Seventeenth Century: Eleven Popes
232. Leo XI, April 1-27, 1605. Deeply religious, the new Pope caught a chill while taking possession of the Lateran Basilica (the Pope's own cathedral). He died before he could implement any of his plans, but it is known that he intended to send financial aid to the Emperor Rudolf II for his war against the Turks, settle a dispute between the clergy of Castile and Leon and the Jesuits, and abolished some onerous tasks. Italian.
233. Paul V, 1605-1621. During his reign the Gunpowder plot occurred, for which James I of England blamed him. The Pope had been horrified. Henry Garnet, Provincial of the Jesuits was put to death unjustly and new persecutions broke out against Catholics in England and Ireland. The Thirty Years War broke out in Germany. Of unblemished character, and completely unselfish, Paul V approved the Constitutions of many new Religious Orders, beatified many Saints including Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier, Teresa of Avila and Philip Neri. He approved the use of the vernacular in the liturgy in China. He is remembered as the Pope who censured Galileo Galielei's views on Scripture and Astronomy. Sienese.
234. Gregory XV, 1621-1623. First Jesuit-trained Pope. He reorganized in minutest detail the organization of Papal elections to remove any grounds for criticism. He also founded the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith. His short reign was a triumph for the Counter Reformation. Italian.
235. Urban VIII, 1623-1644. He revised the Breviary, established the canonical procedures for canonization, gave strong support to the Foreign Missions, approved new Religious Orders like the Visitation, the Vincentians. Authoritarian, very conscious of the dignity of the Papal Office, Urban VIII was an accomplished diplomat, and literary connoisseur. He beautified Rome, and consecrated the new St Peter's on November 18, 1626. The work had taken 140 years and outlasted 20 Popes who assisted its completion. Italian.
236. Innocent X, 1644-1655. An old man when elected, and slow to make decisions, he was much influenced by his powerful sister-in-law Olimpia Maidalchini. He supported the foreign missions, founded a Maronite College in Ravenna, created a University in Manila in the Phillipines. He is better known for his condemnation of the extremist doctrines of Jansenism. When Naples rebelled against Spain the Pope protested strongly at the inhuman revenged wreaked by the Spaniards. At the end of 1649 when Charles I was beheaded, a new persecution of Catholics began in England, especially after the subjugation of Ireland. Italian.
237. Alexander VII, 1655-1667. Deeply spiritual, he daily meditated on the writings of St Francis de Sales whom he beatified and canonized. He delighted in the company of scholars and writers, enriched the Vatican Library and commissioned Bernini to design and build the colonnades which are such a beautiful feature of St Peter's Basilica. During his reign, Queen Christina of Sweden converted to Catholicism and came to live in Rome. He supported the Jesuits in their bid to have certain Chinese practices approved, and absolved Chinese clergy of the necessity of saying the Office in Latin. Sienese.
238. Clement IX, 1667-1669. His short reign was spent in resolving tensions between Spain, Portugal, France and the Holy See. A connoisseur of letters, he was a poet and wrote religious drama. He has the distinction of inventing the comic opera as a dramatic form. His first work of this kind was Chi soffre speri which premiered in the Palazzo Barberini on February 27, 1639. He was a Pope of outstanding character, so blameless in outlook and of such inner nobility, that his family name, Rospigliosi, was held in veneration for years after his death. He had a stroke, brought on it appears by by concern at the fall of Crete to the Turks, when Candia fell, with the loss of 30,000 Christian and 100,000 Turkish lives. His motto was Aliis non sibi Clemens - "Others' interests, not his own" summed up his character. Italian.
239. Clement X, 1670-1676. Eighty years old when elected, he supported the Poles in their efforts to defend themselves against the Turks. John Sobieski defeated the Turks decisively at the battle of Dneister in 1673 and was named king of the Poles. A gentle and simple person, Clement X longed for peace in Europe but did not live to see it. He canonized, among many others, Rose of Lima, the first South American saint. Roman.
240. Blessed Innocent XI, 1676-1689. One of the most important Popes of the century. He withstood the power of France. His idealism, moderation and tolerance won the admiration of Protestants everywhere. He opposed the use of force to convert people to Catholicism. His untarnished honesty brought glory to the Church and the Papacy. While welcoming the accession of James II, a Catholic, to the throne of England, he was suspicious (rightly) of the latter's subservience to Louis XIV of France and when James was deposed and William of Orange took the throne, Innocent could and would do nothing to help him. He died at the age of 78, and only after his death did the people realize what a holy man had led them. Pius XII beatified him in 1956. Italian.
241. Alexander VIII, 1689-1691. Unlike his predecessor, Alexander was more like a Renaissance Pope, with his great amiability, love of letters and lavish style of running the Papal Court. Diligent, blameless and kind, this nobleman who was Pope died with little achieved principally because of his nepotism, and his subservience to Louis XIV of France. Italian.
242. Innocent XII, 1691-1700. He promulgated a famous Bull Romanum decet Pontificem which outlawed nepotism for all time, and forbade the relatives of Popes to hold any kind of high office in the Church. He improved education of the clergy and monks, and devoted his life to charity and the alleviation of need. Italian.
