December 1869, an

During the 1870s, in his last years in Perugia, Pecci addressed the role of the church in modern society several times, defining the church as the mother of material civilization because it upheld human dignity of working people, opposed the excesses of industrialization and developed large-scale charities for the needy.[24]

In August 1877, on the death of Cardinal

Pope Pius IX died on 7 February 1878,^[25] and during his closing years the liberal press had often insinuated that the Kingdom of Italy should take a hand in the conclave and occupy the Vatican.^{[citation needed]} However, the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) and the sudden death of King Victor Emmanuel II (9 January 1878) distracted the government's attention.

In the conclave, the cardinals faced varied questions and discussed issues like

During the conclave, he secured his election on the third scrutiny with 44 out of 61 votes, more than the requisite two-thirds majority. While the 1878 conclave was characterized by fewer political influences than in previous conclaves due to a variety of European political crises, it was generally believed that the long papacy of the conservative Pius IX led many of the cardinals to vote for Pecci because his age and health created the expectation that his papacy would be somewhat brief.[26] Following the conclave, John Henry Newman is reported to have said, "In the successor of Pius IX recognize a depth of thought, a tenderness of heart, a winning simplicity, and a power answering to the name of Leo, which prevent me from lamenting that Pius is no longer here".^[26] In the conclave, Pecci was perceived as the main "papabile" candidate; however, Cardinals Flavio Chigi and Tommaso Martinelli were also considered as potential candidates. But some cardinals who opposed Pecci, and were alarmed at the rising votes he was securing, banded together to cast their ballots for Cardinal Alessandro Franchi; however, Franchi secured no votes in the final ballot that saw Pecci duly elected. Allegedly, those who were dedicated to thwarting his election were Cardinals Luigi Oreglia di Santo Stefano, Pietro Giannelli, Chigi, Lorenzo Ilarione Randi, Carlo Sacconi, Raffaele Monaco La Valletta, Luigi Amat di San Filippo e Sorso, and Johann Baptist Franzelin. It was also suggested that, before his death, Pius IX heavily favored Cardinal Luigi Bilio to succeed him, and while many of the cardinals created by the late pope intended to vote for Bilio to honor the man that elevated them in the first place, they feared that voting for an ultra-conservative could potentially evoke a veto from one of the European powers and stall the election more than was necessary. To that end, there had been early talks about Austria possibly vetoing Bilio; however, this never occurred.^[26] Before the conclave, Cardinals Domenico Bartolini, Monaco, Bilio, Henry Edward Manning, Lorenzo Nina, and Franchi (proposed by Pecci's opponents) all agreed on supporting Pecci's candidacy, also determining that the next pope needed to be an Italian. Both Manning and Edward Henry Howard agreed to persuade the foreign cardinals to back Pecci's candidacy.^[27][26]

Upon his election, he announced that he would assume the name "Leo" in memory of Pope Leo XII due to his admiration for the late pope's interest in education and his conciliatory attitude toward foreign governments.^[27] When asked what name he would take, the new pope responded: "As Leo XIII, in remembrance of Leo XII, whom I have always venerated". His election was formally announced to the people of Rome and the world at 1:15pm.^[5]

He retained the administration of the Perugia see until 1880.

Pontificate

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As soon as he was elected to the papacy, Leo XIII worked to encourage understanding between the church and the modern world. When he firmly reasserted the

Leo XIII was the first pope of whose voice a

Although Leo XIII was no radical in either theology or politics, his papacy moved the Catholic Church back to the mainstream of European life. Considered a great diplomat, he managed to improve relations with Russia, Germany, France, Britain and other countries.

Pope Leo XIII was able to reach several agreements in 1896 that resulted in better conditions for the faithful and additional appointments of bishops. During the

His favourite poets were Virgil and Dante.^[36]

Foreign relations

Russia

Pope Leo XIII began his pontificate with a friendly letter to Tsar Alexander II in which he reminded the Russian monarch of the millions of Catholics living in his empire who would like to be good Russian subjects if their dignity were respected.

