Leo XIII

Full Name: Vincenzo G Pecci
Profession: 256th Pope

Nationality:

Biography: Pope Leo XIII succeeded Pope Pius IX in 1878, holding the papacy until his death in 1903. He is known as the oldest serving pope when he died at 93, as well as being an intellectual that sought to bring the Catholic Church to terms with modernity.

His 1891 encyclical 'Rerum novarum,' for instance, sought to synthesise the competing visions of socialism and capitalism—balancing the rights of workers against those of property owners and entrepreneurs.

Born: March 2, 1810
Birthplace: Carpineto, Papal States
Star Sign: Pisces

Died: July 20, 1903 (aged 93)

Historical Events

1878-04-21 Pope Leo XIII publishes encyclical Inscrutabili
1878-12-28 Pope Leo XIII publishes encyclical Quod apostolici muneris (socialism)
1879-08-04 Pope Leo XIII publishes encyclical Aeterni Patris
1880-02-10 Pope Leo XIII publishes encyclical Arcanum about Christian marriage
1881-06-29 Pope Leo XIII publishes encyclical Diuturnum illud
1884-04-20 Pope Leo XIII encyclical "On Freemasonry"
1885-11-01 Pope Leo XIII publishes encyclical Immortale Dei
1885-12-22 Pope Leo XIII publishes encyclical Quod auctoritate "The Annunciation of an Extraordinary Holy Year" - celebrating 50 years since Pope's ordination
1888-06-20 Pope Leo XIII publishes encyclical Libertas
1890-01-10 Pope Leo XIII publishes encyclical Sapientiae Christianae
1890-11-20 Pope Leo XIII encyclical "On Slavery in the Missions"
1891-05-15 Pope Leo XIII publishes encyclical Rerum novarum
1891-11-30 Pope Leo XIII's encyclical "Rerum novarum" published
1893-11-18 Pope Leo XIII publishes encyclical Providentissimus Deus
1898-03-09 Peter of Tarantaise (Pope Innocent V) beatified as a saint in the Catholic Church by Pope Leo XIII 9 March 1898
1900-07-21 Pope Leo XIII encyclical to Greek-Melkite rite
1900-12-17 Pope Leo XIII closes the 'Holy Door' of St Peter's in Rome, ending the Jubilee Year of 1900
1901-01-18 Pope Leo XIII publishes encyclical Graves De Communi Re
1901-04-15 Pope Leo XIII issues an allocution deploring hostile actions against the Roman Catholic Church throughout Europe
1902-04-15 Pope Leo XIII encyclical "On Church in US"
1902-12-25 Pope Leo XIII, at his annual Christmas reception, endorses the Christian Democratic movement now emerging in Europe as an attempt to offer an alternative to more radical movements