The Pontificate of Leo XIII.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 22, 29 May 1902, Page 5

The Pontificate of Leo XIII.

The Oldest Bishop in the World.

So many facts and figures have lately been given concerning the age, and the duration of the Pontificate of Pope Leo XIII. (writes the Rome correspondent of the New York Firnnan'x Journal, under date March lit), th *t it is difficult to say ;n ything new on the subject, but perhaps the following s'ati^tics will present a fresh view of the subject :—Ginaehim I'eci i, of the noble family of the Peccis of Sienna, was horn at Carp-neto "f Anagni on March 2, 1810; hp was created Doctor of Pivinuy and of Canon Law in 1830 ai.d 1832; made a Domi -tic P-e'utc m IS/57; oidained on n&en.ber HI, 1837 , appointed u-DeKga-e Apostolic to Beneventum in IS3S, and to Spoletn ..lid P* rugn in 18 11 ; precomsed Archbishop of Damietta on January 27, 1843 ; nomn ated Apostolic Nuncio to Brussels and Bishop oi Perugia in l>lt>; en ated Canlm.il prifst of St Chrysogono on December 19, 1853 ; Camerlengo of Holy Church in 187G ; and finally raised to tbe Pontificate on February 20, 1878, at the age of (is. He in, therefore, now 92 years of f.gp, f>4 years a priest, 5!) years a bishop, 4!) years a Cardinal, and 24 a Pope. lie in nut only th<> olde-t by far in the order of creation to the Cardinality (Cardinal Oreglia. the pn sent Dean of the J^acreu College, v\as raised to the purple just 20 y. ars afier Cardinal Petci). but he is alro th<> oldest Bishop in Christendom. After him comes Mo -ignor Daniel Murphy, who wa- ele> ted iU*l op of Philidelphia (nut the Ann riean See but another in partibus infideliuin) in 181.1, and who in .t present Archbishop of Hobart in Australia. Leo XIII. and Mgr. Murphy are tbe only two bishops living who were preconused by Geregory XVI. The next oldest among the bishops is Monsignor Jobeph George Strosmayer, who was born on February 4, 1815, and elected Bishop of Sirmio with residence at Diakover in Schlavonia May 10. 1850. Leo XIII. occupies the fourth place among Pontiffs •who have reigned longest, according to the following list. —

There were 18 Popes whose Pontificate lasted from 15 to 19 years ; 47, from 10 to 15 y< ar.s ; (in, frrm 5 to 10 ; 75, from one to five years; 11, from one to 11 months, and 11 who reigned lesa than a month With regard to longevity, Pope Leo XITI. holds the third place an ong the Pontiffs .— St Airatho (died CM!) luc>l to hi 107 y. ars of age : Gr< trory IX. (12(1), 98 years ; Leo XIII is now 92 ; Celestine 111. (111)8) died at 91 asdid also Gregory XIII (1417), and only one other Pope, John XXII. (1331) lived to be 90. It is a very remarkable fact that all the long Pontificates above mentioned have been passed in dangerous and difficult times—St. Peter lived in constant anxiety, and ended his earthly life by mar-

tyrdom ; Pius IX. saw the Temporal Power of the Popes destroyed after an existence of over a thousand years, and he died a prisoner of ihe Italian Government ; Pius VI. saw the outbreak of the destructive Fiench Revoluion, and died in exile. Leo XIII. has been obliged to spend tun 24 years of his Pontificate shut up in the Vatican, nnd hiß old age is beiug embittered by the persecution to which the Church is bein^ subjected in France, Italy, and Spain.

St. Peter (from the year 33 to the year 6S) ... Piua IX. (1*46-1878) ... Piua VI (1773-1779) ... Leo XIII (Feb. 20, 1878— March 20, 1902) ... Adrian I. (771-79.")) ... PiuwVll. (IHOO-K52.})... Alexander 111. (113!)-11.S1) St. Sylvester 1. (314-335) St. Leo I. (440- 1C>1) . . Urban VHI. (1623-1044) St. Leo 111 (7'J.")-S1(5) ... Clement XL (1700-1721) 34 6 0 31 7 22 21 8 14 24 1 0 23 10 17 23 r, 6 21 ]1 22 21 10 27 21 1 13 20 11 21 20 5 1G 20 3 25