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The Great Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII, 1878-1903: Or a Light in the Heavens
The great Encyclical letters of Pope Leo X111. Every adult Catholic should read and one that be-longs in every Catholic home fo rthe profound en-lightement of future generations of Catholic people!
580 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1995
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About the author
Pope Leo XIII
293 books65 followersPope Leo XIII (Italian: Leone XIII), born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, reigned as Pope from 20 February 1878 to his death in 1903. He was the oldest pope (reigning until the age of 93), and had the third longest pontificate, behind that of Pope Pius IX (his immediate predecessor) and John Paul II. He was the most recent pontiff to date to take the pontifical name of "Leo" upon being elected to the pontificate until 2025.
He is well known for his intellectualism, the development of social teachings with his famous papal encyclical [Book: Rerum novarum] and his attempts to define the position of the Catholic Church with regard to modern thinking. He influenced Roman Catholic Mariology and promoted both the rosary and the scapular.
Leo XIII issued a record of eleven Papal encyclicals on the rosary earning him the title as the "Rosary Pope". In addition, he approved two new Marian scapulars and was the first pope to fully embrace the concept of Mary as Mediatrix. He was the first pope to never have held any control over the Papal States, after they were dissolved by 1870. He was briefly buried in the grottos of Saint Peter's Basilica before his remains were later transferred to the Basilica of Saint John Lateran.
He is well known for his intellectualism, the development of social teachings with his famous papal encyclical [Book: Rerum novarum] and his attempts to define the position of the Catholic Church with regard to modern thinking. He influenced Roman Catholic Mariology and promoted both the rosary and the scapular.
Leo XIII issued a record of eleven Papal encyclicals on the rosary earning him the title as the "Rosary Pope". In addition, he approved two new Marian scapulars and was the first pope to fully embrace the concept of Mary as Mediatrix. He was the first pope to never have held any control over the Papal States, after they were dissolved by 1870. He was briefly buried in the grottos of Saint Peter's Basilica before his remains were later transferred to the Basilica of Saint John Lateran.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 10, 2025
May 5, 2025: He has been one of my favorite popes for YEARS and I was reminded of it recently when I watched the movie on Mother Cabrini. Now with our new Holy Father taking this name, I am drawn to pull out my book and peruse these again.
‘... not by bodily motion or effort do we make advance toward God, but through acts of the soul, that is, through knowledge and love. For, indeed, God is the first and supreme truth, and the mind alone feeds on truth. God is perfect holiness and the sovereign good, to which only the will can desire and attain, when virtue is its guide.’
‘... when Christian institutions and morality decline, the main foundation of human society goes together with them. Force alone will remain to preserve public tranquility and order. But force is very feeble when the bulwark of religion has been removed, and being more apt to beget slavery than obedience, it bears within itself the germs of ever-increasing troubles.’
‘The present century has encountered memorable disasters, and it is not certain that some equally terrible are not impending. The very times in which we live are warning us to seek remedies there where alone they are to be found-namely, by re-establishing in the family circle and throughout the whole range of society the doctrines and practices of the Christian religion. In this lies the sole means of freeing us from the ills now weighing us down, of forestalling the dangers now threatening the world.’
written in 1890 from Sapientiae Christianae by His Holiness Pope Leo XIII
‘... not by bodily motion or effort do we make advance toward God, but through acts of the soul, that is, through knowledge and love. For, indeed, God is the first and supreme truth, and the mind alone feeds on truth. God is perfect holiness and the sovereign good, to which only the will can desire and attain, when virtue is its guide.’
‘... when Christian institutions and morality decline, the main foundation of human society goes together with them. Force alone will remain to preserve public tranquility and order. But force is very feeble when the bulwark of religion has been removed, and being more apt to beget slavery than obedience, it bears within itself the germs of ever-increasing troubles.’
‘The present century has encountered memorable disasters, and it is not certain that some equally terrible are not impending. The very times in which we live are warning us to seek remedies there where alone they are to be found-namely, by re-establishing in the family circle and throughout the whole range of society the doctrines and practices of the Christian religion. In this lies the sole means of freeing us from the ills now weighing us down, of forestalling the dangers now threatening the world.’
written in 1890 from Sapientiae Christianae by His Holiness Pope Leo XIII
January 11, 2012
The writings of a holy genius. A lifetimes could be spent reading, re-reading, and contemplating.
September 10, 2025
"Our lot has been cast in an age that is bitterly hostile to justice and truth." - Pope Leo XIII, Mirae Caritatis, 1902
"God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him." - Friedrich Nietzsche, The Gay Science, 1882
On May 8, 2025, the College of Cardinals elected Robert Francis Prevost as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Prevost decided to be called Leo XIV, in homage to Leo XIII, who served as Pope from 1878 to 1903. According to the Detroit Catholic, Leo XIV recognized "the need to renew Catholic social teaching to face today's new industrial revolution and the developments of artificial intelligence 'that pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice and labor.'"
Leo XIII served as pope during a time of enormous political, economic, and cultural change. For decades, Europe had been convulsing politically as the consequences of the industrial revolution bore out across the continent. The popularity of socialism in general, and Marxian communism in particular, had arisen among elites and masses alike as they sought to understand the tumultuous changes surrounding them. Meanwhile, during this time culturally Europe had fallen so far from its Christian roots that it had effectively become a secular society with a semi-religious sheen. It was within this environment that Leo XIII wrote his encyclicals.
While Leo XIII is known for Rerum Novarum, which he wrote in 1891 as the foundation of his social teachings, he was unafraid to confront the many evils that European society was facing. If there was an underlying theme among many of his encyclicals, it was that European society had become viscous because it had become unmoored from its Christian roots. Leo saw the Church's role as helping and instructing people to reattach their lives to Christ.