After the assassination of Alexander II, the pope sent a high ranking representative to the coronation of his successor, Alexander III, who was grateful and asked for all religious forces to unify. He asked the pope to ensure that his bishops abstain from political agitation. Relations improved further when Pope Leo XIII, because of Italian considerations, distanced the Vatican from the Rome-Vienna-Berlin alliance, and helped to facilitate a rapprochement between Paris and St. Petersburg.

Germany

Under

The Centre Party in Germany represented Catholic interests and was a force for social change. It was encouraged by Leo's support for social welfare legislation and the rights of working people. Leo's forward-looking approach encouraged Catholic Action in other European countries, where the social teachings of the church were incorporated into the agenda of Catholic parties, particularly the Christian democratic parties, which became an acceptable alternative to socialist parties. Leo's social teachings were reiterated throughout the 20th century by his successors.

In his Memoirs,

In the light of a climate hostile to the Catholic Church, Leo continued the policies of Pius IX towards Italy without major modifications.^[41] In his relations with the Italian state, Leo 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 any elected office. In his first consistory in 1879, he elevated his older brother, Giuseppe, to the cardinalate. He had to defend the freedom of the church against what Catholics considered Italian persecutions and attacks in the area of education, expropriation and violation of Catholic Churches, legal measures against the church and brutal attacks, culminating in anticlerical groups attempting to throw the body of the deceased Pope Pius IX into the Tiber on 13 July 1881.^[42] The pope even considered moving his residence to Trieste or Salzburg, two cities in Austria, an idea that Emperor Franz Joseph I gently rejected.^[43]

United Kingdom

Among the activities of Leo XIII that were important for the English-speaking world, he

In 1880, the Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey in Catalonia celebrated 1000 years of existence. On 11 September 1881, to coincide with the Catalan national day, Leo XIII proclaimed the Virgin of Montserrat to be Patron of Catalonia. This had implications beyond the purely religious sphere, influencing the development of Catalan nationalism.

Bulgaria

Leo XIII welcomed the elevation of Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg (the later

The United States frequently attracted his attention and admiration. He confirmed the decrees of the

Also in 1884, Pope Leo XIII established the See of Helena (St. Helena) in the territorial capital of Montana, which five years later would become the state capital.

On 10 April 1887, a pontifical charter from Pope Leo XIII founded the Catholic University of America, establishing the national university of the Catholic Church in the United States.

American newspapers criticized Pope Leo because they claimed that he was attempting to gain control of American public schools.^[46] One cartoonist drew Leo as a fox unable to reach grapes that were labeled for American schools; the caption read "Sour grapes!"^[47]

In 1892, Pope Leo XIII opened the Vatican archives to William Eleroy Curtis, a special envoy planning the commemoration of Christopher Columbus at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.^[48][49]

Brazil

Pope Leo XIII is also remembered for the First Plenary Council of Latin America held at Rome in 1899, and for his encyclical of 1888 to the bishops of Brazil, In plurimis, on the abolition of slavery. In 1897 he published the Apostolic Letter Trans Oceanum, which dealt with the privileges and ecclesiastical structure of the Catholic Church in Latin America.^[50]

Chile

His role in South America will also be remembered, especially the pontifical benediction extended over

Pope Leo XIII urged "Filii tui India, administri tibi salutis" (Your own sons, O India, will be the heralds of your salvation)[52] and founded the national seminary, called Papal Seminary. He entrusted this task to the then Apostolic Delegate to India Ladislaus Michael Zaleski, who founded the Seminary in 1893.

Evangelization

Pope Leo XIII sanctioned the missions to

Leo XIII also approved a number of

As pope, he used all his authority for a revival of Thomism, the theology of Thomas Aquinas. On 4 August 1879, Leo XIII promulgated the encyclical Aeterni Patris ("Eternal Father"), which, more than any other single document, provided a charter for the revival of Thomism, the medieval theological system based on the thought of Aquinas – as the official philosophical and theological system of the Catholic Church. It was to be normative not only in the training of priests at church seminaries but also in the education of the laity at universities.

