Vincenzo Gioacchino Pecci,
the son of Count Ludovico Pecci, was born in Carpineto on 2nd March,
1810. At the age of eight he was sent to study at the Jesuit school
in Viterbo.
After taking a degree in
law he was appointed by Pope Gregory XVI as a domestic prelate in
1837. He was sent to Belgium
as nuncio in 1843 and three
years later became Archbishop of Perugia. In 1853 he was created a
cardinal by Pope Pius IX.
Pecci became Pope Leo XIII
in 1878. He held enlightened views and in 1883 opened the archives
of the Vatican for historical investigations.
Leo XIII was concerned
about the growing
support for Socialism in the world.
In 1891 he published
the encyclical On
the Condition of the Working Class. In this document he
called for far-reaching reforms to create a more just society and
to avoid the dangers of a violent revolution.
In
1894 Leo XIII instructed the clergy, monarchists and all Catholics
in France to accept the French Republic.
He also encouraged the French government to form an alliance with
Russia in order the counter the military
threat of Germany. Pope Leo XIII died on
20th July, 1903.
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