Pope Leo XIII

and that was an interesting choice. The selection of the name that a person takes as pope is often an indicator of that pope's intentions, and as pope, Leo the thirteenth was invoked in this new pope's choice of name, like specifically people speaking for the Vatican mentioned it in interviews. It seemed like as good a time as any to look at his life because there were a lot of like, here's what the pope's name means, and it's like WHOA.

Leo the thirteenth actually had a pretty long run. So we're obviously not going to hit a lot of the minutia of his time as pope here. And I want to just be very clear to level set, this is not intended to be any kind of religious scholarship with

regards to the Catholic faith. We're looking at his biography and how he sought to find a way forward for the Catholic Church at a time when the world was rapidly changing and the Church was often at odds with those changes, which you could be said parallels what's going on now with Poplio the fourteenth. Vincenzo Jocchino Pecci was born on March second, eighteen ten, in the Carpineto Romano municipality and Rome. This was during a period when the

Papal states were occupied by the French. Napoleon had taken control of Italy in eighteen hundred, but then had agreed through the Concorda of eighteen oh one, to allow the Roman Catholic Church and specifically the Pope, to retain control over the Papal states of Italy. The Concordat was not just about this. It also outlined ways in which the Catholic Church would be positioned in France, and it gave

Napoleon a lot of power within the Church. Yeah, we won't get into all of the shifting of how Italy once again regained control of the area, but the important thing here is that he was born in the Papal States and is considered today Italian Vincenzo's parents were Domenico Lodovico Pecci, a colonel, and Anna Prosperi Buzzi, and Vincenzo was their sixth child. He went by his middle name, Jacquino, so that is what we will use to refer to

him going forward. His older siblings were Carlo, Anna, Maria Caterina, Giovanni Battista, and Giuseppe. I will say, if you look up his biography, because a pope becomes a global figure, you will see those names, sometimes anglicized or written completely differently, but those are their Italian names. And when Jacquino was born, Domenico was forty one and Anna was thirty seven. They

had been parents already for sixteen years. At that point, Carlo was sixteen years old, and then another child, Fernando, was born three years after Giacchino. The family was financially comfortable. The Pechies were said to have gained the favor of the papacy by standing against the Mediciese, and they had built their family's fortunes and social standing from there. In his early childhood, Gacquino stayed at home, but at the age of eight he was sent along with his brother

Giuseppe to be Terribo, Italy to be educated by the Jesuits. There. Giuseppe would go on to become a professor at the Jesuit Seminary, although he eventually resigned due to some disagreements with the order. It was decided early on that Jacquino would follow a life in the church. Yes, I read one biography that made it clear that that was something

his mother had wanted from day one. He next moved on to the Academy of Noble Ecclesiastics in Rome, and he studied law there and got his doctoral degree in eighteen thirty seven. That same year, at the age of

twenty seven, he was ordained to the priesthood. He's often said to have been made a domestic prelate in his first year, meaning that he was given honorary inclusion in the papal household, although that specific term didn't exist yet it wouldn't until after Petchi's death, but he did have mentors and champions at very high levels of the Catholic Church, and his initial role as a priest was working in a diplomatic function for the papal states, so it would

make sense that he would have had access to the inner workings of the Vatican. He was made a delegate to Benevento just a year into his career with the Church. That was essentially a governor position, and Benevento was in what was at the time the Papal states in the Kingdom of Naples. This was an appointment that came with some challenges. Benevento at the time was experiencing a large amount of crime that was being carried out largely by

people in the employ of the landed gentry of Naples. Basically, they all had money and they were trying to get more, and they were willing to do illegal things to get it. There was also a lot of smuggling that went through the area. But Pechi was aggressive in reforming Benevento, and within just a few years the subsidized crime problem there had dwindled to just about nothing. After Benevetto, he was moved into the same position in Perugia, although his title

remained the same. This was considered a promotion since Perugia and Umbria was at a much more important spot in the hierarchy of the Papal States. It also had its share of problems, but once again Petchi was able to get control of the situation in time for a visit from Pope Gregory the sixteenth, which earned him both accolades and the favor of the Pope. Jacquino continued his rapid rise through the ranks of the Church when he was

promoted to the role of Nuncio to Brussels. This was another diplomatic position of a very high rank, and it marked a point at which the young priest, just six years into his priesthood, was considered a career member of the papal states government. He became an archbishop not long into his appointment in Belgium, where he spent the next three years, and those three years are considered very influential in the way Jacquino Pechi viewed the role of the