One way Leo sought to help people was to highlight to Catholic bishops and priests the importance of Christian philosophy. In Aeterni Patris (1879), Leo discussed how "pagan" philosophy (such as that provided by Plato and Aristotle), the Church Fathers, and scholastic philosophy (as demonstrated by Thomas Aquinas) help provide the foundations for a philosophy that is ultimately grounded in Christ.
In Rerum Novarum, Leo discussed how "labor" and "capital" need each other in a mutually beneficial way. Contrary to socialist teaching, private property "is in accordance with the laws of nature." Similar to defrauding any one of wages that are his due is a great crime which cries to the avenging anger of Heaven (James 5:4), divine law forbids us "in severest terms even to covet that which is another's."
"[T]he consequences of sin are bitter and hard to bear, and they must accompany man so long as life lasts. To suffer and to endure, therefore, is the lot of humanity; let them strive as they may, no strength and no artifice will ever succeed in banishing from human life the ills and troubles which beset it. If any there are who pretend differently - who hold out to a hard-pressed people the boon of freedom from pain and trouble, an undisturbed repose, and constant enjoyment - they delude the people and impose upon them, and their lying promises will only one day bring forth evils worse than the present."
With these insights, it is no wonder Leo XIII penned the Prayer to St Michael the Archangel. Regardless of the reason behind it, Leo sensed that the world was dealing with powers far beyond mere human desires.
The fact that Cardinal Prevost selected Leo as his papal name is an auspicious sign. Leo XIII's encyclicals reveal a committed Christian disciple with a keen intellect. If these letters inform Leo XIV's pontificate to any significant degree, the Church will benefit greatly from it.
"God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him." - Friedrich Nietzsche, The Gay Science, 1882
On May 8, 2025, the College of Cardinals elected Robert Francis Prevost as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Prevost decided to be called Leo XIV, in homage to Leo XIII, who served as Pope from 1878 to 1903. According to the Detroit Catholic, Leo XIV recognized "the need to renew Catholic social teaching to face today's new industrial revolution and the developments of artificial intelligence 'that pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice and labor.'"
Leo XIII served as pope during a time of enormous political, economic, and cultural change. For decades, Europe had been convulsing politically as the consequences of the industrial revolution bore out across the continent. The popularity of socialism in general, and Marxian communism in particular, had arisen among elites and masses alike as they sought to understand the tumultuous changes surrounding them. Meanwhile, during this time culturally Europe had fallen so far from its Christian roots that it had effectively become a secular society with a semi-religious sheen. It was within this environment that Leo XIII wrote his encyclicals.
While Leo XIII is known for Rerum Novarum, which he wrote in 1891 as the foundation of his social teachings, he was unafraid to confront the many evils that European society was facing. If there was an underlying theme among many of his encyclicals, it was that European society had become viscous because it had become unmoored from its Christian roots. Leo saw the Church's role as helping and instructing people to reattach their lives to Christ.
One way Leo sought to help people was to highlight to Catholic bishops and priests the importance of Christian philosophy. In Aeterni Patris (1879), Leo discussed how "pagan" philosophy (such as that provided by Plato and Aristotle), the Church Fathers, and scholastic philosophy (as demonstrated by Thomas Aquinas) help provide the foundations for a philosophy that is ultimately grounded in Christ.
In Rerum Novarum, Leo discussed how "labor" and "capital" need each other in a mutually beneficial way. Contrary to socialist teaching, private property "is in accordance with the laws of nature." Similar to defrauding any one of wages that are his due is a great crime which cries to the avenging anger of Heaven (James 5:4), divine law forbids us "in severest terms even to covet that which is another's."
"[T]he consequences of sin are bitter and hard to bear, and they must accompany man so long as life lasts. To suffer and to endure, therefore, is the lot of humanity; let them strive as they may, no strength and no artifice will ever succeed in banishing from human life the ills and troubles which beset it. If any there are who pretend differently - who hold out to a hard-pressed people the boon of freedom from pain and trouble, an undisturbed repose, and constant enjoyment - they delude the people and impose upon them, and their lying promises will only one day bring forth evils worse than the present."
With these insights, it is no wonder Leo XIII penned the Prayer to St Michael the Archangel. Regardless of the reason behind it, Leo sensed that the world was dealing with powers far beyond mere human desires.
The fact that Cardinal Prevost selected Leo as his papal name is an auspicious sign. Leo XIII's encyclicals reveal a committed Christian disciple with a keen intellect. If these letters inform Leo XIV's pontificate to any significant degree, the Church will benefit greatly from it.
September 25, 2025
I had found a thorough biography on Pope Leo XIII but after reading this I didn't think I needed the biography too. This is basically a compilation of several of the pope's encyclicals and I think it says a lot about who the pope was. As we've just gotten Pope Leo XIV, I thought this book would give me insight into who he is going to be and why he picked that name.
I personally found many of the encyclicals to be banal stuff that isn't much different from contemporary Catholic teaching. There are a few mentions of the political changes at the time which were interesting.
I personally found many of the encyclicals to be banal stuff that isn't much different from contemporary Catholic teaching. There are a few mentions of the political changes at the time which were interesting.
February 13, 2023
Not exactly the same book I read on LEO XIII, I read 'LEO XIII the First Modern Pope' by Katherine Burton 1962 but it wasn't listen on here. Good book. Was looking for information on he came to write the prayer to St Michael but wasn't contained.
October 17, 2024
I found his papers on the Freemasons, economics, marriage and liberty worthwhile however his letters to the churches of different nations not so much.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews