Editing Pope Benedict XIII (section)

==Pontificate==
{{Infobox popestyles
|image      = C o a Benedictus XIII.svg
|dipstyle   = [[His Holiness]]
|offstyle   = Your Holiness
|relstyle   = Holy Father
|deathstyle = [[Servant of God]]
|}}

===Actions===
Not a man of worldly matters, Benedict XIII made an effort to maintain his monastic lifestyle. He endeavoured to put a stop to the decadent lifestyles of the [[Italy|Italian]] priesthood and of the [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|cardinalate]]. He also abolished the [[lottery]] in Rome and the Papal States, which only served to profit the neighboring states that maintained the public lottery. A man fond above all of asceticism and religious celebrations, he built several hospitals, but according to Cardinal Prospero Lambertini (later [[Pope Benedict XIV]]), "did not have any idea about how to rule".<ref>Rendina, p. 590</ref>

In 1727, he inaugurated the famous [[Spanish Steps]]<ref name=Kunst/> and founded the [[University of Camerino]].

In 1728, Benedict's intervention settled a controversy regarding the relics of [[Augustine of Hippo]] which erupted in [[Pavia]]. He ultimately confirmed the authenticity of Augustine's bones, which had been discovered in 1695 in the [[Basilica San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro]].<ref>Stone, Harold Samuel (2002).  "Augustine's Bones: A Microhistory."  pp.&nbsp;90–93</ref>

The government of the Papal States was effectively held in Benedict XIII's stead by Cardinal [[Niccolò Coscia]], who had been the pope's secretary when he was archbishop of Benevento, and who committed a long series of financial abuses to his own advantage, causing the ruin of the Papal treasury. Coscia and his associates effectively isolated Benedict from other advisors.<ref name=Kunst/> According to [[Montesquieu]], "All the money of Rome goes to Benevento... as the Beneventani direct [Benedict's] weakness".<ref>Rendina, p. 592</ref>

In foreign relations, he struggled with both [[John V of Portugal]] and the [[Jansenists]] in France.

===Beatifications and canonizations===
[[File:Benedict XIII on horseback.jpg|thumb|180px|Benedict XIII travelling on horseback, painting by [[Agostino Masucci]]]]
Upon election, on 4 June 1724, Benedict XIII published the Bulls of Canonization for Saints previously celebrated:<ref>''[https://archive.org/details/BR-Tomo-22]'', Bullarium Romanum. Vol 22. Benedict XIII (1724-1730). Taurini Ed, 1871. Respective Bulls on pages 1-44.</ref>

# [[Isidore the Laborer|Isidore the Farmer]] ([[Pope Gregory XV|Gregory XV]] - 12 March 1621)
# [[Andrew Corsini]], Carmelite ([[Pope Urban VIII|Urban VIII]] - 22 April 1629)
# [[Philip Benizi de Damiani|Philip Benizi]], Servites ([[Pope Clement X|Clement X]] - 12 April 1671)
# [[Francis Borgia]], Jesuit ([[Pope Clement X|Clement X]] - 12 April 1671)
# [[Lawrence Justinian|Lawrence Giustiniani]] ([[Pope Alexander VIII|Alexander VIII]] - 16 October 1690)
# [[John of Capistrano]] ([[Pope Alexander VIII|Alexander VIII]] - 16 October 1690)
# [[Catherine of Bologna]], Poor Clare Nun ([[Pope Clement XI|Clement XI]] - 22 May 1712)
# [[Felix of Cantalice]], Capuchin ([[Pope Clement XI|Clement XI]] - 22 May 1712)

Benedict XIII beatified 
#[[Bernardine of Feltre]] in 1728, 
#[[Peter Fourier]] on 20 January 1730, 
#[[Hyacintha of Mariscotti]] on 1 September 1726, 
#[[Fidelis of Sigmaringen]] on 24 March 1729, 
#[[Vincent de Paul]] on 13 August 1729, and 
#[[Juan de Prado]] on 24 May 1728.

Through the process of [[equipollent canonization]] Benedict XIII canonized 
#[[Pope Gregory VII]] on 24 May 1728. He conferred sainthood upon 
#[[Agnes of Montepulciano]] in 1726, 
#[[Aloysius Gonzaga]] and
#[[Stanislaus Kostka]]<ref>{{cite book|author=J. Jauh|title= Leto svetnikov IV ''Stanislav Kostka, vzornik mladine''|pages=306–310}}</ref> on 31 December 1726, 
#brothers [[Boris and Gleb|Boris and Gleb of Kiev]] in 1724, 
#[[Francis Solano]] on 27 March 1726, 
#[[James of the Marches]] and [[Turibius of Mogroveio]] on 10 December 1726, 
#[[John of Nepomuk]] on 19 March 1729, 
#[[John of the Cross]] and [[Peregrine Laziosi]] on 27 December 1726, 
#[[Margaret of Cortona]] on 16 May 1728, and 
#[[Serapion of Algiers]] on 14 April 1728.
[[File:PopebenedictXIII.jpg|thumb|left|140px|Mosaic of Benedict XIII in the Basilica of St. Paul outside the Walls]]

====Doctor of the Church====
The Pope declared [[Peter Chrysologus]] a [[Doctor of the Church]] on 19 February 1729.

===Other activities===
{{main|Cardinals created by Benedict XIII}}
Benedict XIII elevated 29 new cardinals into the cardinalate in a total of 12 [[Papal consistory|consistories]]; one such new cardinal was Prospero Lambertini, who later became [[Pope Benedict XIV]].

Benedict XIII, whose orders were descended from [[Scipione Rebiba]], personally consecrated at least 139 bishops for various important European sees, including German, French, English and New World bishops. These bishops in turn consecrated bishops for their respective countries, causing other episcopal lineages to die out. As a result, more than 90% of present-day bishops trace their episcopal lineage through him to Cardinal Rebiba.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mysite.verizon.net/res7gdmc/aposccs/ |title=Apostolic Succession in the Roman Catholic Church |first=Charles |last=Bransom |work=mysite.verizon.net |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140924082501/http://mysite.verizon.net/res7gdmc/aposccs/ |archive-date=24 September 2014 }} Archived: 24 September 2014.</ref>

With the papal bull ''Pretiosus'', dated 26 May 1727, Benedict XIII granted to all Dominicans major houses of study and in particular to the Roman College of St. Thomas, the future [[Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas]] ''Angelicum'' the right of conferring academic degrees in theology to students outside the Order.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.liberius.net/articles/Les_colleges_ecclesiastiques_de_Rome.pdf |title=Les colleges ecclesiastiques de Rome |website=www.liberius.net |access-date=26 May 2014}}</ref>