The Popes: From St. Peter to Present (Cont.)

19th Century

Supreme Pontiff

Detail 

(dates*, ages, prior name, feast, comment/attributes, etc.)

252. Pius VII

Birth Date: April 14, 1742

Beginning of Reign: March 14, 1800

End of Reign: July 20, 1823

Date of Death: July 20, 1823

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: 58

Lived to Approx. Age: 81

Approx. Length of Reign: Over 23 years

Prior Name (if different): Luigi Barnaba Chiaramonte

Feast Day (if applicable): N/A

His long reign witnessed the coronation of Napoleon and the French invasion and annexation of the papal states. Pius VIII was imprisoned for years, eventually secured the restoration of much of the papal states, and restored the Jesuits in 1814. He condemned Freemasonry and Protestant Bible Societies.

253. Leo XII

Birth Date: August 22, 1760

Beginning of Reign: September 28, 1823

End of Reign: February 10, 1829

Date of Death: February 10, 1829

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: 63

Lived to Approx. Age: 69

Approx. Length of Reign: Over 5 years

Prior Name (if different): Annibale Sermattei della Genga

Feast Day (if applicable): N/A

Condemned indifferentism and Freemasonry, encouraged missionary work, fought against errors, and promoted the emancipation of Catholics in England. Has been criticized by Jews for his policies towards them. [As indicated elsewhere, the customary practice of the popes and of the Church in general are far from condoning persecution of the Jews. In fact, the Church has often been their protector and regularly prayed for their conversion. Some actions taken against Jews in the past may have been motivated by fear or by situational factors; the Church, however, staunchly rejects persecution of the Jewish people.]

254. Pius VIII

Birth Date: November 20, 1761

Beginning of Reign: March 31, 1829

End of Reign: November 30, 1830

Date of Death: November 30, 1830

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: 68

Lived to Approx. Age: 69

Approx. Length of Reign: 8 months

Prior Name (if different): Francesco Saverio Castiglione

Feast Day (if applicable): N/A

In his short reign, Pius opposed indifferentism, Freemasonry, and Protestant Bible Societies, secured religious liberties for Armenian Catholics, approved the decrees of the first Provincial Council at Baltimore, and condemned nepotism (even forcing all his relatives to resign).

255. Gregory XVI

Birth Date: September 18, 1765

Beginning of Reign: February 2, 1831

End of Reign: June 1, 1846

Date of Death: June 1, 1846

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: 66

Lived to Approx. Age: 81

Approx. Length of Reign: Over 15 years

Prior Name (if different): Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari

Feast Day (if applicable): N/A

He promoted missionary activity, founded museums, created dioceses in the U.S., and condemned liberalism, slavery, and separation of Church & State. His papacy saw rebellion, uprisings, military occupation of the papal states, and persecution of Catholics.

256. Bl. Pius IX

Birth Date: May 13, 1792

Beginning of Reign: June 16, 1846

End of Reign: February 7, 1878

Date of Death: February 7, 1878

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: 54

Lived to Approx. Age: 86

Approx. Length of Reign: Over 31.5 years

Prior Name (if different): Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti

Feast Day (if applicable): February 7

Pius was allegedly elected as a liberal, but would soon become a champion against liberalism. Pius formally promulgated the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, issued the Syllabus of Errors (rejecting tenets of liberalism and secularism), and called the First Vatican Council which formally defined papal infallibility. During his papacy, Rome was incorporated into Italy, ending (secular) papal rule. As a result, Pius protested and engaged in a self-imposed imprisonment in the Vatican which lasted for many years (the "Roman Question" was not settled until 1929). His papacy also saw the restoration of the Hierarchy in England, Holland, and the expansion of the Church in the United States and British Empire. Pius enjoyed one of the longest reigns in papal history, his papacy emphasizing the supreme authority of the pope and central role of the successor to Peter in the Church as a center of unity. [No doubt we can thank the dear Lord for using the ebb of the temporal power of the papacy to highlight the pope's supreme spiritual authority. Providentially, the Lord's Blessed Mother was in the fore.]

257. Leo XIII

Birth Date: March 2, 1810

Beginning of Reign: February 20, 1878

End of Reign: July 20, 1903

Date of Death: July 20, 1903

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: 68

Lived to Approx. Age: 93

Approx. Length of Reign: Almost 25.5 years

Prior Name (if different): Gioacchino Vincenzo Pecci

Feast Day (if applicable): N/A

Nearly seventy years old when elected pope, Leo would enjoy a long reign lasting well into his nineties. He wrote encyclicals on social issues, the Rosary and the Blessed Virgin Mary, condemned Anglican orders as invalid, encouraged Catholic biblical scholarship and science, established a hierarchy in Japan, added dioceses in America and elsewhere, arbitrated between Spain and Germany, and condemned "Americanism", socialism, communism, and Freemasonry.

Top | The Popes

20th Century

Supreme Pontiff

Detail 

(dates*, ages, prior name, feast, comment/attributes, etc.)

