Every August 12, Blessed Innocent
Benedetto Giulio Odescalchi – name of the pile of Pope Innocent– was born on May 16, 1611 in the city of Como, northern Italy. He carried out his first studies with the Jesuits, in his hometown. Subsequently, he continued his training at the Sapienza University of Rome and at the University of Naples, where he received a doctorate in civil law and canon law (1639).
Receive the main news from ACI Prensa by WhatsApp and Telegram
It is increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. Subscribe to our free channels today:
Little or nothing is known about his priestly ordination and incorporation into the clergy, but by 1645, he had already been appointed cardinal deacon of the basilica of Saint Cosmas and Damian by Pope Innocent X (1644-1655).
Choice
On September 21, 1676, after fifty days of conclave, Odescalchi was elected Pope. The process was arduous due to the fierce opposition of the King of France to his nomination. Louis XIV wanted to increase his influence in Europe and knew that Cardinal Odescalchi would not allow it.
Although in the end the king gave up his initial intentions and ended up supporting Odescalchi’s appointment, new conflicts would soon arise between him and the newly elected pontiff.
The Pope, counterweight to temporal power
It wasn’t long before Louis XIV of France, the “Sun King,” as he called himself, returned to the fray. The monarch was determined to extend French political dominance on the continent and it seemed decisive to weaken papal power. For this reason, Innocent’s entire pontificate was characterized by tensions with Louis XIV.
Among the maneuvers carried out by Louis XIV was the call to the French clergy to form an assembly with the purpose of forcing the Pope to submit to state power. Pope Innocent XI opposed the constitution of said assembly and threatened to excommunicate all French clergy if they surrendered to the monarch’s demands. In the end the excommunication became effective, but only for French episcopal candidates who submitted to the king.
A French schism?
What happened created a tremendously tense scenario, to the point of fearing a schism. Certainly, Louis XIV’s animosity towards Innocent and wisdom -, contributed to the strengthening of the Church, which maintained its unity and demonstrated, once again, that he was the necessary counterweight to the abuses or excesses of French political power.
This episode earned Pope Innocent the fame of a man of peace, a magnificent strategist and a great diplomat, in the characteristic context of 17th century Europe.
Behind a great person is God
Even so, those human traits of the blessed are not, by far, the most worth highlighting. None of the good performance of Innocent XI would have been possible without his dedication to the service of the mystical body of Christ. Pope Odescalchi was fundamentally an ascetic, a kind and very generous man with the poorest. He renounced the opulence that surrounded the papacy and fought against the nepotism of the clergy – a work that was continued by Innocent XII, his successor.
The Pope also reformed the administration of the Curia and organized the Vatican’s finances: the Odescalchi were a family of bankers and that is why Benedetto knew a lot about these tasks.
His teaching was aimed at promoting love for the Eucharist among the faithful, enriching moral theology, and knowledge of moral systems and perspectives, as an attempt to clarify many of the controversies of his time. He placed particular interest in strengthening the doctrine around the sacrament of reconciliation, and the secrecy and discretion that should characterize confessors.
The blessed who left his place to Saint John Paul II
After a long illness, Innocent XI died on August 12, 1689, in the Quirinal Palace. Mourned by the Roman people who loved and respected him, he was buried in Saint Peter’s Basilica, in the chapel of Saint Sebastian. His remains remained there until 2011, when they were transferred to another mausoleum within the basilica. The ecclesiastical authorities decided at that time that his burial place be occupied by the mausoleum of another great Pontiff: Pope Saint John Paul II.
Innocent XI was beatified by the Venerable Pope Pius XII on October 7, 1956.
…
If you want to know more about Blessed Pope Innocent XI, you can consult this article from the Catholic Encyclopedia: https://ec.aciprensa.com/wiki/Papa_Beato_Inocencio_XI.
More information:
Central Editorial
The Catholic Information Agency – ACI Prensa, is part of the news agencies of the ACI Group, one of the largest generators of Catholic news content in five languages and which has belonged since June 2014 to the EWTN Global Catholic Network family, the largest Catholic television network in the world, founded in 1981 by Mother Angelica in Irondale, Alabama (United States), and which reaches more than 85 million homes in 110 countries and 16 territories.