7 history-changing Pope Leos
7. Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903)
Born Vincenzo Gioacchino Pecci in Carpineto Romano, Italy, Pope Leo XIII reigned from 1878 to 1903, making his term as head of the Catholic Church one of the longest papacies in history.
Leo XIII was known for his denunciations of secular liberalism and freemasonry, while also supporting improved relationships with civil governments and other Christian denominations.
The Pope Leo XIII Institute of Mundelein, Illinois, also credits the late pontiff with “his authorship of the Prayer to St. Michael, his eleven encyclicals on the Rosary, and those on Catholic social teaching.”
“He never tired of encouraging political and moral leaders to live and rule in a Christian way,” stated the Institute. “As an intellectual and spiritual leader, he was able to see deeply into the reality of the world, always acutely aware of the invisible yet very real battle being waged against the soul of each person and against communities everywhere.”
