A Brief History of Pope Leo XIII

Gioacchino Pecci was born at Carpineto on March 2, 1810. The future Pope who was to recreate another Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre in 1888 with a new constitution received his education at the Jesuit college in Viterbo, the Roman College, and the College for Nobles. In 1837 he made his decision to enter the priesthood. In 1838 Gregory XVI sent Pecci to rule Benevento as a legate. There, and elsewhere, Pecci acted more the ruler than the priest.

Pius IX made him a cardinal in 1853. As Cardinal-Bishop of Perugia, he insisted on religious instruction and on the study of Aquinas. Understanding himself to be a politician and knowledgeable about such matters, the Cardinal spoke out against the social evils of the day--which he would do again disastrously later as Pope in the infamous Humanum Genus. When the Piedmontese took Perugia from the Pope in 1860, Pecci stood up to what he considered the "anti-clericals." His vigorous defense did not go unnoticed, for in 1877 Pius IX called him to Rome and made him camerlengo. After Pius died Pecci succeeded him as Leo XIII. As Pope, Leo had many political successes.

It was as a leader in ideas that Leo is best known. His work is appreciated in that

Leo is known primarily by two encyclicals, "Rerum Novarum" and "Humanum Genus."

Humanum Genus
The 1884 "Humanum Genus" shocked the democratic world and led to considerable distrust of the Vatican's motives among the free nations, especially the United States where massive and deeply-rooted anti-Catholic bias was generated by the wide distribution the encyclical received. This encyclical, written to condemn the men's fraternal Order known as Freemasonry, in fact condemned those practices that most countries of the free world held to be the bulwarks of democracy and personal liberty.

First, the encyclical divided the world into two camps, the Holy Catholic Church which followed Jesus Christ--and then everyone else who, Leo wrote, followed Satan. This "we/you" mentality infuriated non-Latin Christians and destroyed for decades any possibility of mutual understanding or cooperation...or even dialogue. Then, specifically, Pope Leo went on to attack and condemn

Thus, in attempting to condemn Freemasonry (which fraternal Order the Pope unwittingly acknowledged as a society friendly to democracy and dangerous only to despots and dictators), Leo only stirred up and created more hatred and distrust of the Latin Church which was perceived to be the enemy of liberty and democracy. Specifically, the encyclical (and Rome itself) was seen to be anti-American. Because the encyclical has not been repudiated and is still in force, many persons are still wary of dealing with Rome in ecumenical and certain political matters.

Rerum Novarum
However, the 1891 "Rerum" somewhat improved Leo's (and the Latin Church's) reputation, for in it the Pope commented critically and accurately on those whose economic policies had created slums and repressive economic and social pressure. The encyclical criticized both socialist and capitalist excesses and offered in their place classic Roman Catholic Christian guidance that Leo believed would lead to an improved social system. The sheer intellecutal power of the "Rerum" was hailed worldwide by both Roman Catholics and non-Roman Catholics.


Exeunte Lam Anno and the Equestrian Order
In 1888, Leo published "Exeunte Lam Anno -- On the Right Ordering of Christian Life," and in the same year reestablished the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre. Historians understand the Pope's refounding of a new Latin Sepulchre Order to be a part of his ongoing plans to introduce and strengthen Roman Catholic practice among the Faithful, with the Equestrian Sepulchre Knights leading the way as faithful adherents of the Latin Church. It was Leo who, in Apostolicae Curae, declared that the Orders and Apostolic Succession of the Anglican Church were "absolutely null and utterly void." Leo XIII died on July 20, 1903.

The Encyclical Letters of Leo XIII:

Encyclical Epistles

Other Writings of Leo XIII

  • Apostolicae Curae -- On the Nullity of Anglican Orders (15 September 1894)

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