Church in the modernizing world. King Leopold the First of Belgium had started out on good terms with Pechi, but that shifted drastically. Unlike his predecessors and Brussels, Pecchi did not manage the careful maneuvering required to maintain the delicate political balance of multiple factions that were attempting to assert power and a dispute between the Church and the monarch over education Petchi sided with the local bishop, and in

doing that he soured his relationship with Leopold. Frustrated at not having the archbishop at his command, Leopold asked Rome to recall Pechi. The church did exactly that, sending him back to Perugia, this time as a bishop. While this move to Perugia early in his career had been a step up, in this instance it was very clearly a step down. We will talk about the ways that Petchi fell under suspicion for his views after we first take

a sponsor break. When the revolutions of eighteen forty eight began around Europe, Pechy did not help his standing in the church. So this movement, which could be a future episode, was, in the very briefest of terms, a series of uprisings against increasingly conservative governments throughout the continent, and this was catalyzed in the acute sense by a series of crop failures that impacted a lot of countries and led to food shortages. This also tied into world events that were

happening far beyond Europe. But in terms of how this series of conflicts is Germane to Jacquino Pecci, he made the politically dangerous move of speaking out about the way the Papal States in particular handled it, although he was also vehemently against the revolution. To make matters worse, as Italy was seeking to unify all of its lands under one national identity, which meant papal states being ceded to Italian governance, Pecchi thought fighting in some of these cases

was going to be counter productive. This brought a lot of suspicion on the bishop, as church authorities started to think he was too liberal. The little hilarious uh. This was a time of extreme shift in the Church's power, as the vast majority of the land of the Papal States was conquered by Italy, leaving the pope only a tiny portion of what he had once controlled. So for a man in the church's leadership to not take a hard stance to fight to retain that control was seen

as inherently suspicious. He did speak out against the occupation of papal land and against the Italian government secularizing aspects of religious life such as marriage. Still, even though he caused some controversy, Pecchy was not entirely disliked. In eighteen fifty three, before the church lost so much territory. He was promoted to the rank of cardinal, but he was still relegated to a much less important area than he had seemed destined for in his early career. But he

didn't really treat this like a demotion. He threw himself into his work and he focused on the diocese that he led. Among other efforts, he promoted a j tion, and he established a hospital, and in his spare time, Petchy engaged in his own intellectual and philosophical pursuits and turned the decades that he spent away from Rome into

a time of personal growth. One of the conclusions that Pechy came to through his self directed scholarship was that the Church was hurting itself by working in opposition to the changing world. He was interested in technology and thought that an understanding of modern culture would help the Catholic Church find a point of reconciliation with it. In eighteen seventy seven, he was named as Camerlango, which came as

a surprise. Though he had not had the favor of Pope Pious the ninth being named to this position showed that the Pope did have some confidence in Pecchi. This is a very important role and that it's the person who assumes the administrative responsibilities of handling things when the pope dies. This includes everything from ensuring that the body of the deceased is handled properly to making arrangements for

the conclave that selects the next pope. It seems that Pope Pious knew that a need for the camer Lingo was coming, because less than a year after having been named into that role, Pechi was called to the duties of the job when Pope Pious the ninth died. So you have probably seen lots of coverage of how a conclave works between the recent Oscar winning film and the passing of Pope Francis and the selection of Pope Leo

the fourteenth, but will do a quick refresher. So a conclave is called after the sea is vacated by death or resignation of the previous pope. It is a gathering of cardinals at the Vatican who confer and vote on who will be the next pope. The assembled cardinals have no contact with the outside world during the conclave, and

there is no recording of the proceedings allowed. There is a pretty strictly regimented way in which the schedule plays out, although most of the rules about it were not officially a established until well after the conclave that selected Pope Leo the thirteenth. And here's a little surpriser in case you didn't know it. Technically a person does not have to be a member of the priesthood to become pope.

They just have to be a baptized Catholic male. But the last non cardinal who was chosen for the job was Urban the sixth. That was in thirteen seventy eight during the Western Schism when the Church was split in two and there were two competing popes in Rome and Avignon, and spoiler alert, Urban's time on the Holy See did not go well, so they didn't really ever go back to that plan again. Since the fourteenth century, every pope

has come from the pool of cardinals. Once the cardinals are assembled, a schedule of voting and discussion begins and continues until one of the possible successors receives a two thirds majority. After each vote, the ballots are burned. That is the smoke that everyone looks for to see if the pope has been chosen. Black, of course, means that the two thirds majority has not been reached in white means that it has and that a new pope is selected.

In addition to being camer Lango, Petchi emerged as a front runner to succeed Pious the Ninth. He was not the prior Pope's personal pick, that was Cardinal Bilio, but he had plenty of detractors. On the flip side was liberal Cardinal Francie. In this mix, Pecchi was considered a moderate, and the cardinals from outside of Italy really rallied around him.

They noted that because he had been living outside of Rome for three decades at that point, he was unlikely to be burdened by any kinds of machinations or gossip or influence efforts that had been playing out at the Vatican. He also had really gained a lot of respect for having devoted himself to his work in Perusia. There was one major factor working against him, and that was that

he had a long history of health problems. There were concerns that he did not have the stress to lead, or that he would not live long enough to accomplish much if he were elected. Despite these concerns, though Petcha carried out the needed two thirds of the votes on the third round on the morning of February twentieth. The conclave had convened late on the eighteenth, and it was the shortest time for a papal election at that point in history. Leo the thirteenth took his papal name in

reference to his Leo predecessor, Leo the twelfth. This was also an interesting choice, as Leo the twelfth, who was pope from eighteen twenty three to eighteen twenty nine, was pretty ruthless. He was elected in the backlash to his liberal predecessor, Pious the seventh. Leo the twelfth was an authoritarian, but he did eventually recognize that there needed to be a way to work with opponents instead of always being in conflict. This was not that dissimilar from Pious the ninth,

who Leo the thirteenth was replacing. Leo the twelfth was also a proponent of education, which Leo the thirteenth wished to also champion as a cause. The news of the new pope was covered around the world. In the US, the Chicago Tribune ran coverage of it that took up two thirds of a page in a Sunday paper that only ran sixteen pages. Readers could learn all about the new pope, from his life story to the details of

the conclave. Similarly, The New York Times dedicated two full front page columns to news of the new pope and information about the previous pope. Leo I wanted to include that because it's clear that this is not a new thing. Where we all go, what is his name? What was the previous one that was named that? Like, what's going on here? That's how it's always been handled in the press.

From the outset. Leo the thirteenth found himself the leader of a Catholic church at a time when there was a lot of push and pull regarding the church's place in a modernizing world. In the book History of the Church, The Church and the Industrial Age, published in nineteen authors Hubert Jendon and John Patrick Dolan described the conflict this way quote. The problem of relations between the Church and the post revolutionary world articulated itself most strongly in the

