The Washington times., 1902-04-07

twelve or thirteen he wrote Latin, prose
or verse with facility. and it may be men
toned that since he became Pope a vol
ume of his verses, chiefly Latin. has been
printed at Udne. Having entered the
College of Noble Ecclesiastics. the Abbate
Pecci frcquented the schools of the Roman
University TO learn canon and civil law.
Pecci and the Duke Sisto Riario Sforza
tafterward Cardinal Archbishop of Ma
plesD were the two brilliant youths who
eclipsed all the rest of their companions
in study.
Cardinal Antonio Sala took much inter
est in Pccci. and assisted him with advice
and instruction. Becoming a doctor of
laws. he was made by Pope Gregory XVI
domestic prelate and Referendar of the
Segnatura March 16. 1897 Cardinal Carlo
odescalchi famous for his humility in re-
nouncing the purple to enter the Society
of Jesus. gave Pecci holy orders in the
chapel of st. Stanislas Xostka. in S. An
drea al Quarinale and on December %.
1887. conferred the priesthood upon him in
the chapel of the Vicarate. Gregory XVI
bestowed upon him the title of Prothono-
tary Apostolic. and appointed him apos
tolic delegate at Benevento, Perugia and
Spoleto in succession.
Ruled With Firmness.
in these important posts he ruled with
firmness and prudence. and while at
Benevento he, b. his energy. put a stop
to the brigandage which had before in
tested that district. In 1913 he was again
promoted by Pope Gregory XvI. being
sent as nuncio to Belgium. and on Jan
uary II in that year he was created
Archbishop of Damietta in partibus in
fdelium. to qualify him for the office of
three years. and was then nominated
Bishop of Perugia on January 10. 1916.
about four months previous to the death
of Gregory XVI. He was created and
proclaimed cardinal by Plus IX in the
Consistory Of December 10, 1853 He was
member of several of the congregations
of cardinals among them those of the
Council OF Rites and of Bishops and Reg
ulars.
Selected as Cardinal
In September. 1877. he was selected by
Pope Plus IX to fill the important Office
of Cardinal Camerlengo of the Roman
Church. which post had become vacant by
the death of Cardinal de Angels In that
capacity, after the death of the late Pope
February I, 1879, he acted as head of
the church in temporal matters. made the
arrangements for the last solemn obse-
quies of the Pontiff. received the Catho-
lie ambassadors and superintended the
preparations for the conclave. Sixty-two
Cardinals attended the conclave. which
was closed in the Vatican on Monday.
February Is, 1873, and the Cardinal
Camerlengo was made Pope by the accla-
nation of all. The news was officially
proclaimed to the outside world at a
quarter past l o'clock from the gallery
of st. Peters. when 1t was announced
that His Holiness had assumed the name
of Leo XIII.
Crowned in Sistine Chapel.
On March he was crowned in the
Sistine Chapel all the ancient ceremonies
being observed. save the benedction Urbi
ct orbi. from the loggia of St. Peters.
At the end of 1887 the Pope celebrated his
jubilee commemorative of his having been
fifty years in the priesthood, on which oc-
casion he received congratulations from
all parts of the world. The Queen of
England sent the Duke of Norfolk as her
special envoy with valuable gifts and an
address of congratulation. In June, 1891.
the Pope issued an important encyclical
letter on labor which presents the papacy
in a new and liberal light. Later His
Holiness bade the French clergy recog-
nize the Republic, the result being that
many hitherto disaffected monarchists
have accepted the present order of things
in France.
His Episcopal Jubilee.
On February 10. 1893. His Holiness cele-
brated his episcopal jubilee and held
state celebration at St. Peters before
immense crowds of pilgrims. The English
pilgrims on this occasion were headed by
the Duke of Norfolk In October, 1894.
the Pope summoned conference of the
patriarchs of the Greek and other Eastern
Churches at the Vatican. but the gather
ing was without results.
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