Annibale della Genga was a diocesan priest and diplomat from Italy. He was the second pope of the nineteenth century, reigning from 1823 to 1829.

Early Life and Training
Ecclesiastical Career

Overview
Timeline

Notes

1. Background

1. Early Life and Training

Della Genga was born in 1760 to a family from Genga in the Papal States. He was the sixth of ten children.

He studied theology at the Campana College in Osimo, and then at the Piceno College in Rome.

Finally he studied at the Pontifical Academy of Ecclesiastical Nobles. It is dedicated to training priests to serve in the diplomatic corps and the Secretariat of State of the Holy See.

Della Genga was ordained to the priesthood in 1783.

2. Ecclesiastical Career

In 1793 pope Pius VI named della Genga the Titular Archbishop of Tyre.

He was consecrated as a bishop in Rome in 1794, and despatched to Lucerne as the Apostolic Nuncio to Switzerland.

Later in 1794 della Genga was transferred to the Apostolic Nunciature to Cologne. But owing to the war, he had to make his residence in Augsburg.

He spent a dozen or more years in Germany. He had contact with the courts of Dresden, Vienna, Munich and Stuttgart, as well as with Napoleon.

It is charged, however, that during this period his finances were disordered, and his private life was not above suspicion.

In 1798, Napoleon abolished the States of the Church. With that, della Genga lived for some years at Monticelli Abbey. He spent his days listening to music and shooting birds.

In 1814, Louis XVIII was restored as king of France. Della Genga was chosen to deliver the congratulations from Pope Pius VII.

In 1816 della Genga was named a Cardinal.

Later he was assigned as Cardinal-priest of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major. He was also appointed to the episcopal see of Sinigaglia. However, owning to poor health, he had to resign in 1818.

In 1820, pope Pius VII gave him the post of Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome.

In 1823, pope Pius VII died. In the conclave of 1823, della Genga was the candidate of the zelanti faction.

In the Catholic church, the term zelanti has been applied to conservative members of the clergy and their lay supporters since the thirteenth century. They were also known as intransigenti.

In spite of the active opposition of France, della Genga was elected as the new pope. He took the name of Leo XII.

His election had been facilitated because he was thought to be close to death. He would simply be a transitional pope.

Note. A transitional pope is one that is elected with the expectation that he will accomplish very little and die within a few short years. Electing a transitional pope is a conclave’s way of deferring change for a few years. Transitional popes of the 19th century include Leo XII and Leo XIII.

Della Genga remarked about his own health to the cardinals, saying they would be electing “a dead man”.

2. Papacy

1. Overview

Under Pius VII, Cardinal Consalvi had been the virtual ruler of Rome. But when Leo XII become pope in 1823, one of his first actions was to fire Cardinal Consalvi and reject his policies.

Leo’s domestic policy was one of extreme conservatism:

He condemned the Bible societies.
He put the educational system entirely under priestly control.
He required that all secondary instruction be carried out in Latin.
He forbade Jewish people from owning property.
He required all Roman residents to listen to Catholic catechism commentary.

Leo’s style of leadership was brutal. He soon provoked insurrections, conspiracies, assassinations and rebellion.

Leo built systems for repression and espionage. That led to great division, demoralization, and contempt for the law.

Leo imposed endless rules upon the private life of citizens. That made him quite unpopular.

Leo required Jewish people to be segregated and have marks for identification.

Some scholars thought Leo prohibited vaccinations. However, more recent scholarship has been unable to find any ban or any suggestion of a ban by Leo XII or his administration.

2. Timeline

In September 1823, Cardinal Annibale della Genga was elected pope, taking the name of Leo XII.

In 1825, Leo revived the practice of “the Holy Year.”

In 1827 Leo named new bishops in Chile, Argentina, and greater Colombia. The Spanish were outraged, but they didn’t have the power to re-take the colonies.

After a 5-1/2 year papal reign, Leo died in February 1829.

NOTES

Note 1. This page was originally published on January 11, 2025. It has undergone many edits since then.

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19th CENTURY PAPACY

MAJOR ERAS:

Prelude to the 19th Century Papacy – the Political Factors
Prelude to the 19th Century Papacy – the Religious Factors
The Papacy of Pius VII: 1800-1823
The papacy of Leo XII: 1823-1829
The papacy of Pius VIII: 1829-1830
The papacy of Gregory XVI: 1831-1846
The papacy of Pius IX: 1846-1878
The papacy of Leo XIII: 1878-1903

Leo XII and the history of the Papacy of the 19th Century

CONTENTS