Pope Leo XIII then created the

Consecrations

Pope Leo XIII performed a number of consecrations, at times entering new theological territory. After he had received many letters from Sister Mary of the Divine Heart, the countess of Droste zu Vischering and Mother Superior in the Convent of the Good Shepherd Sisters in Porto, Portugal, asking him to consecrate the entire world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, he commissioned a group of theologians to examine the petition on the basis of revelation and sacred tradition. The outcome of this investigation was positive and so in the encyclical letter Annum sacrum (on 25 May 1899), he decreed that the consecration of the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on 11 June 1899.

The encyclical letter also encouraged the entire Catholic episcopate to promote the

Prayer

Leo introduced the promotion of monthly prayer intentions in 1890, which he entrusted to the Apostleship of Prayer (now the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network).^[58]

Scriptures

In his 1893 encyclical Providentissimus Deus, he described the importance of scriptures for theological study. It was an important encyclical for Catholic theology and its relation to the Bible, as Pope Pius XII pointed out 50 years later in his encyclical Divino afflante Spiritu.^[59]

Eastern Rite Catholics

Pope Leo XIII opposed efforts to Latinize the Eastern Rite Churches and stated that they constitute a most valuable ancient tradition and symbol of the divine unity of the Catholic Church. He expressed that in his encyclical "Orientalium dignitas" of 1894 and wrote, "The Churches of the East are worthy of the glory and reverence that they hold throughout the whole of Christendom in virtue of those extremely ancient, singular memorials that they have bequeathed to us."

Theological research

Leo XIII is credited with great efforts in the areas of scientific and historical analysis. He opened the

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Church and state

Leo XIII worked to encourage understanding between the Catholic Church and the modern world, but he preferred a cautious view on freedom of thought, stating 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." Leo's social teachings are based on the Catholic premise that God is the Creator of the world and its Ruler. Eternal law commands the natural order to be maintained, and forbids that it be disturbed; men's destiny is far above human things and beyond the earth.^{[citation needed]}

Rerum novarum

His encyclicals changed the church's relations with temporal authorities; the 1891 encyclical

on the use of the goods of creation.

Leo had argued that both capitalism and communism are flawed. Rerum novarum introduced the idea of

list of Encyclicals of Pope Leo XIII

.)

Consistories

Main article: Cardinals created by Leo XIII

Throughout his pontificate, Leo XIII elevated 147 cardinals in 27 consistories. While the limit of the College of Cardinals had been set at 70 since the papacy of Pope Sixtus V, Leo XIII never exceeded nor reached the limit, only ever coming close at 67 in 1901.^[64] Amongst the noteworthy cardinals whom he elevated, he named John Henry Newman as a cardinal while also elevating his own brother Giuseppe Pecci, though not a nepotistic act (it was based purely on recommendation and merit), in the same consistory. In 1893, he elevated Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto to the cardinalate, who would go on to be his immediate successor, Pope Pius X in 1903. The pope also nominated the brothers, Serafino and Vincenzo Vannutelli and the cousins Luigi and Angelo Jacobini to the Sacred College. Other noteworthy inclusions were Andrea Carlo Ferrari (later beatified in 1987) and Girolamo Maria Gotti (whom he favoured as his successor).

Of the 147 cardinals he elevated, 85 were Italian since Leo XIII nominated cardinals from beyond Europe, including the first cardinals from Australia,^[65] Canada,^[66] Slovenia,^[67] and Armenia,^[68] the latter of which would be the first Oriental selection since 1439.

