The Four Dominican Popes*

THE FOUR DOMINICAN POPES

Source: McBrien, Richard, Lives of the Popes: The Pontiffs from St Peter to Benedict XVI, Harper Collins Publishers: NY, 2000.

BLESSED POPE INNOCENT V (ca.1224-1276)

Pope from January 21 to June 22, 1276

A renowned French theologian, Dominican Provincial of France, Archbishop of Lyons and Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia, Pierre de Tarentaise adopted the name ‘Innocent’ when he reigned as the first Dominican Pope on 21 January 1276. Moreover, the current papal custom of wearing a white cassock may have begun with him when he decided to continue wearing his white Dominican habit as pope. Others suggest that the custom was not finally established until the pontificate of another Dominican, Pope Pius V (1566-1572).

In 1274, Innocent V participated in the Second Council of Lyon, and also preached at the funeral of his friend St. Bonaventure. He tried to unify the European powers in order to fulfill the plan of Gregory X, his predecessor, for a new crusade. In order to move away from his predecessor’s cultivation of the Germans, he engaged in the political arena as he favored Charles, King of Sicily to the detriment of Rudolf, King of Germany. Furthermore, he struggled in his relationship with the East because he almost apologized to the Byzantine emperor for Charles’ plan of recapturing Constantinople on the grounds that it had been forcibly taken away from the Latins, and he demanded that the Greek clergy should take personal oaths accepting the ‘filioque’ in the Creed and the primacy of the pope. But death intervened and he died on June 22, only five months after his election. He was buried in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, and was beatified by Pope Leo XIII in 1898 on account of his reputation for holiness. Feast day: June 22.

BLESSED POPE BENEDICT XI (1240-1304)

Pope from October 22, 1303 to July 7, 1304

Born Niccolo Boccasini of an ordinary working-class family, he was the cardinal-bishop of Ostia and a Dominican when unanimously elected pope on 22 October 1303. He actually served as the 9th Master of the Order from 1296-1298. In support of the powerful but tragic reign of Boniface VIII, he chose the baptismal name of his predecessor as his regnal name, Benedict.

Benedict XI has been described by historians as a scholarly, but weak man who felt at ease only with his fellow Dominicans. He created only three cardinals during his reign, all Dominicans. He revoked the decree restricting the rights of mendicants (Dominicans and Franciscans) to preach and to hear confessions. A man of peace, he immediately lifted Boniface VIII’s excommunication. However, his pontificate was marked by his weak acquiescence to the demand of the King of France, Philip the Fair, who subjugated Boniface VIII.

On 7 July 1304, the pope died of acute dysentery in Perugia. In accordance with his wishes, he was buried in the Church of San Domenico in Perugia, where there were later reports of miraculous cures at his tomb. He was beatified by Pope Clement XII in 1736. Feast day: July 7.

SAINT POPE PIUS V (1504-1572)

Pope from January 7, 1566 to May 1, 1572

Born Antonio Ghislieri of poor parents, he was a shepherd until he became a Dominican at age 14, taking ‘Michele’ as his religious name. After his priestly ordination (1528), he served as an inquisitor for Como and Bergamo, and was appointed to the Roman Inquisition (1551). He became the bishop of Nepi and Sutri (1556), a cardinal (1557), and the grand inquisitor of Rome (1558). Then, he was the elected pope on 7 January 1566.

Pius V enforced the decrees of the Council of Trent, publishing the ‘Roman Catechism’ (1566) and reforming the Roman Missal and Breviary (1570) for unanimity in the liturgical celebrations. He restricted the use of indulgences and dispensation. He enforced a strict conduct of lifestyle not only on himself, but to the citizens of Rome who accused him of imposing monasticism to everyone. He continued to follow a monastic regimen for himself including the practice of simple, solitary meals, which remained a papal custom until the mid-20th century. He continued to wear his white Dominican habit which became the standard garb for the next popes. He opposed nepotism, insisted that clerics must reside in their pastoral assignments, and maintained a careful watch over the religious orders. He visited the Roman Basilicas and sent apostolic visitors to the Papal States and Naples. He endeavored to stamp out heresies, and he expelled the Jews from the Papal States but allowing some to remain in Rome and Ancona for commercial reasons. He declared Thomas Aquinas a ‘Doctor of the Church’ (1570) sponsoring the publication of his works in 17 volumes.

He engaged in the political sphere when he excommunicated Queen Elizabeth I of England exposing the English Catholics to persecution; gave financial and military assistance to Catherine de Medici against the Huguenots (French Calvinists), only to see her grant freedom of religion to them in 1570; angered Emperor Maximillian II when the pope presumed to nominate a new grand duke of Tuscany; and was in constant conflict with King Philip II of Spain on the royal control over the Church. Nevertheless, Pius V’s significant achievement in the political-military front was the victory of his Holy League with Spain and Venice over the Turkish fleet at Lepanto on 7 October 1571, which ended the Turkish superiority of the Mediterranean. He attributed this success to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He declared October 7 as the feast of Our Lady of Victory, which was changed by his successor Gregory XIII to the feast of the Most Holy Rosary.

Pius V died on 1 May 1572 at age 68 and was buried first in St. Peter’s, before his remains were transferred to the Basilica of St Mary Major in 1588. He was beatified on 1 May 1672 by Clement X and was canonized on 22 May 1712 by Clement XI. Feast day: April 30.

POPE BENEDICT XIII (1649-1730)

Pope from May 29, 1724 to February 21, 1730

Born Pietro Francesco Orsini, he renounced his inheritance and joined the Dominicans. Against his will, but through the influence of his family, he was created a cardinal in 1672 at age 23. Although he continued to live the life of a friar, he eventually became an archbishop. Then, he was unanimously elected pope on 29 May 1724 at age 75. He refused the papacy but later accepted it only when the Master of the Order urged him. He was caught in a controversy with his decision to retain Benevento as his Episcopal See while serving as the pope, the Bishop of Rome, which made him profoundly unpopular with the Roman people because of his cronies.

Despite the controversy, Benedict XIII manifested his service with pastoral sincerity. He consecrated churches, visited the sick, administered the sacraments, and even gave religious instructions. He criticized the lifestyle and fastidious appearance of cardinals and banned the profitable lottery in the Papal States. He presided over the Lateran Provincial Synod (1725) denouncing Jansenism. He declared that the teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas had nothing to do with the Jansenist error of exaggerating the effects of divine grace to the detriment of the human will, or with Quietism, the view that salvation will be given to those who await it 'quietly' and passively, with no human effort at all. He canonized many saints, including Sts. John of the Cross and Aloysius Gonzaga.

He passed away on 21 February 1730 at age 81. He was first buried in St. Peters, but his remains were transferred to the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in 1738.