Leonard Eugene Boyle | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1923-11-13)13 November 1923 |
| Died | 25 October 1999(1999-10-25) (aged 75) |
| Occupation(s) | scholar inmedieval studies andpalaeography |
Leonard Eugene Boyle, OPOC (13 November 1923 - 25 October 1999)[1] was anIrish andCanadian scholar inmedieval studies andpalaeography.
He was the first Irish and North American Prefect of theVatican Library inRome from 1984 to 1997.[2]
Boyle was born inCounty Donegal, Ireland. He entered theDominican Order in 1943 and was ordained a priest in 1949.[1] He received his doctorate atOxford University.
Boyle served as Professor of Latin Paleography and History of Medieval Theology at thePontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome from 1956 to 1961.
He taught at thePontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies and the Centre for Medieval Studies at theUniversity of Toronto from 1961 to 1984.[3]
In 1984 he was appointedPrefect of the Vatican Library by PopeJohn Paul II. Boyle set about the digitization of the library's many manuscripts. Boyle employed women for the first time as part of the library's staff.[4] In 1987, he was made an Officer of theOrder of Canada.[5]
In 1997, he was involved in a lawsuit regarding the legality of reproductions of Vatican manuscripts. Boyle was exonerated, but the case took its toll on his health.[6][7]
Boyle was living with emphysema and cancer and died on October 19, 1999. He is buried at theSan Clemente al Laterano.[1]
