A Papl History of Benedict
Source: The Popes, by Claudio Rendina. Seven Locks Press, 2002; Order of St. Benedict as seen on wsj.com
When Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger chose the papal name Benedict, replacing his Christian name in the customary practice of those chosen to be popes, he became the 16th in a line of Benedicts.
All took their name in admiration of St. Benedict, founder of the ascetic Benedictine order of monks, who was born in about 480 and lived first as a monk and then as a hermit. He and his twin sister, Scholastica, died around the year 547. He was the author of the Rule of Benedict, seen as a basic guide to Christian monasticism.
A brief look at his predecessors:
Benedict I – 575-579. This pope was actually probably only the third pope to assume a name other than his given name. Very little is known of Benedict I, who dealt with barbarian sieges of Rome and a long-running famine during his reign.
Benedict II – 684-685. A Roman, like his namesake, Benedict II took the chair of St. Peter 11 months after the death of his immediate predecessor, thanks to delays in receiving imperial approval.
Benedict III – 855-858. Benedict III, also a Roman, encountered imperial opposition to his appointment as pope and at one point was pulled bodily from the throne and imprisoned by the emperor's favorite. After several days of uproar in Rome, he was reinstalled. The rest of his papacy was peaceful, thanks to the emperor's loss of influence after the dust-up.
Benedict IV – 900-903. The fourth Benedict largely pursued the policies of his predecessor and spent time negotiating with ethnic groups in the south and north of Italy. He was described by a chronicler as "a mild man clearly of a priestly nature."
Benedict V – 964-965. Benedict V was exceptionally well educated for the time, earning himself the nickname "Grammaticus." As with Benedict III, the Romans encountered imperial opposition to their choice; the emperor at the time, Otto, besieged the city for more than a month and the city eventually submitted. Benedict sought exile in Germany.
Benedict VI – 973-974. The candidate of the imperial faction, Benedict VI faced Roman opposition, but Otto, who was still emperor, kept them in line until his death in mid-973, at which point they revolted. Benedict was imprisoned in Castel Sant'Angelo and was strangled sometime in July 974. Some chronicles say he was killed by his own successor, the anti-pope Boniface VII.
Benedict VII – 974-983. The first order of duty for Benedict VII was to condemn Boniface VII, and after that the new pope led a relatively peaceful pontificate.
Benedict VIII – 1012-1024. Benedict VIII's election came amid controversy; an armed conflict broke out after his supporters challenged the backers of a Roman named Gregory. Benedict VIII emerged victorious, thanks to a deal to make the king, Henry, into an emperor, and the two set out on a plan to improve the lives and practices of the clergy. No real progress was made.
Benedict IX – 1032-1044. A member of a rich Roman family, Benedict IX is largely seen as having bought his pontificate. He was very young – some chroniclers have said as young as 12 – and inexperienced. He was unseated in 1044, reinstalled in 1045, removed later the same year, reinstalled in 1047 and removed in 1048, amid imperial and Roman machinations, becoming the only person known to have been elected pope three different times.
Benedict X – an antipope
Benedict XI – 1303-1304. The mild-mannered Nicholas Boccassini was elected amid unrest in Rome among members of various factions, and he immediately plunged into sorting out the disputes, as well as one his predecessor had had with France. He lost that argument and is believed to have been poisoned less than eight months after his installation.
Benedict XII – 1334-1342. The first Benedict of the Avignon papacy, Benedict XII was previously known as Jacques Fournier, a French cardinal. Like the new pope Benedict XVI, he was known as a serious theologian and sought to rid the papacy of fiscal abuses. He attempted but was unable to return the pontificate to Rome.
Benedict XIII – 1724-1730. Pier Francisco Orsini was a member of a Roman family of nobles and the Dominican order of priests before being named pope. (Cardinal Ratzinger also is a Dominican.) He assumed the name, Benedict, and number, 13, claimed by a previous pope later determined to have been an antipope.
Benedict XIV – 1740-1758. After a six-month conclave, Cardinal Prospero Lambertini tried to lighten the atmosphere by declaring, "You want a holy man? Elect Gotti. You want a politician? Elect Aldobrandini. You want a good man? Elect me," and was elected, reportedly unanimously. A colorful character and native of Bologna, he once vowed to sanctify a particular four-letter word that he couldn't drive out of his own vocabulary. Like Benedict XIII, he also assumed the name and number of an intervening antipope.
Benedict XV – 1914-1920. Giacomo Della Chiesa, a Roman noble of Genoa, was elected in a lightning-fast conclave decision, hastened by the pressures of the world war. Preferring simplicity, he had his installation ceremony in the Sistine Chapel rather than in St. Peter's. In 1917, he declared the Vatican neutral in the war, earning criticism from members of the Allied Powers.
When Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger chose the papal name Benedict, replacing his Christian name in the customary practice of those chosen to be popes, he became the 16th in a line of Benedicts.
All took their name in admiration of St. Benedict, founder of the ascetic Benedictine order of monks, who was born in about 480 and lived first as a monk and then as a hermit. He and his twin sister, Scholastica, died around the year 547. He was the author of the Rule of Benedict, seen as a basic guide to Christian monasticism.
A brief look at his predecessors:
Benedict I – 575-579. This pope was actually probably only the third pope to assume a name other than his given name. Very little is known of Benedict I, who dealt with barbarian sieges of Rome and a long-running famine during his reign.
Benedict II – 684-685. A Roman, like his namesake, Benedict II took the chair of St. Peter 11 months after the death of his immediate predecessor, thanks to delays in receiving imperial approval.
Benedict III – 855-858. Benedict III, also a Roman, encountered imperial opposition to his appointment as pope and at one point was pulled bodily from the throne and imprisoned by the emperor's favorite. After several days of uproar in Rome, he was reinstalled. The rest of his papacy was peaceful, thanks to the emperor's loss of influence after the dust-up.
Benedict IV – 900-903. The fourth Benedict largely pursued the policies of his predecessor and spent time negotiating with ethnic groups in the south and north of Italy. He was described by a chronicler as "a mild man clearly of a priestly nature."
Benedict V – 964-965. Benedict V was exceptionally well educated for the time, earning himself the nickname "Grammaticus." As with Benedict III, the Romans encountered imperial opposition to their choice; the emperor at the time, Otto, besieged the city for more than a month and the city eventually submitted. Benedict sought exile in Germany.
Benedict VI – 973-974. The candidate of the imperial faction, Benedict VI faced Roman opposition, but Otto, who was still emperor, kept them in line until his death in mid-973, at which point they revolted. Benedict was imprisoned in Castel Sant'Angelo and was strangled sometime in July 974. Some chronicles say he was killed by his own successor, the anti-pope Boniface VII.
Benedict VII – 974-983. The first order of duty for Benedict VII was to condemn Boniface VII, and after that the new pope led a relatively peaceful pontificate.
Benedict VIII – 1012-1024. Benedict VIII's election came amid controversy; an armed conflict broke out after his supporters challenged the backers of a Roman named Gregory. Benedict VIII emerged victorious, thanks to a deal to make the king, Henry, into an emperor, and the two set out on a plan to improve the lives and practices of the clergy. No real progress was made.
Benedict IX – 1032-1044. A member of a rich Roman family, Benedict IX is largely seen as having bought his pontificate. He was very young – some chroniclers have said as young as 12 – and inexperienced. He was unseated in 1044, reinstalled in 1045, removed later the same year, reinstalled in 1047 and removed in 1048, amid imperial and Roman machinations, becoming the only person known to have been elected pope three different times.
Benedict X – an antipope
Benedict XI – 1303-1304. The mild-mannered Nicholas Boccassini was elected amid unrest in Rome among members of various factions, and he immediately plunged into sorting out the disputes, as well as one his predecessor had had with France. He lost that argument and is believed to have been poisoned less than eight months after his installation.
Benedict XII – 1334-1342. The first Benedict of the Avignon papacy, Benedict XII was previously known as Jacques Fournier, a French cardinal. Like the new pope Benedict XVI, he was known as a serious theologian and sought to rid the papacy of fiscal abuses. He attempted but was unable to return the pontificate to Rome.
Benedict XIII – 1724-1730. Pier Francisco Orsini was a member of a Roman family of nobles and the Dominican order of priests before being named pope. (Cardinal Ratzinger also is a Dominican.) He assumed the name, Benedict, and number, 13, claimed by a previous pope later determined to have been an antipope.
Benedict XIV – 1740-1758. After a six-month conclave, Cardinal Prospero Lambertini tried to lighten the atmosphere by declaring, "You want a holy man? Elect Gotti. You want a politician? Elect Aldobrandini. You want a good man? Elect me," and was elected, reportedly unanimously. A colorful character and native of Bologna, he once vowed to sanctify a particular four-letter word that he couldn't drive out of his own vocabulary. Like Benedict XIII, he also assumed the name and number of an intervening antipope.
Benedict XV – 1914-1920. Giacomo Della Chiesa, a Roman noble of Genoa, was elected in a lightning-fast conclave decision, hastened by the pressures of the world war. Preferring simplicity, he had his installation ceremony in the Sistine Chapel rather than in St. Peter's. In 1917, he declared the Vatican neutral in the war, earning criticism from members of the Allied Powers.
posted by scott at 4/19/2005
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