Pope Leo I

Leo I (; c. 400 – 10 November 461), also known as Leo the Great, was an Italian priest of the Roman Catholic Church and the 45th Pope from 29 September 440 to his death on 10 November 461. "List of Popes,"  Catholic Encyclopedia (2009); retrieved 2013-3-11.

Early life
Nothing is known about his early life.  Little is known about his early work in the church.  The first unmistakable reference to Pope Leo is in 429 when he was only a deacon."Leo I," Encyclopedia Britannica (1911), pp. 955.

 Pope 
Leo was made Bishop of Rome on 29 September 440.Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. (1839).  "Leo I," Penny cyclopaedia, p. 425.  In other words, he became pope."Pope St. Leo I (the Great)," Catholic Encyclopedia; retrieved 2013-3-11.

Leo is one of only two popes who are called "the Great".  The other "great" is the first pope named Gregory. "Pope St. Gregory (the Great)," Catholic Encyclopedia; retrieved 2013-3-13.

In 452, Leo I peacefully convinced Attila the Hun not to destroy and plunder Rome. This made him a legendary figure in Italy.

Leo also wrote many scholarly books. One of them, a "Tome" on the Nature of Christ, was read out to both the Roman Emperor and to the Patriarch of Constantinople. Afterwards, they followed Leo's recommendations, and officially accepted certain religious matters, and rejected others. These decisions had many political implications, in many areas of the Eastern Roman Empire, for centuries to come.

Related pages
 List of popes

References

Other websites


  Catholic Hierarchy, Popes in sequence

Category:Italian popes
Category:400s births
Category:461 deaths
Category:Catholicism-related controversies