In 1880, the pope named three cardinals "in pectore", announcing them in 1882 and 1884. In 1882, he named another cardinal in pectore, announcing the name later that same year. On 30 December 1889, Leo XIII named only one cardinal whom he reserved in pectore, only announcing the name roughly six months later. In early 1893, he named another two cardinals in pectore, announcing their names in 1894 and 1895, while in April 1901 announcing the names of another two cardinals whom he had reserved in pectore in June 1899. In June 1896, Leo XIII named two other cardinals in pectore, announcing in March 1898 that both had died, hence, vacating the red hats he would have bestowed upon them.^[69]

With the elevation of Newman in 1879, it was widely praised throughout the English-speaking world, not simply on the account of Newman's virtues and reputation, but on the basis that Leo XIII had a broader episcopal vision in mind than Pius IX ever did. His similar appointments of two prominent participants of the First Vatican Council, Lajos Haynald and Friedrich Egon von Fürstenberg both in 1879 was also noteworthy due to their roles in the short-lived Council. It was even alleged that Félix Antoine Philibert Dupanloup, a vocal opponent of papal infallibility like Newman, would have been elevated to the cardinalate in 1879 had he not died in October 1878.^[26] Additionally, in 1884, the Polish priest and former Curial official Stefan Pawlicki was offered but refused an offer of elevation. Leo XIII later intended to name the Archbishop of Santiago Mariano Santiago Casanova Casanova as a cardinal in 1895; however, the pope abandoned the idea after the Peruvian Church objected that the Archbishop of Lima was the Primate of South America and hence the one that needed to be made a cardinal. In order to avoid a conflict between Chile and Peru, the pope abandoned the idea reluctantly.^[69]

In 1897, the pope intended to name the

Dominican procurator general Hyacinthe-Marie Cormier (later beatified) to the cardinalate; however, he was unable to do so because the French government did not favor a cardinal from a religious order to seek its best interests as a Curial member.^[69] In 1901, he planned to name Agapito Panici as a cardinal at the next consistory, but Panici died before the nomination could take place in 1903. Allegedly, before deciding to name him, Leo XIII asked his brother Diomede to renounce his claim to the red hat, but when Agapito died in 1902, the pope informed Diomede that he would ignore his previous missive asking him to renounce his claim to the red hat, a position that Diomede was never then given. According to witnesses, Leo XIII failed three times to invite Vincenzo Tarozzi (whose cause for beatification has since been launched) to receive the red hat. According to a conversation in 1904 between Pope Pius X and Antonio Mele-Virdis, the former is alleged to have said, "he should have been in my place".^[69]

Canonizations and beatifications

Main article: List of saints canonized by Pope Leo XIII

Leo XIII canonized the following saints during his pontificate:

• 8 December 1881:
  John Baptist de Rossi (1696–1764), Lawrence of Brindisi (d. 1619), and Benedict Joseph Labre
  (1748–1783)
• 15 January 1888: Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order, Peter Claver (1581–1654), John Berchmans (1599–1621), and Alphonsus Rodriguez (1531–1617)
• 27 May 1897: Anthony Zaccaria (1502–1539) and Peter Fourier (1565–1640)
• 24 May 1900:
  John Baptist de la Salle (1651–1719) and Rita of Cascia
  (1381–1457)

Leo XIII beatified several of his predecessors:

Adrian III

on 2 June 1891.

He also beatified the following:

• Giancarlo Melchiori on 22 January 1882
• Edmund Campion and Ralph Sherwin in 1886
• John Haile on 29 December 1886
• Jean-Baptiste de La Salle (whom he later canonized) on 19 February 1888
• Inés de Benigánim on 26 February 1888
• Antonio Maria Zaccaria (whom he later canonized) on 3 January 1890
• Giovanni Giovenale Ancina
  on 9 February 1890
• Pompilio Maria Pirrotti on 26 January 1890
• Gerard Majella on 29 January 1893
• Leopoldo Croci on 12 May 1893
• Antonio Baldinucci
  on 16 April 1893
• Rodolfo Acquaviva and 4 Companions on 30 April 1893
• Diego José López-Caamaño on 22 April 1894
• Bernardino Realino on 12 January 1896
• Francis Regis Clet on 27 May 1900
• Ignatius Delgado y Cebrian as one of 64 Martyrs of Vietnam
  on 27 May 1900
• Louis Gabriel Taurin Dufresse on 27 May 1900
• John Lantrua of Triora
  on 27 May 1900
• Maria Maddalena Martinengo on 3 June 1900
• Dénis Berthelot of the Nativity and Redento Rodríguez of the Cross on 10 June 1900^{[citation needed]}
• Jeanne de Lestonnac on 23 September 1900
• Antonio Grassi on 30 September 1900

