Library: Christianity by Credo Reference: Popes & Saints

Modern Popes

Pope Francis (1936 - ): Topic Page
1936–, pope (2013–), an Argentinian (b. Buenos Aires to Italian immigrants) named Jorge Mario Bergoglio; successor of Benedict XVI. Francis, the first non-European to assume the papacy in more than 1,200 years, is the first pope from the Americas and the first from the Society of Jesus.
Benedict XVI (1927 - ): Topic Page
Pope (2005–2013) and Roman Catholic theologian, a German (b. Marktl am Inn, Bavaria) named Josef (or Joseph) Alois Ratzinger; successor of John Paul II. He entered the seminary in 1939, but his training was interrupted by World War II.
John Paul II (1920 - 2005): Topic Page
Pope (1978–2005) A Pole (b. Wadowice) named Karol Józef Wojtyła; successor of John Paul I. He was the first non-Italian pope elected since the Dutch Adrian VI (1522–23) and the first Polish and Slavic pope.
Paul VI (1897 - 1978): Topic Page
Pope (1963–78), an Italian (b. Concesio, near Brescia) named Giovanni Battista Montini; successor of John XXIII.
Pius XII (1876 - 1958): Topic Page
Pope (1939–58), an Italian named Eugenio Pacelli, b. Rome; successor of Pius XI. Ordained a priest in 1899, he entered the Vatican's secretariat of state. He became (1912) undersecretary of state and, after becoming a bishop, was appointed (1917) nuncio to Bavaria.
Pius XI (1857 - 1939): Topic Page
Original name Achille Ratti. 1857-1939, Italian ecclesiastic; pope (1922-39). He signed the Lateran Treaty (1929), by which the Vatican City was recognized as an independent state. His encyclicals condemned Nazism and Communism.
Benedict XV (1854-1922)
From The Columbia Encyclopedia
1854-1922, pope (1914-22), an Italian (b. Genoa) named Giacomo della Chiesa; successor of Pius X. He was made archbishop of Bologna in 1907 and cardinal in 1914, two months before his election as pope. His policy in World War I was one of the strictest neutrality, and he had the respect of all belligerents.
Pius X (1835 - 1914): Topic Page
Pope (1903–14), an Italian named Giuseppe Sarto, b. near Treviso; successor of Leo XIII and predecessor of Benedict XV. Ordained in 1858, he became bishop of Mantua (1884), a cardinal (1893), and patriarch of Venice (1893).
Leo XIII (1878 - 1903)
From The Columbia Encyclopedia
pope (1878–1903), an Italian (b. Carpineto, E of Rome) named Gioacchino Pecci; successor of Pius IX. Ordained in 1837, he earned an excellent reputation as archbishop of Perugia (1846–77), and was created cardinal in 1853. Leo's election brought a turn in the course of the papacy.
Pius IX (1792 - 1878): Topic Page
Pope (1846-78). He refused to recognize the incorporation of Rome ... He decreed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception and convened the Vatican Council, which laid down the doctrine of papal infallibility.
Pius VII (1740 - 1823): Topic Page
Pope (1800–1823), an Italian named Barnaba Chiaramonti, b. Cesena; successor of Pius VI, who had created him cardinal in 1785. He conducted himself ably during the period of the French Revolution, showing sympathy for the social aims of the Revolution.

Notable Popes

Gregory XIII (1502 - 1585)
From The Columbia Encyclopedia
Pope (1572–85), an Italian named Ugo Buoncompagni, b. Bologna; successor of St. Pius V. He is best known for his work on the calendar, and the reformed calendar, the Gregorian, is named for him. He was prominent at the Council of Trent and in the work of reform thereafter.
Leo X (1475 - 1521)
From The Columbia Encyclopedia
Pope (1513–21), a Florentine named Giovanni de' Medici; successor of Julius II. He was the son of Lorenzo de' Medici, was made a cardinal in his boyhood, and was head of his family before he was 30 (see Medici).
Julius II (1443 - 1513): Topic Page
Original name Guiliano della Rovere. 1443-1513, pope (1503-13). He completed the restoration of the Papal States to the Church, began the building of St Peter's, Rome (1506), and patronized Michelangelo, Raphael, and Bramante.
Sixtus IV (1414 - 1484): Topic Page
Original name Francesco della Rovere. 1414-84, Italian ecclesiastic; pope (1471-84). Notorious for his nepotism and political intrigue, he was also a patron of the arts and commissioned the building (1473-81) of the Sistine Chapel.
Clement V (1260 - 1314)
From The Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Pope (1305-14), the first to reside at Avignon, France. He became archbishop of Bordeaux in 1299 and was elected pope six years later. By creating a majority of French cardinals, he ensured the election of a line of French popes. He moved the seat of the papacy to Avignon.

