Giuseppe Pecci
Encyclopedia
Giuseppe Pecci S.J.
(13 December 1807—8 February 1890) was a Catholic Thomist theologian whose younger brother, Vincenzo, became Pope Leo XIII
and appointed him a cardinal
. The Neo-Thomist revival, which Leo XIII and his brother Giuseppe, Cardinal Pecci originated in 1879, remained the leading papal philosophy until Vatican II.
, near Rome, Giuseppe was one of the seven sons of Count Dominico Ludovico Pecci and his wife Anna Prosperi Buzi, Countess Pecci. From 1807 to 1818 he lived at home with his family, in which religion counted as the highest grace on earth, as through her, salvation can be earned for all eternity. Together with his younger brother Vincenzo, he studied in the Jesuit College in Viterbo
from 1818 until 1824. In 1824, Count Pecci called him and Vincenzo home to Rome, where their mother was dying; the father wanted his children to be with him after the loss of his wife, and so they remained in Rome, attending the Collegium Romanum, a college belonging to the Society of Jesus.
In 1828, the question of occupational choice arose for the two brothers; Giuseppe Pecci professed the Jesuit order, while Vincenzo decided in favour of saecular, or diocesan, clergy.
, the theology and philosophy of St Thomas Aquinas, at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome in 1847. At the request of his brother, who became Archbishop of Perugia, he was made a professor at the theological seminary in Perugia
, where he remained, from 1852 through 1859. After the city was taken over by Piedmont
forces in 1860, Pope Pius IX
called him to Rome and offered him a professorship in theology at La Sapienza University. Pope Pius also called him into the papal commission to prepare the First Vatican Council
. Good Thomist theology was hard to come by at that time, with the result that young scholars from other countries were sent to Rome to learn from Pecci and Tommaso Maria Zigliara
. In 1870 he resigned his professsorship because he refused to take the anti-papal oath which was demanded by the new Italian government. He continued his prominent theological research independently.
, led by Camillo, Cardinal di Pietro
, insistently asked Pope Leo XIII
to elevate his brother to their ranks, and at the age of 71 Giuseppe Pecci was created Cardinal-Deacon of Sant'Agata dei Goti
on 12 May 1879 in his brother's first consistory
. He was the last member of a Pope's family elevated to the cardinalate.
The ceremony was described by Ludwig von Pastor
in his diary: On 15 May at 11 am, Pope Leo XIII entered the hall in pontifical vestments, before him the College of Cardinals
. The Swiss Guards stood to attention. After the Papal speech, each of the new cardinals, Pecci, John Henry Newman, Joseph Hergenröther
and Tommaso Maria Zigliara
, received the red hat, all of whom being well-known Church scholars.
The elevation of Pecci, a well-known Thomist, took place in the context of the determined efforts of Leo XIII to foster science and Thomist theology throughout the Catholic Church http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios1879.htm#Pecci. Thomism had lost its role as a leading theology and Leo attempted to re-establish it "for the protection of faith, welfare of society and the advancement of science". What he envisaged were not sterile interpretations of it, but a return to the original sources. This new orientation at the beginning of his pontificate was welcomed by Dominicans, Thomist Jesuits like Pecci and numerous bishops throughout the world. Strong opposition also developed as well on several fronts within the Church: Some considered Thomism simply outdated, while others used it for petty condemnations of dissident views that they did not like. As traditional antagonists, Jesuits and Dominicans both claimed leadership in the renewal of Catholic theology.
of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas
, which Leo founded on 15 October 1879, and was also appointed Prefect of the Congregation for Studies
in February 1884http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bpec.html. (On 28 January 1999, the academy was reoriented to more social issues by Pope John Paul II
.) Pope Leo XIII appointed thirty members, ten each from Rome, from Italy, and from the rest of the world, and provided generous financial support to attract scholars from everywhere. The Pope also personally supported individual Thomist scholars and applauded numerous critical editions of the Angelic Doctors texts. To balance his Thomist Jesuit appointments, Leo entrusted the overall responsibility of the works of St Thomas Aquinas to the Dominican Order
, of which the saint had been a member.
as "an infinite treasure for the Church and a monument to its role in culture and science". He greatly increased staff and organization and appointed Jesuit father Franz Ehrle
and Giuseppe Pecci to head the new undertaking as prefect
and librarian, respectively. They in turn opened the Vatican Library to the general public after establishing a consultation library of 300,000 volumes.
in the Basilica of the Twelve Apostles(Basilica di Santi Apostoli
) in Rome, where his funeral took place on 12 February. He is buried in the chapel of the Society of Jesus in Campo Verano Cemetery, in Rome http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios1879.htm#Peccihttp://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSsr=41&GScid=2227945&GRid=32915216&.