He approved the cult of Cosmas of Aphrodisia. He beatified several of the English martyrs in 1895.^[70]

Doctors of the Church

Leo XIII named four individuals as

Doctors of the Church

:

• Cyril of Alexandria (28 July 1882) – he named him as "Doctor Incarnationis" ("Doctor of the Incarnation")
• Cyril of Jerusalem (28 July 1882)
• John of Damascus (29 August 1890)
• Bede the Venerable (13 November 1899) – he named him as "Anglorum doctor" ("Doctor of the English")

Audiences

One of the first audiences that Leo XIII granted was to the professors and students of the

Collegio Capranica, where in the first row knelt in front of him the young seminarian Giacomo Della Chiesa, the future Pope Benedict XV

, who would reign from 1914 to 1922.

On a pilgrimage with her father and sister in 1887,

Bishop of Bayeux

authorized the prioress to receive Thérèse, and in April 1888, she entered Carmel at the age of 15.

There are several versions of a story of how Leo came to compose the Prayer to Saint Michael. Various dates are given. A common account says that on the morning of 13 October 1884, Leo XIII celebrated Mass but as he finished, he turned to step down the stairs and allegedly collapsed, falling into what was originally thought to be a coma, but was rather a mystical ecstasy. As the priests and cardinals rushed to his side, Leo XIII rose and visibly shaken, brushed off his aides and rushed back towards his apartment where he immediately wrote the Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel. Leo XIII reportedly saw a vision of demons being released from Hell, and as the vision ended, he saw Saint Michael charge in and drive them all back into Hell. Leo XIII mandated that the prayer be said after every Mass from that point forth.

In 1934, a German writer, Fr. Bers, tried to trace the origin of the story and declared that, though the story was widespread, nowhere could he find a trace of proof. Sources close to the institution of the prayer in 1886, including an account of a conversation with Leo XIII about his decision, say nothing of the alleged vision. Bers concluded that the story was a later invention that spread like a virus.^[71]

Health

At the time of his election in 1878, the pope had started to experience a slight tremor in his hand due to a poorly undertaken bloodletting procedure for a previous malady.^[72]

In March 1899, it had been believed that the pope was gravely ill and that he was nearing death. Originally, it was presumed that the pope was suffering from a violent case of

Mariano Rampolla del Tindaro that it was necessary to ensure his good health. Before the pope was taken for surgery, he asked that his chaplain celebrate Mass in his private chapel while the operation was taking place. Reportedly, the cyst removed "was the size of an ordinary-sized orange."^[72][73]

Towards the end of his life, Leo XIII resorted to using a gold-headed cane when going on walks, as he often found it difficult to do so. While Leo XIII was certainly able to walk without it, he only did so if he felt truly comfortable in doing so. When there were ever rumors about his health, Leo XIII was known to mischievously walk about briskly to dispel the rumors.[5]

Death

Pope Leo XIII lying in state in July 1903.

The monument and tomb to Leo XIII in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran.

On 30 June 1903, Leo XIII reported slight feelings of dyspepsia and said that he would take a dose of castor oil to help himself recuperate, shrugging off concerns about his health. While it seemed to work, and the pope resumed his duties with a renewed vigor, it was not to last.^[73]

Leo XIII originally contracted a cold while taking an outing in the

Mariano Rampolla del Tindaro and Luigi Oreglia di Santo Stefano in their capacities as the Secretary of State and Camerlengo respectively. On 4 July, the pope made his last confession to Cardinal Serafino Vannutelli and later was barely able to recite the profession of faith.^[75] That same day, he experienced a loss of appetite and suffered from shortness of breath.^[72] On 5 July, the doctor said reported that the hepatisation affected the upper and middle lobes of the right lung, while Leo XIII suffered from considerable cardiac weakness and difficulties in breathing, while reporting the absence of any fever or coughing fits.^[73] That same day, after having received the sacraments, the pope said, "I am now near my end. I do not know if all I have done has been good, but I certainly obeyed my conscience and our faith".^[5]