Holy City. Festive illuminations stood in contrast to protest demonstrations. Popelia the thirteenth actually had his coronation in the Sistine Chapel, rather than the custom of having the ceremony in Saint Peter's because there was believed to be a very real danger to those present and the authorities didn't feel like they could guarantee security. Next we will talk about encyclicals and how Leo the thirteenth wrote a lot of them, but first we will hear from some sponsors that keep

stuff you miss in history class. Going throughout his time as Pope, Leo the thirteenth became well known for the contents of his in cyclical letters, so that just means letters that are sent to all of the church's bishops, which often are about the church's official position on a given topic or issue. The first encyclical was written in seventeen forty by Pope Benedict the fourteenth. Not all popes

write them. For example, Pope John Paul, who was pope briefly in nineteen seventy eight, did not write any, but most popes in the last century and change have written at least a couple of them. They have been favored by some popes because they create an official record, whereas

personal letters would not. The recently deceased Pope Francis wrote just four of them, including one about climate change and conservation in twenty fifteen, but Pope Leo the thirteenth loved and encyclical according to the Pew Research Center as of twenty fifteen, so they wrote this rite before that Climate Change in cyclical from Francis. Leo the thirteenth had written ninety in cyclicals, which made up a full one third

of the total number issued by all popes. So he clearly saw this means of communication as a very effective tool. And so we're going to take a look at his papacy by talking about just a few of the key ones. The first of his encyclicals, on the Evils of Society, outlines the many issues readily seen in the world at the time of the writing, which was in eighteen seventy eight,

not long after Leo the thirteenth became pope. He notes the various problems the world faces, how there's bloodshed and civil strife all around, and the reason for this letter is the lack of religious devotion. Leo wrote, quote, now, the source of these evils lies chiefly. We are convinced in this that the Holy and venerable authority of the Church, which in God's neighborls mankind, upholding and defending all lawful

authority has been despised and set aside. The enemies of public order, being fully aware of this, have thought nothing better suited to destroy the foundations of society than to make an unflagging attack upon the Church of God, to bring her into discredit and odium by spreading infamous calumnies and accusing her of being opposed to genuine progress. As the nineteenth century came to a close, Pope Leo the thirteenth chose to address what many perceived as a growing

problem for the Catholic Church, and that was Americanism. This ideology, which actually remains controversial today, embraces the idea that social mores of the Church need to change and adapt with the social changes of the world, rather than create a division or gap that could lose followers. A lot of the language around this effort for reform in the eighteen nineties invoked the phrase greater liberty, suggesting that Catholics might have more freedom in the ways they conducted their daily

lives than old world Catholicism might allow. Leo the thirteenth response to Americanism was contained in his writing Testam benevolentier Nostre. It was not favorable. This is a letter that is addressed to the Archbishop of Baltimore at the time, James Gibbons, but as an encyclical copies were also sent to every bishop in the US. It's a long document, but in

it he sums up the issue quote. The underlying principle of these new opinions is that, in order to more easily attract those who differ from her, the Church should shape her teachings more in accord with the spirit of the age, and relax some of her ancient severity, and make some concessions to new opinions. Many think that these concessions should be made not only in regard to ways of living, but even in regard to doctrines which belong

to the deposit of the faith. They contend that it would be opportune, in order to gain those who differ from us, to omit certain points of her teaching which are of lesser importance, and to tone down the meaning which the Church has always attached to them. So Leo the thirteenth makes the case that there is just no way that the Church can soften any of its doctrines in the pursuit of more followers, stating, quote, let it be far from anyone's mind to suppress for any reason

any doctrine that has been handed down. Such a policy would tend rather to separate Catholics from the Church than to bring in those who differ. There is nothing closer to our heart than to have those who are separated from the fold of Christ returned to it, but in no other way than the way pointed out by Christ.

Toward the end, he flatly denounces Americanism. Quote from the foregoing, it is manifest, beloved son, that we are not able to give approval to these views, which, in their collective sense, are called by some Americanism. If this is to be so understood, the doctrines which have been adverted to above

are not only indicated, but exalted. There can be no manner of doubt that our venerable brethren, the bishops of America, would be the first to repudiate and condemn it as being most injurious to themselves and to their country, For it would give rise to the suspicion that there are among you some who conceive and would have the Church in America to be different from what it is in

the rest of the world. So this was a hot button issue and The reason this idea of some Catholics wanting to appeal to a wider range of followers had gained so much attention is tied to the loss of political power for the Church. So starting in the late eighteenth century, Catholicism had started losing a lot of its