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
(13 December 1807—8 February 1890) was a Catholic Thomist theologian whose younger brother, Vincenzo, became Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
and appointed him a cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
. The Neo-Thomist revival, which Leo XIII and his brother Giuseppe, Cardinal Pecci originated in 1879, remained the leading papal philosophy until Vatican II.
Early years
Born in Carpineto RomanoCarpineto Romano
Carpineto Romano is a comune in the Province of Rome in the Italian region Lazio, located about 60 km southeast of Rome.It was the birthplace of Pope Leo XIII....
, near Rome, Giuseppe was one of the seven sons of Count Dominico Ludovico Pecci and his wife Anna Prosperi Buzi, Countess Pecci. From 1807 to 1818 he lived at home with his family, in which religion counted as the highest grace on earth, as through her, salvation can be earned for all eternity. Together with his younger brother Vincenzo, he studied in the Jesuit College in Viterbo
Viterbo
See also Viterbo, Texas and Viterbo UniversityViterbo is an ancient city and comune in the Lazio region of central Italy, the capital of the province of Viterbo. It is approximately 80 driving / 80 walking kilometers north of GRA on the Via Cassia, and it is surrounded by the Monti Cimini and...
from 1818 until 1824. In 1824, Count Pecci called him and Vincenzo home to Rome, where their mother was dying; the father wanted his children to be with him after the loss of his wife, and so they remained in Rome, attending the Collegium Romanum, a college belonging to the Society of Jesus.
In 1828, the question of occupational choice arose for the two brothers; Giuseppe Pecci professed the Jesuit order, while Vincenzo decided in favour of saecular, or diocesan, clergy.
Professor
Pecci taught ThomismThomism
Thomism is the philosophical school that arose as a legacy of the work and thought of St. Thomas Aquinas, philosopher, theologian, and Doctor of the Church. In philosophy, his commentaries on Aristotle are his most lasting contribution...
, the theology and philosophy of St Thomas Aquinas, at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome in 1847. At the request of his brother, who became Archbishop of Perugia, he was made a professor at the theological seminary in Perugia
Perugia
Perugia is the capital city of the region of Umbria in central Italy, near the River Tiber, and the capital of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area....
, where he remained, from 1852 through 1859. After the city was taken over by Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
forces in 1860, Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX
Blessed Pope Pius IX , born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was the longest-reigning elected Pope in the history of the Catholic Church, serving from 16 June 1846 until his death, a period of nearly 32 years. During his pontificate, he convened the First Vatican Council in 1869, which decreed papal...
called him to Rome and offered him a professorship in theology at La Sapienza University. Pope Pius also called him into the papal commission to prepare the First Vatican Council
First Vatican Council
The First Vatican Council was convoked by Pope Pius IX on 29 June 1868, after a period of planning and preparation that began on 6 December 1864. This twentieth ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church, held three centuries after the Council of Trent, opened on 8 December 1869 and adjourned...
. Good Thomist theology was hard to come by at that time, with the result that young scholars from other countries were sent to Rome to learn from Pecci and Tommaso Maria Zigliara
Tommaso Maria Zigliara
Tommaso Maria Zigliara was a Roman Catholic cardinal, theologian, and philosopher.-Life:...
. In 1870 he resigned his professsorship because he refused to take the anti-papal oath which was demanded by the new Italian government. He continued his prominent theological research independently.
Cardinal
In 1879, the College of CardinalsCollege of Cardinals
The College of Cardinals is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church.A function of the college is to advise the pope about church matters when he summons them to an ordinary consistory. It also convenes on the death or abdication of a pope as a papal conclave to elect a successor...
, led by Camillo, Cardinal di Pietro
Camillo di Pietro
Camillo di Pietro J.U.D. was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and both Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals and later Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church.-Biography:Camillo di Pietro was born in Rome...
, insistently asked Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
to elevate his brother to their ranks, and at the age of 71 Giuseppe Pecci was created Cardinal-Deacon of Sant'Agata dei Goti
Sant'Agata dei Goti
Sant'Agata dei Goti is a church in Rome, Italy, dedicated to the martyr Saint Agatha. It is currently the titular church assigned to Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, currently Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura.-History:...
on 12 May 1879 in his brother's first consistory
Consistory
-Antiquity:Originally, the Latin word consistorium meant simply 'sitting together', just as the Greek synedrion ....
. He was the last member of a Pope's family elevated to the cardinalate.