On 6 July 1903, he was administered an injection to ease the pain that he was experiencing, while it was reported that the pneumonia he had contracted was starting to spread to the left lung. The pope, who had an imperceptible pulse, had a restless night and was given oxygen by his doctors. When given the oxygen, Leo XIII replied, "That is much better. Before I felt as though I had lost my liberty".[5] That morning, he intimated to those with him that he would prefer it if Cardinal Girolamo Maria Gotti succeeded him in the next conclave.^[76] When doctors ordered him to rest, so as not to further aggravate his declining health, Leo XIII said: "If it were only of any use, but I do not believe it would be. The brief remainder of my life must be given to God's Church, not to my own poor comfort". The pope lost consciousness but was awake to receive the sacraments at 9:00pm before experiencing yet another restless night, marveling, "God's will be done. Who would have believed it when only ten days ago I was presiding over a public consistory?"^[76] Leo XIII only slept three hours but severe pain saw him immediately awaken, complaining of pain on both sides of the thorax that forced doctors to move his frail form for better comfort. His situation had previously been critical that afternoon when he was given the Last Rites, while his doctors apprised him of his sudden deterioration. On 7 July, the feeble pope asked that the shutters of his window be opened, saying "I wish to see once more, perhaps for the last time, the rays of the sun".^[75] In the nights following, the pope suffered from several coughing fits, perspiring heavily due to his rising fever. The pope felt slightly better enough on 10 July to receive a group of Hungarian pilgrims; however, the pope was exhausted and collapsed after the meeting.^[74]

Leo XIII deteriorated further until he died at 3:55 pm on 20 July 1903, whispering a final blessing before he died. However, Vatican officials gave the time of his death as 4:04 pm when officials officially confirmed that the pope had died. Officially, Leo XIII had died of pneumonia, followed by

hemorrhagic pleurisy.^[77]

Leo XIII was the first pope to be born in the 19th century and was also the first to die in the 20th century, living to the age of 93.[78] He is the oldest verified pope to have served in the office,^[79] and the second-oldest verified person to have been pope,^[80] surpassed only by Pope Benedict XVI as "Pope emeritus", who died at the age of 95.^[81] There are three other popes that are claimed to have lived longer than Pope Leo XIII: Pope St Agatho (574-681), who died at the age of 107;^[82] Pope Gregory IX (1145-1241), who died at the age of 96;^[83] and Pope Adrian I (700-795), who died at the age of 95.^[84] However, although there is some contemporary documentation attesting to their ages, there is not sufficient evidence for them to be verified with complete certainty; this is due to the poor record keeping typical of the era in which they lived in.

At the time of his death, Leo XIII was the third-longest-reigning pope (25 years), exceeded only by his immediate predecessor,

Pius IX (31 years), and Saint Peter

(38 years).

He was entombed in

Basilica of Saint John Lateran, his cathedral church as the Bishop of Rome, and a church in which he took a particular interest. He was moved there in late 1924. Until Pope Francis dies, who will be interred at the Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, Leo will be the last pope not to be buried in St. Peter's Basilica.^[85][86]

In film

In the 2024 film, Cabrini, Pope Leo XIII is depicted by Giancarlo Giannini in several scenes offering his support to Mother Cabrini for her mission in the United States in 1889 and thereafter.

See also

• List of encyclicals of Pope Leo XIII
• Cardinals created by Leo XIII
• Distributism
• List of popes
• List of popes by length of reign
• Papal Navy
• Prayer to Saint Michael
• Restoration of the Scottish hierarchy

Notes

1. ^ Portrait from the archives of the United States Library of Congress
2. ^ Italian: [dʒoakˈkiːno vinˈtʃɛntso raffaˈɛːle luˈiːdʒi ˈpettʃi]; English: Joachim Vincent Raphael Louis Pecci.

