St. Leo the Great (440-461)
When Atilla the Hun was sacking northern Italy and closing in on Rome during the fifth century, Pope Leo traveled to Mantua and, as this Raphael mural tells it, personally fought Atilla in sword-to-sword combat.
(Pope Leo and Attila in sword-to-sword combat.)
Pope St. Leo, the Great, was the 45th pope of the Catholic Church. His papacy was renowned for the following four aspects:
great theological wisdom,
fighting various heresies,
his charitable works, and
for being a peacemaker.
According to the Liber Pontificalis, , he was a native of Tuscany. His early life before he ascended to the throne of Peter can be read in the Liber Pontificalis, pg97.
During his reign, he tirelessly fought to preserve the unity of the Church and its faith. He didn’t spare any effort to ensure the safety of his people, against invading armies which sought to destroy the Church and her influence on society.
(Pope St. Leo the Great facing Attila the Hun, a sculpture in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City)
"Leave to the bishops the liberty of defending the faith; neither worldly power nor terror will ever succeed in destroying it. Protect the Church and seek to preserve its peace, that Christ in His turn may protect your empire." - Pope St. Leo, the Great
The Holy Pontiff was a great defender of the orthodox teaching of the Catholic Church, and took his role as protector, of the deposit of Faith, seriously. The Catholic Church remains greatly indebted to him for all he did to preserve the Faith. Along with unmatched theological wisdom, the pope displayed great courage, when he famously met Attila, the Hun, and stopped the barbarian invasion on Italy in 452.
“His courage and sagacity lifted the prestige of the Holy See mightily, and earned for him the title of "The Great," a distinction bestowed on but one other pope, Gregory I. The Church honored Leo further with the title of Doctor because of his expositions of Christian doctrine, extracts from which are now incorporated in the lessons of the Catholic breviary.” (Source: Lives of Saints)
Pope St Leo worked tirelessly to foster, among Christians, charity towards one’s neighbor; especially in areas of Rome affected heavily by famine, refugees, and poverty. He was renowned for his profoundly spiritual sermons. Leo defends both the true divinity and true humanity of Christ against heresies, that denied these truths of the Catholic Faith. “In the ninety-six sermons which have come down to us, we find Leo stressing the virtues of almsgiving, fasting, and prayer.” (Lives of Saints) To read his Letters and Sermons click the button below:
Doctor of the Church
In 1754, Pope Benedict XIV proclaimed Pope Leo I a Doctor of the Church. He held his office as Supreme Pontiff in high esteem, discharging his duties, as the Vicar of Jesus Christ and the successor of St. Peter, with great care and excellence. His feast day is celebrated on November 10.
Pope St. Leo, the Great, pray for us and for the Church!
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Further Reading:
Hi Lydia,
This is a good start on your substack. You may find the following substack helpful: wmreview.org
Yours in Christ,
JL