political power. But as various countries changed their religious affiliations, and as the papal states had been taken over by Italy, it became an increasing concern that the Church was going to need to bolster its standing in its numbers somehow, and the Church recognized well before Leo's time is Pope that tying so much of their identity and power to being the national religion for various countries was only going to become problematic, and for some that meant they needed

to reform to gain numbers at the individual level in an effort to regain some of that lost dominance. But as Leo's letter indicated, the Holy See was not in agreement with that. There was also ongoing work on Leo's part to reconcile the ideas of the Church with philosophy and science. As early as eighteen seventy nine, Leo was writing about this potential reconciliation, suggesting that philosophy could actually

enhance faith. In an encyclical titled on the Restoration of Christian Philosophy, he wrote of science, quote, Divine providence itself requires that in calling back the people to the paths of faith and salvation, advantage should be taken of human science, also unapproved and wise practice, which history testifies was observed

by the most illustrious fathers of the Church. In that same in cyclical, he wrote of philosophy quote, In the first place, philosophy, if rightly made use of by the wise in certain way, tends to smooth and fortify the road to true faith, and to prepare the souls of its disciples for the fit reception of revelation, for which reason it is well called by ancient writers, sometimes a stepping stone to the Christian faith, sometimes the prelude and

help of Christianity, sometimes the Gospel teacher. The writing of Leo the thirteenth that has gotten the most attention recently is his work Rerum Novarum, which he wrote in May of eighteen ninety one. So that name literally translates from the Latin to new things, but it has often been translated into English ra as revolutionary change. And this was an open letter with the heading Rights and Duties of

Capital and Labor. And this document opens with this paragraph quote, that the spirit of revolutionary change, which has long been disturbing the nations of the world, should have passed beyond the sphere of politics and made its influence felt in the cognate sphere of practical economics. Is not surprising. The elements of the conflict now raging are unmistakable in the vast expansion of industrial pursuits and the marvelous discoveries of science.

In the changed relations between masters and workmen, in the enormous fortunes of some few individuals and the utter poverty of the masses, the increased self reliance and closer mutual combination of the working classes, as also finally, in the prevailing moral degeneracy. The momentous gravity of the state of things now obtaining fills every mind with painful apprehension. Wise men are discussing it, Practical men are proposing schemes, popular meetings,

legislatures and rulers of nations are all busied with it. Actually, there is no question which has taken deeper hold on the public mind. From there, Leo the thirteenth walks through the issues of economic disparity and suffering, and noted quote, that some opportune and remedy must be found quickly for the misery and wretchedness pressing so unjustly on the majority of the working class. For the ancient workingmen's guilds were abolished in the last century, and no other protective organization

took their place. He also states his issues with various reform movements and notes that the contentions of socialism quote are so clearly powerless to end the controversy, that where they carried into effect, the working man himself would be among the first to suffer. They are moreover emphatically unjust, for they would rob the lawful possessor, distort the functions of the state, and create utter confusion in the community.

But then he does make the case for labor unions, writing quote to sum up, then we may lay it down as a general and lasting law, that working men's associations should be so organized and governed as to furnish the best and most suitable means for attaining what is aimed at, that is to say, for helping each individual member to better his condition to the utmost in body, soul,

and property. It is clear that they must pay special and chief attention to the duties of religion and morality, and that social betterment should have this chiefly in view. Otherwise they would lose wholly their special character and end by becoming little better than those societies which take no account whatever of religion. What advantage can it be to a workingman to obtain by means of a society material well being if he endangers his soul lack of spiritual food.

So the legacy of Poplio the thirteenth isn't exactly as open minded in all aspects of his philosophy as some accounts might make it seem. He didn't exactly make a lot of change within the Church, although he certainly inherited it at a time when change was all around it. In a lot of ways, he was a staunch defender of the Church's traditions, even when those traditions had lost their cultural relevancy in the eyes of a lot of Christians.

