Editing Pope Leo XIII (section)

=== Papal assistant ===

[[File:Leo entryperugia.jpg|thumb|Archbishop Pecci enters [[Perugia]] in 1846.]]

In 1843, Pecci had been named [[Assistant at the Pontifical Throne|papal assistant]]. From 1846 to 1877, he was considered a popular and successful [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Perugia–Città della Pieve|Archbishop of Perugia]]. In 1847, after [[Pope Pius IX]] granted unlimited freedom for the press in the Papal States,<ref>Kühne 62</ref> Pecci, who had been highly popular in the first years of his episcopate, became the object of attacks in the media and at his residence.{{Sfn|Kühne|1880|p=66}} In 1848, [[revolutions of 1848|revolutionary movements]] developed throughout Western Europe, including France, Germany and Italy. [[Austrian Empire|Austrian]], [[Second French Republic|French]] and [[History of Spain (1808-1874)|Spanish]] troops reversed the revolutionary gains but at a price for Pecci and the Catholic Church, who could not regain their former popularity.