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Leo XIII worked to encourage understanding between the Church and the modern world. He firmly re-asserted the Scholastic doctrine that science and religion co-exist, and required the study of Thomas Aquinas. * Although he had stated that it "is quite unlawful to demand, defend, or to grant unconditional freedom of thought, or speech, of writing or worship, as if these were so many rights given by nature to man," he did open the Vatican Secret Archives to qualified researchers, among whom was the noted historian of the Papacy Ludwig von Pastor. Leo XIII was also the first Pope to come out strongly in favour of the French Republic, upsetting many French monarchists, but his support for democracy did not necessarily imply his acceptance of egalitarianism: "People differ in capacity, skill, health, strength; and unequal fortune is a necessary result of unequal condition. Such inequality is far from being disadvantageous either to individuals or to the community." (Rerum Novarum, 17 *) His relations with the Italian state were less progressive; Leo XIII continued the Papacy's self-imposed incarceration in the Vatican stance, and continued to insist that Italian Catholics should not vote in Italian elections or hold elected office.

Beatification and canonizations

He beatified Saint Gerard Majella in 1893 and Saint Edmund Campion in 1886.

He canonized the following saints:

In 1881: Clare of Montefalco (d. 1308), John Baptist de Rossi (1696-1764),and Lawrence of Brindisi (d. 1619)

In 1883: Benedict Joseph Labre 1748-1783)

In 1888: Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order, Peter Claver (1561-1654), John Berchmans (1599-1621), and Alphonsus Rodriguez (1531-1617)

In 1897: Anthony M. Zaccaria (1502-1539) and Peter Fourier of Our Lady (1565-1640)

In 1900: John Baptist de la Salle (1651-1719) and Rita of Cascia (1381-1457)

Papal teachings and publications

He is most famous for his social teaching, in which he argued the flaws of capitalism and communism. His encyclical Rerum Novarum focused on the rights and duties of capital and labor, and introduced the idea of subsidiarity into Catholic social thought.

In his 1893 encyclical Providentissimus Deus, Leo gave new encouragement to Bible study while warning against rationalist interpretations which deny the inspiration of Scripture:

"For all the books which the Church receives as sacred and canonical, are written wholly and entirely, with all their parts, at the dictation of the Holy Ghost: and so far is it from being possible that any error can co-exist with inspiration, that inspiration not only is essentially incompatible with error, but excludes and rejects it as absolutely and necessarily as it is impossible that God Himself, the supreme Truth, can utter that which is not true." (Providentissimus Deus)

The 1896 bull Apostolicae Curae declared the ordination of deacons, priests, and bishops in Anglican churches (including the Church of England) invalid, while granting recognition to ordinations in the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches although they were considered illicit.

His 1899 apostolic letter Testem Benevolentiae condemned the heresy called Americanism.

List of Encyclicals

(Please note: Pope Leo XIII wrote several encyclicals on some of the same or similar subjects; it is not a confusion of information)

Trivia

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Pope Leo XIII".

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