Who were the thirteen previous Pope Leo’s?

Three previous Pope Leo’s served for more than twenty years — Leo I, the Great, Leo III, and Leo XIII. Five of them served for less than three years, of which two were less than a month. (Leo V and Leo XI). There was a Pope Leo when the Vandals and the Huns were ravaging Rome, when Charlemagne was emperor, when the Saracens had just finished sacking Rome, when the Schism of East and West took place in 1054, when Martin Luther put out his 95 Theses, and just after the Italians took the Papal States. Four of these popes are canonized saints (Leo I, II, III, and IX). Some of them did amazing work before becoming pope. Leo XII would be thought of entirely differently if he had remained Monsignor Della Genga. I think it’s great that the new pope has chosen this name. It’s both hopeful and a warning against complacency.

Saint Leo I aka Leo the Great 440 to 461 A.D. 21 years
–According to the Catholic Encyclopedia (accessed through New Advent) Leo met with Attila the Hun after he ravaged northern Italy, and persuaded Attila not to treat Rome in the same way. Leo also met with the Vandal ruler, Genseric, who agreed to merely pillage Rome instead of putting the inhabitants to the sword and burning the city. The Council of Chalcedon was held during his papacy. He did not attend in person, but sent representatives and wrote documents that made the one person, two natures of Jesus Christ clear. He also restored buildings, wrote sermons, and upheld Church discipline and the primacy of Rome. https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09154b.htm

Pope Saint Leo II 682-683 A.D. 2 1/2 years
This guy was elected pope in January of 681, but not consecrated until August of 682. The CE article suggests that this was because of discussions between the Byzantine emperor and Rome as to how much money the pope had to pay the imperial treasury when he was consecrated. This had been the custom for about a hundred years and Pope Leo’s predecessor had been working to get rid of it. Biographers of Pope Leo II called him “both just and learned.” https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09157a.htm

Pope Saint Leo III 795-816 A.D. 21 years
Leo III is notable for crowning Charlemagne emperor on Christmas Day 800 and reviving the empire of the west — sort of. A part of this story I never heard before — someone attacked the pope in 799 and endeavored to rip out his eyes and tongue. He fled to Charlemagne for help. Charlemagne did help him, both with an army and with money that was used to help both the churches and the poor in Rome. https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09157b.htm

Pope Saint Leo IV 847-855 A.D. 7 years
This pope fortified Rome against raids by the Saracens. They had visited in Rome in 846 and done tremendous damage to Saint Peter’s. Pope Leo IV had to spend time rebuilding the city. He is also said to have adopted King Alfred the Great of England, as a child, and is said to have been a miracle worker. https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09159a.htm

Pope Leo V 903 A.D. 27 days?
Nothing is known about his election to the papacy. He was taken prisoner by Christopher, the cardinal-priest of Saint Damasus and thrown in prison, when he had been in office for a month. He was dead very shortly thereafter, though how he died is unknown. His jailer took over the papal throne and was then removed by Sergius, third pope of that name. Absolutely lurid stories were told about these events. https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09159b.htm

Pope Leo VI 928 A.D. 7 months?
This pope lasted perhaps seven months, or perhaps more. If more, not by much. He confirmed his predecessor’s decisions about the province of Dalmatia and he is associated with the Church of Saint Susanna as its Cardinal Priest before he became pope. We are sure he existed because there’s a papal bull with his name on it. https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09159c.htm

Pope Leo VII 936-939 A.D. 3 years
Originally a Benedictine monk Pope Leo VII tried to bring peace to warring factions and received help from the Abbot of Cluny, just beginning its amazing dominance of monasteries in medieval times. https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09160a.htm

Pope Leo VIII ?? – 965 A.D.
Pope John XII is described as unworthy to be pope but still illegally deposed in favor of Pope Leo VIII. The matter went back and forth and then included Pope Benedict V. Neither Pope John nor Pope Leo was even a cleric at the time of their respective elections. The Emperor Otho and the Romans battled for control of the papacy and these guys were the pawns. https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09160b.htm

Pope Saint Leo IX 1049 – 1054 A.D. 5 years
Born into noble family and given the name Bruno, he was consecrated as bishop of the diocese of Toul. It’s on the border of Germany and France. Bruno spent twenty years there working hard in that diocese and developing a reputation for great holiness. He was chosen to be Pope by the German Emperor Henry III. He refused the honor unless the Romans also elected him, which they did, because actually, they had asked the emperor for him. Leo IX is listed as one of the first popes to try to reform the church, the papacy, and the relationship with the emperor. His reforms were continued by Pope Saint Gregory VII, who I mention because the writer of the article on Leo clearly wished he was writing about Gregory. It was during Pope Saint Leo IX’s reign also that the split between Rome and the East was completed. Though he was only pope for five years he traveled widely enough to gain the title Peregrinus Apostolicus. https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09160c.htm

Leo X 1513-1521 A.D. 8 years
This man, one of Lorenzo de Medici’s sons, was made a cardinal at the age of 13. He became Pope at 38 and spent every cent that the previous pope had saved mostly in riotous living. He did spend some on artists, particularly Rafael, and to do him justice spent some money on the poor. Martin Luther put forth his 95 Theses while Leo was pope, but Leo was incapable of understanding the destruction he was bringing. The encyclopedia says, The only possible verdict on the pontificate of Leo X is that it was unfortunate for the Church. Putting it mildly… https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09162a.htm

Leo XI 1605 A.D. 27 days
In a tortured sentence in the Catholic Encyclopedia it becomes clear that this guy was a Medici. His grandmother was the sister of Pope Leo X. In spite of this he had a reputation for holiness and hard work. He was a friend of Saint Philip Neri, who predicted his papal election. And he died almost immediately. https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09166a.htm

Leo XII 1823-1829 A.D. 6 years
Before he was pope he was known as Monsignor Della Genga. He had an interesting career, drawing attention by his general competence. He survived Napoleon and the many disturbances of that era though his health was wrecked. Then he was voted in as pope and it was not a good thing.

The Encyclopedia says, “There is something pathetic in the contrast between the intelligence and masterly energy displayed by him as ruler of the Church and the inefficiency of his policy as ruler of the Papal States. In face of the new social and political order, he undertook the defence of ancient custom and accepted institutions; he had little insight into the hopes and visions of those who were then pioneers of the greater liberty that had become inevitable.”

It goes on.

“He had a noble character, a passion for order and efficiency, but he lacked insight into, and sympathy with, the temporal developments of his period…. by various measures of his reign he diminished greatly for his successors their chances of solving the new problems that confronted them.” https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09167a.htm

Leo XIII 1878- 1903 A.D. 26 years
It’s impossible to summarize this guy. He needs a thick book. When the article in the Catholic Encyclopedia was written, Leo XIII was fresh in people’s minds, and World War I hadn’t happened. The article details his hard work in many, many different directions and mentions “Rerum Novarum,” his encyclical about social justice. Here’s a link to the encyclical. https://www.newadvent.org/library/docs_le13rn.htm One thing to note is that he spent more than thirty years in Perugia as the archbishop, working to lift up those people in their faith. It’s an amazing story and the moral seems to be that years of hard work in one smaller place is good preparation for the larger opportunity. https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09169a.htm

Leo XIV 2025 — A.D. God bless the new pope!