258. St. Pius X

Birth Date: June 2, 1835

Beginning of Reign: August 4, 1903

End of Reign: August 20, 1914

Date of Death: August 20, 1914

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: 68

Lived to Approx. Age: 79

Approx. Length of Reign: Just over 11 years

Prior Name (if different): Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto

Feast Day (if applicable): August 21

This first pope declared a saint since Pope St. Pius V fought diligently against modernism ("the synthesis of all heresies"), condemned the Sillon, required priests to take an oath against modernism, encouraged frequent reception of Holy Communion, ordered the codification of canon Law, restored Gregorian Chant, reformed the Roman Curia, and reformed seminaries.

259. Benedict XV

Birth Date: November 21, 1854

Beginning of Reign: September 3, 1914

End of Reign: January 22, 1922

Date of Death: January 22, 1922

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: 60

Lived to Approx. Age: 68

Approx. Length of Reign: Over 7 years

Prior Name (if different): Giacomo Della Chiesa

Feast Day (if applicable): N/A

His pontificate begin during World War I, of which he attempted to mediate. He offered relief for victims of the war, established diplomatic relations with France, encouraged missions, and promulgated the 1917 Code of Canon Law. The Apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima occurred during his pontificate.

260. Pius XI

Birth Date: May 31, 1857

Beginning of Reign: February 6, 1922

End of Reign: February 10, 1939

Date of Death: February 10, 1939

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: 65

Lived to Approx. Age: 82

Approx. Length of Reign: Just over 17 years

Prior Name (if different): Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti

Feast Day (if applicable): N/A

He signed the Lateran Treaty, ending the "Roman Question" and making the Vatican a sovereign state, instituted the feast of Christ the King, promoted missions, encouraged Catholic Action, and installed a radio station in Vatican City. He condemned communism, abortion, mixed marriage (marriage between a Catholic and a non-Catholic), and birth control.

261. Pius XII

Birth Date: March 2, 1876

Beginning of Reign: March 2, 1939

End of Reign: October 9, 1958

Date of Death: October 9, 1958

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: 63

Lived to Approx. Age: 82

Approx. Length of Reign: Over 19.5 years

Prior Name (if different): Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli

Feast Day (if applicable): N/A

Infallibly defined the dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. As his papacy saw the outbreak of World War II, Pius gave refuge to thousands of Jews, spent millions of dollars aiding Jews, and opened a missing persons office which handled over ten million inquiries. He also created many cardinals, issued important encyclicals, and promoted excavations to uncover the tomb of St. Peter.

262. St. John XXIII

[Related: What's Up With The Recent Papal Canonizations? (Guest Article)]

Birth Date: November 25, 1881

Beginning of Reign: October 28, 1958

End of Reign: June 3, 1963

Date of Death: June 3, 1963

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: 77

Lived to Approx. Age: 82

Approx. Length of Reign: Over 4.5 years

Prior Name (if different): Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli

Feast Day (if applicable): October 11

John XXIII "shocked the world" on January 25 1959 when he announced his plan of convoking the Second Vatican Council. He also added St. Joseph's name to the canon of the Mass, wrote on the need to retain the Latin language, and pressed for peace. He died shortly after the first session of Second Vatican Council

Related: What's Up With The Recent Papal Canonizations? (Guest Article)

263. Paul VI

Birth Date: September 26, 1897

Beginning of Reign: June 21, 1963

End of Reign: August 6, 1978

Date of Death: August 6, 1978

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: 66

Lived to Approx. Age: 81

Approx. Length of Reign: Over 15 years

Prior Name (if different): Giovanni Battista Montini

Feast Day (if applicable): N/A

He continued and closed the Second Vatican Council. In the wake of the council, his papacy saw continual fractionation of the Church. He proclaimed the Blessed Virgin as Mother of the Church, traveled widely, endorsed priestly celibacy, and condemned birth control.

264. John Paul I

Birth Date: October 17, 1912

Beginning of Reign: August 26, 1978

End of Reign: September 28, 1978

Date of Death: September 28, 1978

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: 66

Lived to Approx. Age: 66

Approx. Length of Reign: 33 days

Prior Name (if different): Albino Luciani

Feast Day (if applicable): N/A

He was the first pope to take a double name (for his predecessors John XIII and Paul VI) He broke precedent by failing to receive the papal tiara at his coronation. The new pope died suddenly about a month after election.

265. St. John Paul II

[Related: What's Up With The Recent Papal Canonizations? (Guest Article)]

Birth Date: May 18, 1920

Beginning of Reign: October 16, 1978

End of Reign: April 2, 2005

Date of Death: April 2, 2005

Approx. Age at Beginning of Reign: 58

Lived to Approx. Age: 85

Approx. Length of Reign: Almost 26.5 years

Prior Name (if different): Karol Wojtyla

Feast Day (if applicable): October 22

During his long reign, John Paul traveled extensively, wrote voluminously, and enjoyed widespread popularity. He defended life, rejected contraception, confirmed that women are incapable of receiving holy orders, suffered an assassination attempt, issued a new Code of Canon Law, canonized more saints than any previous pope, sought peace, worked to defeat a communist empire, and suffered with an illness for years before his death. He was the first Polish pope.

Related...

* What's Up With The Recent Papal Canonizations? (Guest Article)

* "Great" Popes: When a Pope Should Be & Should Not Be Called Great (User-Submitted Article)

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