Pope from August 17, 1740 - May 3, 1758
Lived: March 31, 1675 - May 3, 1758
Who was this guy before he was pope?
Prospero Lambertini was born in Bologna in 1675. He was highly educated and was a devoted follower of the works of St. Thomas Aquinas. Prospero received a doctorate at just 19 years old, and immediately began his rise to become one of the most high-profile, admired, and able churchmen in history, with some even calling him the greatest scholar of any future pope. He was given a shiny red hat in 1728 and made Archbishop of Bologna in 1731. As bishop, he was known for his hard work, inquisitive mind, and a humble, infectious zeal that inspired laity and clergy to a life of similar piety.
Give me the scoop on Benedict XIV.
The cardinals once again took their sweet time in choosing a new pope, so much so that Cardinal Lambertini joked, “If you want a saint, choose Gotti; a statesman, Aldobrandini; if you want an honest man, elect me!” The cardinals apparently thought he was serious, so away went the new Pope Benedict XIV. In his political rule, Benedict was by all accounts a realist. Eric John writes that Benedict thought it “better to give way than to break off relations and, provided essentials were safeguarded, it was wiser to go to the limit of concession rather than remain stubborn and achieve nothing.”
Benedict XIV successfully mediated a tiff between Sicily and the Knights of Malta, as well as one between Venice and Austria. No mean feat. He restored the Church’s finances, which had been badly damaged two popes ago by the infamous Cardinal Coscia. Benedict was a patron of the sciences and arts, was beloved by Catholics and Protestants alike, and was described by a biographer as being, “a man whom neither wit nor power could spoil.” After almost two decades in office, Benedict died May 3, 1758 after uttering the words, “I leave you in the hands of God.”
What was he known for?
Pope Benedict XIV was a writing fool, setting the record straight on a number of issues during his 18 years as pontiff. One of his first matters was to lay clear in three separate documents the issue of Jewish baptism, something that had been both unclear and severely abused through the centuries. Benedict also ruled on usury, or the lending of money with unjustly high interest. His greatest wish, though, was to reform the Breviary, liturgy, and Roman calendar, mostly to remove legendary and untrue accounts of saints, to encourage greater emphasis on Scripture and the Church Fathers, and to trim the number of feasts so the remaining ones were celebrated with greater fervor. This effort, however, wouldn’t be fully realized until the 20th Century.
Fun Fact: One of the posts held by Benedict XIV prior to his election was one commonly known as the “Devil’s Advocate” (Latin: Advocatus Diaboli). Part of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints since the reign of Sixtus V in 1587, Benedict was responsible for purposely arguing against a candidate for sainthood (fairly, of course), in order to make darn sure that the person’s life was exemplary and devoid of any glaring character flaws.
Coming tomorrow...Pope Clement XIII
John, E. (1964). The Popes: A concise biographical history. New York: Hawthorn Books.
Lived: March 31, 1675 - May 3, 1758
Birth name: Prospero Lambertini
Prospero Lambertini was born in Bologna in 1675. He was highly educated and was a devoted follower of the works of St. Thomas Aquinas. Prospero received a doctorate at just 19 years old, and immediately began his rise to become one of the most high-profile, admired, and able churchmen in history, with some even calling him the greatest scholar of any future pope. He was given a shiny red hat in 1728 and made Archbishop of Bologna in 1731. As bishop, he was known for his hard work, inquisitive mind, and a humble, infectious zeal that inspired laity and clergy to a life of similar piety.
Give me the scoop on Benedict XIV.
The cardinals once again took their sweet time in choosing a new pope, so much so that Cardinal Lambertini joked, “If you want a saint, choose Gotti; a statesman, Aldobrandini; if you want an honest man, elect me!” The cardinals apparently thought he was serious, so away went the new Pope Benedict XIV. In his political rule, Benedict was by all accounts a realist. Eric John writes that Benedict thought it “better to give way than to break off relations and, provided essentials were safeguarded, it was wiser to go to the limit of concession rather than remain stubborn and achieve nothing.”
Benedict XIV successfully mediated a tiff between Sicily and the Knights of Malta, as well as one between Venice and Austria. No mean feat. He restored the Church’s finances, which had been badly damaged two popes ago by the infamous Cardinal Coscia. Benedict was a patron of the sciences and arts, was beloved by Catholics and Protestants alike, and was described by a biographer as being, “a man whom neither wit nor power could spoil.” After almost two decades in office, Benedict died May 3, 1758 after uttering the words, “I leave you in the hands of God.”
What was he known for?
Pope Benedict XIV was a writing fool, setting the record straight on a number of issues during his 18 years as pontiff. One of his first matters was to lay clear in three separate documents the issue of Jewish baptism, something that had been both unclear and severely abused through the centuries. Benedict also ruled on usury, or the lending of money with unjustly high interest. His greatest wish, though, was to reform the Breviary, liturgy, and Roman calendar, mostly to remove legendary and untrue accounts of saints, to encourage greater emphasis on Scripture and the Church Fathers, and to trim the number of feasts so the remaining ones were celebrated with greater fervor. This effort, however, wouldn’t be fully realized until the 20th Century.
Fun Fact: One of the posts held by Benedict XIV prior to his election was one commonly known as the “Devil’s Advocate” (Latin: Advocatus Diaboli). Part of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints since the reign of Sixtus V in 1587, Benedict was responsible for purposely arguing against a candidate for sainthood (fairly, of course), in order to make darn sure that the person’s life was exemplary and devoid of any glaring character flaws.
Coming tomorrow...Pope Clement XIII
SOURCES (and further reading)
John, E. (1964). The Popes: A concise biographical history. New York: Hawthorn Books.
Pope Benedict XIV - http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02432a.htm
Pope Benedict XIV - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XIV
Devil’s Advocate - https://www.britannica.com/topic/devils-advocate
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