232. Leo XI, April 1-27, 1605. Deeply religious, the new Pope caught a chill while taking possession of the Lateran Basilica (the Pope's own cathedral). He died before he could implement any of his plans, but it is known that he intended to send financial aid to the Emperor Rudolf II for his war against the Turks, settle a dispute between the clergy of Castile and Leon and the Jesuits, and abolished some onerous tasks. Italian.
233. Paul V, 1605-1621. During his reign the Gunpowder plot occurred, for which James I of England blamed him. The Pope had been horrified. Henry Garnet, Provincial of the Jesuits was put to death unjustly and new persecutions broke out against Catholics in England and Ireland. The Thirty Years War broke out in Germany. Of unblemished character, and completely unselfish, Paul V approved the Constitutions of many new Religious Orders, beatified many Saints including Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier, Teresa of Avila and Philip Neri. He approved the use of the vernacular in the liturgy in China. He is remembered as the Pope who censured Galileo Galielei's views on Scripture and Astronomy. Sienese.
234. Gregory XV, 1621-1623. First Jesuit-trained Pope. He reorganized in minutest detail the organization of Papal elections to remove any grounds for criticism. He also founded the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith. His short reign was a triumph for the Counter Reformation. Italian.
235. Urban VIII, 1623-1644. He revised the Breviary, established the canonical procedures for canonization, gave strong support to the Foreign Missions, approved new Religious Orders like the Visitation, the Vincentians. Authoritarian, very conscious of the dignity of the Papal Office, Urban VIII was an accomplished diplomat, and literary connoisseur. He beautified Rome, and consecrated the new St Peter's on November 18, 1626. The work had taken 140 years and outlasted 20 Popes who assisted its completion. Italian.
236. Innocent X, 1644-1655. An old man when elected, and slow to make decisions, he was much influenced by his powerful sister-in-law Olimpia Maidalchini. He supported the foreign missions, founded a Maronite College in Ravenna, created a University in Manila in the Phillipines. He is better known for his condemnation of the extremist doctrines of Jansenism. When Naples rebelled against Spain the Pope protested strongly at the inhuman revenged wreaked by the Spaniards. At the end of 1649 when Charles I was beheaded, a new persecution of Catholics began in England, especially after the subjugation of Ireland. Italian.
237. Alexander VII, 1655-1667. Deeply spiritual, he daily meditated on the writings of St Francis de Sales whom he beatified and canonized. He delighted in the company of scholars and writers, enriched the Vatican Library and commissioned Bernini to design and build the colonnades which are such a beautiful feature of St Peter's Basilica. During his reign, Queen Christina of Sweden converted to Catholicism and came to live in Rome. He supported the Jesuits in their bid to have certain Chinese practices approved, and absolved Chinese clergy of the necessity of saying the Office in Latin. Sienese.
238. Clement IX, 1667-1669. His short reign was spent in resolving tensions between Spain, Portugal, France and the Holy See. A connoisseur of letters, he was a poet and wrote religious drama. He has the distinction of inventing the comic opera as a dramatic form. His first work of this kind was Chi soffre speri which premiered in the Palazzo Barberini on February 27, 1639. He was a Pope of outstanding character, so blameless in outlook and of such inner nobility, that his family name, Rospigliosi, was held in veneration for years after his death. He had a stroke, brought on it appears by by concern at the fall of Crete to the Turks, when Candia fell, with the loss of 30,000 Christian and 100,000 Turkish lives. His motto was Aliis non sibi Clemens - "Others' interests, not his own" summed up his character. Italian.
239. Clement X, 1670-1676. Eighty years old when elected, he supported the Poles in their efforts to defend themselves against the Turks. John Sobieski defeated the Turks decisively at the battle of Dneister in 1673 and was named king of the Poles. A gentle and simple person, Clement X longed for peace in Europe but did not live to see it. He canonized, among many others, Rose of Lima, the first South American saint. Roman.
240. Blessed Innocent XI, 1676-1689. One of the most important Popes of the century. He withstood the power of France. His idealism, moderation and tolerance won the admiration of Protestants everywhere. He opposed the use of force to convert people to Catholicism. His untarnished honesty brought glory to the Church and the Papacy. While welcoming the accession of James II, a Catholic, to the throne of England, he was suspicious (rightly) of the latter's subservience to Louis XIV of France and when James was deposed and William of Orange took the throne, Innocent could and would do nothing to help him. He died at the age of 78, and only after his death did the people realize what a holy man had led them. Pius XII beatified him in 1956. Italian.
241. Alexander VIII, 1689-1691. Unlike his predecessor, Alexander was more like a Renaissance Pope, with his great amiability, love of letters and lavish style of running the Papal Court. Diligent, blameless and kind, this nobleman who was Pope died with little achieved principally because of his nepotism, and his subservience to Louis XIV of France. Italian.
242. Innocent XII, 1691-1700. He promulgated a famous Bull Romanum decet Pontificem which outlawed nepotism for all time, and forbade the relatives of Popes to hold any kind of high office in the Church. He improved education of the clergy and monks, and devoted his life to charity and the alleviation of need. Italian.
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