Pope Innocent XI

Innocent XI. ( Born May 19, 1611 Como; † August 12, 1689 in Rome), real name Benedetto Odescalchi, was Pope from 1676 to 1689 the Catholic Church. He is revered as Seliger.

Life

Innocent XI. came from a wealthy merchant family and was educated by the Jesuits at Como. In 1637 he began the study of law and theology in Rome; later he joined the study to Naples.

Pope Urban VIII appointed him Apostolic Pronotar. On May 6, 1645 (hence the name Pope ), Pope Innocent X. him to cardinal deacon and gave him the titular church of Santi Cosma e Damiano. Three years later, in 1648, the pope sent him as legate to Ferrara. In 1650 Benedetto Odescalchi was appointed bishop of Novara. His ascetic lifestyle and especially his charity and care earned him the epithet Father of the Poor.

Pope

On September 21, 1676 he was elected as the new Pope; in the conclave of 1669/1670 his election was thwarted by the opposition of France.

First, he decreed the Papal States rigorous austerity measures, which very soon finances, burdened by the expenses of his predecessors, highly indebted Curia brought back in order. On the promotion of the arts Innocent XI was. uninterested; the visual arts felt the austere and ascetic Pope even offensive. He hated any kind of nepotism and simony, so he fought them often to be found arbitrary allocation of an ecclesiastical office, where he could. To the Cardinal Secretary of State, he made Alderano Cibo, the simony but not as Innocent XI. principle refused.

Turkish wars

Also was Innocent XI. a fighter for the keeping clean of Catholic faith. The main problems with which he had to deal in his pontificate, was the defense of the Turks in Europe as well as the ratio of the Papal States to France. He tried throughout his pontificate, to win the Christian princes of Europe for a Holy League in the fight against the Turks. On March 31, 1683, he managed to persuade the Polish King Jan Sobieski and the Emperor Leopold I to a defensive alliance. Innocent XI. supported the Alliance and the fight against the Turks with 1.5 million guilders. To succeed on September 12, 1683 liberation of Vienna from the siege by the Turks. The Turkish army was defeated and pushed back far into Hungary. Its use in the defense against the Turks brought him later by historians the epithet defender of the Christian West a. To celebrate this victory, he introduced the feast day of Mary names for the world church.

Relations with France

The dispute with France was kindled in the question of the regalia law. The King of France claimed the right to manage the time the period of vacancy of each French diocese of the benefice and the episcopal revenues. In three papal briefs Innocent XI called. the French king Louis XIV to withdraw this edict. But Louis XIV defied his demands. In February 1683 he convened a general assembly of the French clergy even that approved his regalia law. Innocent XI. refused then to the Episcopal candidates appointed by Louis XIV recognition, and 35 bishoprics were orphaned in France. Louis XIV canceled in October 1685, the Edict of Nantes. The revocation of the Edict meant that any Calvinist religion in the whole of France was illegal. The ensuing brutal action of Louis XIV against the Huguenots came Innocent XI. more from Louis XIV. With the renewal of the Archdiocese of Cologne confirmed Innocent XI. Therefore Joseph Clemens of Bavaria and not Louis XIV preferred candidate William Egon of Fürstenberg. The dispute between Innocent XI. and Louis XIV in 1689 reached its climax. Innocent XI. summoned from the papal nuncio in Paris. Louis XIV threatened with the invasion of the Papal States, and Innocent XI. threatened with excommunication of the French king. Tensions persisted until his death in the same year.

Today

Innocent XI. is now regarded by many historians as an exemplary form of the papacy, which always distinguished himself as one of the most important and most worthy Popes of his time by his ascetic appearance, his moral way of life, his conscience and his strength in faith.

On October 7, 1956 Innocent XI. of Pius XII. beatified. This was the penultimate beatification of a pope before John Paul II on September 3, 2000 at the same time, the initiators of the two Vatican Councils, namely Pius IX. and John XXIII. recorded in the list of the blessed. John Paul II himself was on 1 May 2011 by Benedict XVI. beatified and reburied in the Sebastian chapel of St. Peter. The coffin of Pope Innocent XI. was transferred shortly before the beatification in St. Peter's Church in the left aisle under the altar of the Transfiguration.