The ceremony was described by Ludwig von Pastor
Ludwig von Pastor
Ludwig Pastor, later Ludwig von Pastor, Freiherr von Campersfelden , was a German historian and a diplomat for Austria. He became one of the most important Roman Catholic historians of his time and is most notable for his History of the Popes...
in his diary: On 15 May at 11 am, Pope Leo XIII entered the hall in pontifical vestments, before him the College of Cardinals
College of Cardinals
The College of Cardinals is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church.A function of the college is to advise the pope about church matters when he summons them to an ordinary consistory. It also convenes on the death or abdication of a pope as a papal conclave to elect a successor...
. The Swiss Guards stood to attention. After the Papal speech, each of the new cardinals, Pecci, John Henry Newman, Joseph Hergenröther
Joseph Hergenröther
Joseph Hergenröther was a German Church historian and canonist, and the first Cardinal-Prefect of the Vatican Archives.-Biography:...
and Tommaso Maria Zigliara
Tommaso Maria Zigliara
Tommaso Maria Zigliara was a Roman Catholic cardinal, theologian, and philosopher.-Life:...
, received the red hat, all of whom being well-known Church scholars.
Thomism
Papal Collaboration
Pope Leo responded with the encyclical Æterni Patris, much of which was co-written by Cardinal Peccihttp://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios1879.htm#Pecci on the restoration of Christian philosophy in the schools, which was published on 4 August 1879, and mandated all Catholic universities to teach Thomism and created a papal academy for the training of Thomist professors and publishing scholarly editions of the works of St Thomas Aquinas. The leadership of this academy he entrusted to his brother, who aided the creation of similar Thomas Aquinas academies in other places (Bologna, Freiburg (Switzerland), Paris and Lowden). In 1879, Cardinal Pecci was appointed as first PrefectPrefect
Prefect is a magisterial title of varying definition....
of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas
Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas
The Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas was established on 15 October 1879 by Pope Leo XIII. The first Prefect was Cardinal Giuseppe Pecci a noted Thomist at the time...
, which Leo founded on 15 October 1879, and was also appointed Prefect of the Congregation for Studies
Congregation for Catholic Education
The Congregation for Catholic Education is the Pontifical congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for: seminaries and houses of formation of...
in February 1884http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bpec.html. (On 28 January 1999, the academy was reoriented to more social issues by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
.) Pope Leo XIII appointed thirty members, ten each from Rome, from Italy, and from the rest of the world, and provided generous financial support to attract scholars from everywhere. The Pope also personally supported individual Thomist scholars and applauded numerous critical editions of the Angelic Doctors texts. To balance his Thomist Jesuit appointments, Leo entrusted the overall responsibility of the works of St Thomas Aquinas to the Dominican Order
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
, of which the saint had been a member.
Vatican Library
Pope Leo XIII considered the mostly locked-up and neglected Vatican LibraryVatican Library
The Vatican Library is the library of the Holy See, currently located in Vatican City. It is one of the oldest libraries in the world and contains one of the most significant collections of historical texts. Formally established in 1475, though in fact much older, it has 75,000 codices from...
as "an infinite treasure for the Church and a monument to its role in culture and science". He greatly increased staff and organization and appointed Jesuit father Franz Ehrle
Franz Ehrle
Franz Ehrle was a German Jesuit, Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and Archivist of the Holy Roman Church, he was named cardinal during the consistory of 11 December 1922, given the titulus of San Cesareo in Palatio.-Early years and formation:Franz was the son of Franz Ehrle, a physician,...
and Giuseppe Pecci to head the new undertaking as prefect
Prefect
Prefect is a magisterial title of varying definition....
and librarian, respectively. They in turn opened the Vatican Library to the general public after establishing a consultation library of 300,000 volumes.
Death
Cardinal Pecci continued his work as congregation and academy prefect and librarian until he died on 8 February 1890, of complications from pneumonia. His body lay in reposeLying in repose
Lying in repose is a term used to describe when a deceased person, often of some stature, is available for public viewing. "Lying in repose" is different from the formal honor of "lying in state", which is generally held at the principal government building of the country and often accompanied by...
in the Basilica of the Twelve Apostles(Basilica di Santi Apostoli
Santi Apostoli
The Church of the Twelve Holy Apostles is a 6th century Roman Catholic parish and titular church and minor basilica in Rome, Italy, dedicated originally to St. James and St. Philip and later to all Apostles...
) in Rome, where his funeral took place on 12 February. He is buried in the chapel of the Society of Jesus in Campo Verano Cemetery, in Rome http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios1879.htm#Peccihttp://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSsr=41&GScid=2227945&GRid=32915216&.