Pope Leo XIII: The Rosary Pope

Pope Leo XIII lived in a world and a Church very much different from ours today.  In Pope Leo XIII’s time, the great powers of Europe (Britain, France, Spain, Austria-Hungary, Russia and the German states) dominated the world.  The United States was emerging as a world power but was still inferior to the European states.   Today, the world is dominated by the United States and Communist China with Russia, Japan and the European Union playing significant roles as well.  Today, the Church reaches around the globe to share the Good News but only physically occupies the Vatican of barely a square mile.  In Pope Leo XIII’s lifetime, the Church actually administered and governed a major portion of Italy as the Papal States.  In 1870, the Italian state seized Rome and the remaining territory of the Papal States, leaving only the Vatican and Castel Gandolfo for the Church to administer.

 
Pope Leo XIII was born Vincenzo Gioacchino Pecci on 2 March 1810 in Carpineto Romano in Italy.  He was the sixth of seven children born to noble parents.  Educated by Jesuits, Gioacchino was ordained as a priest on 31 December 1837.  Early in his priesthood, he served as a provincial administrator in the Papal States.  Then he was elevated to Archbishop and served as Nuncio to Belgium at a time of civil/ecclesiastical conflict.  His diplomatic skills earned him much respect.  Returning to Italy, Gioacchino was appointed as Archbishop of Perugia where he served as such from 1846 to 1880.  On 19 December 1853, Blessed Pope Pius IX elevated him to Cardinal.  Following the death of Blessed Pope Pius IX, Gioacchino was elected Pope and installed on 20 February 1878.  He served as Pope until his death on 20 July 1903, having lived for nearly the entire 19th Century.  

 
During his 25-year pontificate, Pope Leo XIII contributed a great deal to the Church and its role in the modernizing world. Pope Leo XIII was a vigorous opponent of Freemasonry. His 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum advocated for the rights of workers and criticized the flaws in both capitalism and communism. He supported St. Frances Cabrini’s missionary and humanitarian efforts for Italian immigrants in the United States. His diplomatic skills were greatly utilized as the Church responded to frequent issues with the various states of Europe.  He also improved relations with the United States and the Catholic Church in America.  After a vision of Satan boasting to God that he could destroy the Church in 100 years, Pope Leo XIII composed the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel.

 
Pope Leo XIII was noteworthy for his piety and his devotion to Our Blessed Mother.  He was a fervent promoter of the Holy Rosary, writing not less than eleven encyclicals about the Rosary.  Thus he is often known as “the Rosary Pope.”  

 
In his eleven encyclicals on the Rosary, Pope Leo XIII demonstrates several key aspects of his spirituality.  The encyclicals show his deep love and devotion to Our Blessed Mother and her Son.  He advocates for the Rosary as a means of encouraging the faithful and inspire greater faith among them.  He uses the Rosary as encouragement to the faithful amidst the persecutions that they are experiencing in various countries including in Italy.  He frequently refers back in history to the use of the Rosary in history to counter threats against the Church, including the Albigensian heresy.  In his September 1892 encyclical Magnae Dei Matris, Pope Leo XIII refers to Our Blessed Mother as the Mother of Mercy. In several of his encyclicals, he offers his reflections upon the Mysteries of the Rosary, most notably in Laetitae Sanctae issued in September 1893. 

 
Our newest Pope has chosen the name of Leo, thus making him the 14th Pope Leo.  Pope Leo XIV’s immediate predecessor had a profound impact upon the Church and the world in which he lived.  He ought to be canonized.  Let us pray that God will guide Pope Leo XIV just as he did Pope Leo XIII.  On this anniversary of Our Lady's appearance at Fatima, we ask for the intercession of Our Lady of Fatima for our new Pope.