Pope Innocent XI

pope of the Catholic Church from 1676 to 1689

Pope Innocent XI (Latin: Innocentius Undecimus; 16 May 1611 – 12 August 1689), born Benedetto Odescalchi, was an Italian cleric of the Roman Catholic Church and the 240th Pope from 1676 to 1689.[1]

Innocent XI
Papacy began21 September 1676
Papacy ended12 August 1689
PredecessorPope Clement X
SuccessorPope Alexander VIII
Personal details
Birth nameBenedetto Odescalchi
Born(1611-05-16)May 16, 1611
Como. Italy
DiedAugust 12, 1689(1689-08-12) (aged 78)
Rome
Other popes named Innocent

Early life

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Benedetto Odescalchi was born at Como in 1611.[2] He was the son of a Como nobleman, Livio Odescalchi

Cardinal

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In 1645, Pope Innocent X raised Odescalchi to the rank of cardinal.[2]

Bishop

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In 1650, Odescalchi became Bishop of Novara.[2]

Cardinal Odescalchi was elected pope on 21 September 1676;[3] and he chose to be called Innocent XI.

Pope Innocent was involved in Italian and European political disputes,[2] chiefly with Louis XIV of France[4]

 
Pope Innocent and Siamese envoys, 1688

In December 1688, Innocent received the diplomatic mission sent to the Vatican by Narai, the King of Siam.[5]

After his death

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After Innocent XI in 1689, he was buried in St. Peter's Basilica.[2]

The process of canonization was begun in 1714 and suspended in 1744. Pope Pius XII announced his beatification in 1956.[6]

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References

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Coat of arms of Innocent XI
  1. "List of Popes," Catholic Encyclopedia (2009); retrieved 2011-12-1.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Blessed Pope Innocent XI", Catholic Encyclopedia; retrieved 2011-12-1.
  3. Chisholm, Hugh (1910). The Encyclopedia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, Literature and General Information. Encyclopedia Britannica Company. p. 582.
  4. The Penny Cyclopædia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. C. Knight. 1838. p. 481.
  5. Smithies, Michael and Luigi Bressan. (2001). Siam and the Vatican in the Seventeenth Century, p. 98.
  6. "Blessed Pope Innocent XI," Archived 2017-12-01 at the Wayback Machine Catholic News Agency ; retrieved 2011-12-2.

Other websites

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  Media related to Innocentius XI at Wikimedia Commons

Preceded by
Clement X
Pope
1676–1689
Succeeded by
Alexander VIII