But he was also a scholar, and he was able to view the world through that lens, which meant that he could be open minded when seeking for a relationship between the Church and a changing world, and he recognized that not everyone in the world was or ever would be Catholic. He was willing to develop relationships with non Catholic and even non Christian countries, and he was able to wield a great deal of political power because of his ability to connect with a wide range of leaders.

In the early spring of nineteen oh three, Leo the thirteenth twenty five year Jubilee was celebrated, something that most people had never expected of a man that was perceived as being extremely frail when he first became pope. Pope Leo the thirteenth died on July twentieth, nineteen oh three. He had developed pneumonia earlier in the month and never recovered. As he neared the end of his life, he told the Secretary of Apostolic Briefs, Cardinal Mackie, quote, I am

near the end. I do not know if all I have done has been good, but I have obeyed my conscience and our holy faith. In the book History of the Church The Church in the Industrial Age, which we mentioned earlier in this episode, there is a really great passage in the description of his time as Pope which I think sums things up nicely, so that is where

we will lead it leave it. It is quote Pope Leo the thirteenth led the Catholic Church into a world which had risen from real with an attitude which can only adequately be termed optimistic. He attempted to reconcile an uncompromised tradition with the modern spirit. There we go. That is Pope Leo tweak talk about a lot behind the scenes, guess and listener mail I do. This is a listener mail that is in reference to our recent episode on

the Meiji Shrine. It's from our listener Brian, who writes, Hello, Holly and Tracy. I have been a longtime listener, but I have never felt I could offer enough to write in. You know what, You don't have to ever feel like you owe us anything. If you just want to write and say hey, people can don't feel obligated to have a thing. Brian writes, I am an Australian working in Japan as an English instructor and have a deep love for Japanese history and culture. The festivals are some of

the most fun, chaotic events you will ever attend. Unfortunately, there has been a bit of poor behavior by tourists at shrines as of late, with one tourist carving their name into the tour eGate at Meiji Shrine and others doing pull ups on the gates at other shrines. The way I blanched when I first read this email, Brian continues, Holly, I actually live near where Star Wars celebration was held and had many friends come to Japan for it, so I'm glad you had a great time. If you get

a chance to come back. There is a district in Tokyo called Nippori, but it is also called Fabric Town. It has many shops selling fabric buttons, buckles and other things related to sewing, which I know is right up your alley. It is also where I work. Well see you soon, Brian. He continue is I don't have my own pets, so I am including pictures of my nephew Dmitri. He is a big Russian blue who loves chicken so much he has taught himself how to undo cling wrap

and even open cooler boxes. Eski's in Australia. Love the work and the different views you provide. He also writes, PS, thank you for the message about working on the weekends, as I am one of those people that has to work weekends. This cat is so funny to me. There's one particular picture of the cat stand on the counter rifling through the cupboard, and it fills my soul with bliss because I've had cats that do that and they're terribly naughty. But I just adore it. Thank you so much, Brian.

I'm horrified that people are misbehaving. It shrines, as I said in our behind the scenes, and I think during the episode, I found that visit incredibly moving. Yeah, and really lovely. So it troubles me that people behave like jerks. Stop it. But thank you for writing us and sharing that. And also I had heard whispers about fabric Town, but I was scared. Oh yeah, listen. I did Russian nesting suitcases where I pack one suitcase and put it inside

other suitcases. But even so, we were pushing the limit when we actually checked our bags. Yeah. Yeah, got on the flight, and I didn't want to make it any scarier. My bigger thing was not even the flight. It was the car ride from the hotel to the airport because there were three of us and we all had multiple things. Yeah, and it had been dicey coming in before, or the Russian nesting suitcases had exploded, right, So I was like, I don't think this is the trip to go to Fabrictown.

But next time I'll just show up with nothing but one pair of pants and a dream. Yeah. Buy everything in Fabrictown, wash everything in the sink every night. Yeah. If you would like to write to us, you can do that at History Podcast at iHeartRadio dot com. If you haven't subscribed to the show and you think that sounds like a good time, you can do that really easily on the iHeart app, or you can also do that wherever else you listen to podcasts. It's super easy, peasy.

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