References

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44. ^ ^{a b} Martire, Egilberto (1951). Enciclopedia Cattolica [Catholic Encyclopedia] (in Italian). Vol. 7. Firenze: Casa Editrice G. C. Sansoni.
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Bibliography

In English

• Chadwick, Owen. A History of the Popes 1830–1914 (2003). online Archived 24 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine pp 273–331.
• Chadwick, Owen. The Popes and European Revolution (1981) 655pp excerpt; also online Archived 26 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine
• Duffy, Eamon (1997), Saints and Sinners, A History of the Popes, Yale University Press.
• Thérèse of Lisieux (1996), Story of a Soul – The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Clarke, John Clarke trans (3rd ed.), Washington, DC: ICS.
• Quardt, Robert, The Master Diplomat; From the Life of Leo XIII, Wolson, Ilya trans, New York: Alba House.
• O'Reilly, Bernard (1887), Life of Leo XIII – From An Authentic Memoir – Furnished By His Order, New York: Charles L Webster & Co.

In German

• Ernesti, Jörg (2019), Leo XIII – Papst und Staatsmann (in German), Freiburg {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help).
• Bäumer, Remigius (1992), Marienlexikon [Dictionary of Mary] (in German), et al, St Ottilien {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help).
• Franzen, August; Bäumer, Remigius (1988), Papstgeschichte (in German), Freiburg: Herder.
• Kühne, Benno (1880), Papst Leo XIII [Pope Leo XIII] (in German), New York & St. Louis: C&N Benzinger, Einsideln.
• Quardt, Robert (1964), Der Meisterdiplomat [The Master Diplomat] (in German), Kevelaer, DE: Butzon & Bercker
• Schmidlin, Josef (1934), Papstgeschichte der neueren Zeit (in German), München{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link).

In Italian

• Regoli, Roberto (2009). "L'elite cardinalizia dopo la fine dello stato pontificio". Archivum Historiae Pontificiae. 47: 63–87.
  JSTOR 23565185
  .

Further reading

• Richard H. Clarke (1903), The Life of His Holiness Leo XIII, Philadelphia: P. W. Ziegler & Co.
• Hutton, Arthur Wollaston; Bryant, Margaret (1911). "Leo (popes)/Leo XIII" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 16 (11th ed.). pp. 437–439.

External links

Wikisource has the text of the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia article Pope Leo XIII.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Leo XIII.

Wikisource has original works by or about:
Leo XIII

Wikiquote has quotations related to Pope Leo XIII.

• Pecci, Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi. "Encyclicals and other documents" (Etexts).
• "Pope Leo XIII" (texts & biography). Vatican City: The Vatican.
• "Pope Leo XIII, overview of pontificate". Catholic Community Forum. Archived from the original on 3 June 2004.
• "Pope Leo XIII in Carriage" (silent film, available in UK only). 1898 – via
  BFI
  . The Pope arrives in a carriage and bestows a blessing
• Film of Pope Leo XIII in 1896 on YouTube with recording of Leo XIII chanting the Ave Maria in Latin in 1903
• Colorized film of Pope Leo XIII in 1896 on YouTube
• "Pope Leo XIII" (text with concordances and frequency list). Intra text.
• Works by or about Pope Leo XIII at Internet Archive
  • Keller, Rev. Joseph E., ed. (1883). Life and Acts of Pope Leo XII (New and Enlarged ed.). New York, Cincinnati, and St. Louis: Benziger Brothers – via Internet Archive.
• Works by Pope Leo XIII at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
• Newspaper clippings about Pope Leo XIII in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW

Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Raffaele Fornari	Apostolic Nuncio to Belgium 1843–1846	Succeeded by Innocenzo Ferrieri
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Giovanni Giacomo Sinibaldi	— TITULAR — Archbishop of Tamiathis 1843–1846	Succeeded by Diego Planeta
Preceded by Carlo Filesio Cittadini	Archbishop-Bishop of Perugia 1 1846–1878	Succeeded by Federico Pietro Foschi
Preceded by Filippo de Angelis	Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church 22 September 1877 – 20 February 1878	Succeeded by Camillo di Pietro
Preceded by Pius IX	Pope 20 February 1878 – 20 July 1903	Succeeded by Pius X
Notes and references
1. Retained personal title