The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-02-23
LEO, A MARVEL AMONG POPES.
SOME RESPECTS IN WHICH HIS
CAREER rs UNIQUE.
me silver Jubilee Celebration OF HIS
Pontncatc Recalls interesting Facts
IN the Lives OF the Ions Line OF
nj, Predecessors on the Throne.

Nsa ximus. Leo XIII, began last week
the silver jubilee Ct his pontihcate. The
,ead successor Of ST. Peter, Joachim Pecci,
was born at Carpineto In the diocese OF
Anapni on March 2, 1910; ordained priest
~ nee Al. 1887; oonsecrated Titular Arch
hi.hop Of Damietta on Feb. II, iSi3; trans
800 % the see Of Perugla on Jan. 10,
,e.s. unclaimed Cardinal on Dec. 10, 1858;
.,.c,ed pope on Feb. 20, and crowned on
March 8, 1878.
- XIII. Ia the only M OF the long
uns n, popcs who has worn tho Episcopal
r,itre efty-nine consecutive years. He is
,ha ,,,,h In line as 10 length OF reign and
fourth as to personal age, he Is now the
cantor Bishop Of the whole Catholic world
and also the doyen Of those who have held
ths rank OF Cardinal. He has seen 1877
C.rdinsls die since he began his reign,
record nowhere approached by any OF
III. nredecessors. and has created i4s MEM
h.rs ~ the Senate Of the Church.
Tbs history Of the Popes shows that Of tho
,onr pne l9S have been Italians; Syriars, Z;
crae,.- IS: Africans, 3: spaniards. 4; French.
"a. Rureundians, 2; Germans, Q; Saxons, 2;
p.varisns, 4; English, /, and Belgian. /.
1bs nationality OF the others is not well
established. Forty Popes are venerated
a. saIn,s and confeesors and thirty-seven
as MARTYRS, making the entire number OF
the beatfed seventy-seven. The first
thjrty-three Popes were m~artyred.
The religious orders supplied o
s.ventv Popes TO the throne. The o
dlctines have given thirty; the Carthusians
two. the Carmelites two; the Dominicans
four. and the Augustinians and Francis
oans many. Numerous Popes were men,
hens OF ROYAL and noble families, but many
moor men have reached the tiara also.
st. Peter was a fisherman. Adrian w.,
the only Englishman who held the throne,
was the son Of a woman who begged aims
at the door Of her parish church. Urban
". was the con Of a poor Frenohman. The
parents of Celestine v. were In very humble
circumstances. SO we're those Of Bene-
dict H., an Italian Dominican, and also
those Of Nicholas v. The father Of Adrian
vi. was a ship carpenter, Of Sixtus V. q
farm laborer and Of Plus ". a shepherd.
St. Peter reigned for twenty-five years
and there used TO be a tradition told TO
each new Pope, no matter how young he
was when he began, Thou shalt not see
the years Of Peter II was contained In
these Latin verses:
sin, lice, assumpti juvenes sd Pontincatumt
Petr amos potuit memo videre Anen.
But Leo's predecessor, Pius X. broke
through this tradition by occupying the
Vatican for thirty-two years. the longest
Of ell the reigns.
Gregory XII, 1915, died within a few
hours OF his election; Stephanus II. was
NJ " 81 thxa. Iava. ITrhap VII fAr
twelve; Boniface VI. for fifteen; Celestine
~. for seventeen; Sisinius, Theodorus H.,
Damascus H.. Plus III. and Marcellus II.
for twenty; Valentinus for thirty and Leo
XI. for twenty-five. So many Popes died
within the first year OF their pontiicate
that their records would take up Toe much
space here. Since the time of ST. Peter
only nine Popes nave reigned moro than
twenty years. No less han thirty-six Of
the Popes have died In the year or month
OF their pontiicate corresponding with
the number attached to their names.
Alexander I. was made Pope while a mere
youth. He reigned eleven years. John II.
was 20 years old at his election and reigned
four years and ten months. Innocent III.
was 80 years old, Gregory II. was IS years
old, Leo X. and Boniface TX. were about 30.
Pope Hormisdas, who was elected In 524.
was a widower when he entered holy orders.
He had a son called Silverius who succeeded
him as Pope In 537. Silverius was martyred
and both father and son are venerated as
saints. Victor III. had also been married
before ascending the throne; and so had
Clement ". He had two daughters and
when his wife died he became a Carthusian
monk. There are two instances In which
brothers succeeded zach other. The first
Is that OF Stephen III. elected In 1852. He
reigned FIVE years and was succeeded by
his brother Paul /. The latter was canon
lied. The other case IL that OF Benedict
VIII, elected in 1912 and succeeded twelve
years after by his brother John XXX. who
was Pope for nearly ten years. Pope Fuse
bius had been a physician, and Pope John
Xxx. was the author Of a medical book telling
the poor how TO treat their maladies which
was highly priced In It's day and translated
into many languages.
Benedict III. SIS, was the first Pope TO
assume the title 'vicar OF st. Peter"
In the thirteenth century, however, this
was changed TO the present style 'Vicar
Of Christ The usage OF kissing the Cross
on the Pope's slipper, which still obtains,
was introduced In 772 by Adrian /. The
first Pope to change his name on election
was Sergius H., sA. John has been the
name most frequently adopted. There
have been % Johns; 10 Innocents; IL Bene-
diets; 10 Gregories; IA Clements; 10 Leos;
o Pulses. and 4 Alexanders. Pope Cletus,
the third Pipe. adopted the salutation ever
tlnce used: -Salutem ct Apostolicam
Benedictiouem health and apostolic
benediction.
Valentine was only a deacon when he
was elected In s27. He lived a month.
Celestine w.. l2Ii who lived but a few days,
was never crowned. Celestine v, 1924,
resigned and became a monk. The Pores
who were not Cardinals when elected are
Nicholas IL, loss; Callistus H., iiio; Urban
~, 1901; Celestine ". 1924; Gallus, 1862;
Urban VI, 1873.
Clement v, 1905. was the first Pope to
remove his residence from Rome to Avig-
non. The exile lasted seventy years and
for seven Popes. The longest interrsgnurn
between the death Of one Pope and the ooro-
nation Of his successor was three years,
after the death 81 Clement ". in 1870.
Pope Telesphorus. It2, ordained that
LEM should begin on Septuagesima Sum
day. and poDe Greporv | tho Creat Ron