Pope Leo XII

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Born at the Castello della Genga in the territory ofSpoleto, 22 August, 1760; died inRome, 10 February, 1829. His father'sfamily had been ennobled byLeo XI in 1605; his mother was Maria Luisa Periberti ofFabriano. They had a largefamily, seven sons and three daughters, of which Annibale was the fifth son and sixth child. At the age of thirteen he was placed in the Collegio Campana ofOsimo, whence he was transferred, in 1778, to the Collegio Piceno inRome and shortly afterwards to the Accademia dei Nobili Ecclesiastici. He wasordainedsubdeacon four years later, anddeacon in 1783. Two months later he wasordainedpriest,dispensation being obtained for the defect of age, as he was only twenty-three. He was of handsomeperson and engaging manners and, soon after hisordination, attracted the notice ofPius VII, who was visiting the Accademia, and by him was raised to the prelature ascameriere segreto. In 1790 he was chosen to deliver in the Sixtine Chapel the oration on the death of theEmperor Joseph II and accomplished his difficult task to the admiration of all hearers, without offending the susceptibilities ofAustria or compromising the authority of theHoly See. In 1792 he became a canon of the Vatican church, and the following year wasconsecrated titularArchbishop ofTyre and sent asnuncio to Lucerne. Thence he was transferred to the nunciature at Cologne in 1794, a post which he occupied with great success for eleven years. In 1795 he was accredited asnuncio extraordinary to the Diet ofRatisbon byPius VII in order that he might deal with the difficulties between the German Church and itsPrussian rulers. Returning toRome to confer withConsalvi on these matters, he learnt thatNapoleon desired the substitution of anothernuncio more devoted to his interests, in theperson of Bernier,Bishop of Orléans.Pius VII, however, was firm and Della Genga returned toMunich. In 1798 he went with Cardinal Caprara toParis with the object of arranging some agreement between theHoly See andNapoleon I. He was received, however, but coldly, and the negotiations soon came to nothing. Della Genga returned toRome where he witnessed the indignities offered toPius VII by the French. He returned in dismay to the Abbey of Monticelli, which had been granted to himin commendam for life byPope Pius VI. Here he spent his time teaching his choir of peasants to play theorgan and to singplain-chant.

Expecting to end his days there, he built in theabbey church thetombs of his mother and himself. But in 1814, with the fall ofNapoleon,Pius VII returned toRome and Mgr Della Genga was sent toParis as envoy extraordinary to convey thepope's congratulations to King Louis XVIII.Consalvi, however, who was accredited to all the sovereigns then atParis, strongly resented this mission, which he held to be a slight to himself. Louis XVIII endeavoured to smooth over matters, but the powerful Secretary of State had his way, and Della Genga returned toRome, whence he again retired to Monticelli. Here he remained for two years, whenPius VII created himcardinal ofSanta Maria in Trastevere and appointed himBishop ofSinigaglia. But his ill-health necessitated residence in the healthy air ofSpoleto and he never entered hisdiocese, which he resigned two years later. In 1820, his health being improved, he was made Vicar ofRome, arch-priest of theLiberian Basilica and prefect of several congregations. Three years later, on 20 August,Pius VII died; and on 2 September theconclave opened at the Quirinal. It lasted for twenty-six days. At first the most prominent candidates were Cardinal Severoli, the representative of the Zelanti, and Cardinal Castiglioni (afterwardsPius VIII), the representative of the moderate party. Castiglioni was the candidate most desired by the greatCatholic powers, but, in spite of their wishes Severoli's influence grew daily and by the morning of 21 September, he had received as many as twenty-six votes. As this meant that he would probably be elected at the next scrutiny,Cardinal Albani, who representedAustria at theconclave, informed his colleagues that the election of Cardinal Severoli would not be acceptable to the emperor and pronounced a formal veto. The Zelanti were furious, but, at Severoli's suggestion, transferred their support to Della Genga, and before the powers realized what was happening, triumphantly elected him by thirty-four votes on the morning of 28 September. At first, however, thepope-elect was unwilling to accept the office. With tears he reminded thecardinals of his ill-health. "You are electing a dead man", he said, but, when they insisted that it was hisduty to accept, he gave way and gracefully assuring Cardinal Castiglioni that he some day was to bePius VIII, announced his own intention of taking the style of Leo XII.

Immediately after his election he appointed Della Somaglia, an octogenarian, Secretary of State, an act significant of the policy of the new reign. Leo wascrowned on 5 October. His first measures were some not very successful attempts to repress the brigandage and license then prevalent in Maritima and the Campagna, and the publication of an ordinance that confined again to their Ghettoes theJews, who had moved into the city during the period of the Revolution. These measures are typical of the temper and policy of Leo XII. There is something pathetic in the contrast between the intelligence and masterly energy displayed by him as ruler of theChurch and the inefficiency of his policy as ruler of thePapal States. In face of the new social and political order, he undertook the defence of ancient custom and accepted institutions; he had little insight into the hopes and visions of those who were then pioneers of the greater liberty that had become inevitable. Stern attempts were made to purify theCuria and to control the crowd of inefficient and venal officials that composed its staff.Indifferentism and theProtestant proselytism of the period were combated; the devotion of theCatholic world was estimated by the jubilee of 1825, in spite of the opposition of timid and reactionaryprelates or sovereigns; thepersecution of theCatholics in theNetherlands was met and overcome, and the movement for the emancipation of theCatholics in the British Isles was managed and encouraged till success was assured. Popular discontent with the government of thePapal States was met by the severities of Cardinal Rivarola.

The legitimist cause inFrance and inSpain, though marked in both countries by the misuse of religion as an instrument of political reaction, was supported, even when (as in the suppression of theJesuitschools inFrance, and the vacancy of Mexican sees owing to the claims ofSpain over her former colonies) the representatives of that cause showed themselves indifferent or opposed to the interests of the Faith.Consalvi was consulted and admired by thepope, who, both in this case and that of the treasurer Cristaldi, showed himself too magnanimous to allow personal grievances to weigh against the appreciation of merit, but thecardinal's death in 1824 prevented the contribution of his wisdom to the councils of theHoly See. The Collegio Romano was restored to the efficient hands of theJesuits in 1824; theFree-masons and othersecret societies were condemned in 1825; the Vatican printing press was restored and the Vatican Library enriched; scholars like Zurla, Martucci, andChampollion were encouraged; much was done towards the rebuilding ofSt. Paul's and the restoration of the seemliness of worship. But Leo's health was too frail to support his unremitting devotion to the affairs of theChurch. Even in December, 1823, he had nearly died, and recovered only as by amiracle, through theprayers of the venerableBishop of Marittima, Vincenzo Strambi, whose life was offered toGod and accepted in the stead of thepope's. On 5 February, 1829, after a private audience with Cardinal Bernetti, who had replaced Somaglia as Secretary of State in 1828, he was suddenly taken ill and seemed himself toknow that his end was near. On the eighth he asked for and received theViaticum and was anointed. On the evening of the ninth he lapsed into unconsciousness and on the morning of the tenth he died. He had a noble character, a passion for order and efficiency, but he lacked insight into, and sympathy with, the temporal developments of his period. His rule was unpopular inRome and in thePapal States, and by various measures of his reign he diminished greatly for his successors their chances of solving the new problems that confronted them.

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