Saints & Martyrs

St. Andrew: Topic Page
One of the first disciples of Jesus and the brother of Simon Peter, Andrew appears in all the lists of the apostles.
St. Anthony of Padua (1195 - 1231)
From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Franciscan friar, Doctor of the Church, and patron saint of Portugal. He joined the Augustinian order in 1210 and was probably ordained a priest.
St. Augustine of Hippo (354 - 430): Topic Page
Augustine was born and died in North Africa, then part of the Roman Empire. He taught philosophy in Rome and Milan where he converted to Christianity in 387. He returned to North Africa to spearhead the assault on the Manichean religion and the Donatist and Pelagian heresies. He was consecrated bishop of Hippo in 395.
St. Francis of Assisi (1882 - 1226)
From The Columbia Encyclopedia
1182–1226, founder of the Franciscans, one of the greatest Christian saints, b. Assisi, Umbria, Italy. His baptismal name was Giovanni (John), his father's name was Pietro de Bernardone; from his birth Giovanni di Bernardone was called Francesco, because his father was a frequent traveler in France and admired much that he saw there.
St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491 - 1556): Topic Page
1491–1556, Spanish churchman, founder of the Jesuits (see Jesus, Society of), b. Loyola Castle near Azpeitia, Guipúzcoa, Spain.
St. Joan of Arc (1412 -1431): Topic Page
Fr. Jeanne D'Arc (zhän därk), 1412?–31, French saint and national heroine, called the Maid of Orléans; daughter of a farmer of Domrémy on the border of Champagne and Lorraine. MORE
St. Patrick (385 - 461)
From The Columbia Encyclopedia
C.385–461, Christian missionary, the Apostle of Ireland, b. Bannavem Taberniae (an unknown place in Britain, possibly near the Severn or in Pembroke). He was one of the most successful missionaries in history.
St. Peter
From The Columbia Encyclopedia
Most prominent of the Twelve Apostles, listed first in the Gospels, and traditionally the first bishop of Rome. His original name was Simon, but Jesus gave him the nickname Cephas, which was translated into Greek as Petros.
St. Rose of Lima (1586 - 1617)
From Chambers Biographical Dictionary
Born in Lima and known as Rosa from an early age, she lived a life of self-imposed austerity from girlhood, refusing the attentions of young men attracted by her beauty (which she tried to destroy by defacing her smooth skin) and working hard to alleviate her parents' financial hardship.
St. Theresa of Avila (1515 - 1582)
From The Columbia Encyclopedia
Spanish Carmelite nun, Doctor of the Church, one of the principal saints of the Roman Catholic Church, one of the greatest mystics, and a leading figure in the Counter Reformation.
St. Theresa of Lisieux
From The Columbia Encyclopedia
French Carmelite nun, one of the most widely loved saints of the Roman Catholic Church, b. Alençon. Her original name was Thérèse Martin, and her name in religion was Theresa of the Child Jesus; she is known as the Little Flower of Jesus.
St. Thomas Aquinas (1225 - 1274): Topic Page
Italian theologian, scholastic philosopher, and Dominican friar, whose works include Summa contra Gentiles (1259-64) and Summa Theologiae (1267-73), the first attempt at a comprehensive theological system.
St. Thomas More (1478 - 1535): Topic Page
(Saint Thomas More), 1478–1535, English statesman and author of Utopia, celebrated as a martyr in the Roman Catholic Church. He received a Latin education in the household of Cardinal Morton and at Oxford.