Editing Pope Clement XI

{{Short description|Head of the Catholic Church from  1700 to 1721}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
| type = Pope
| honorific-prefix = [[List of popes|Pope]]
| name = Clement XI
| title = [[Bishop of Rome]]
| image = Portrait of Pope Clement XI Albani (Vatican Museums - Musei Vaticani, Vatican).jpg
| caption = Portrait by an unknown Italian School artist, 18th century, [[Vatican Museums]]
| birth_name = Giovanni Francesco Albani
| church = [[Catholic Church]]
| term_start = 23 November 1700
| term_end = 19 March 1721
| predecessor = [[Innocent XII]]
| successor = [[Innocent XIII]]
| ordination = September 1700
| ordinated_by = 
| consecration = 30 November 1700
| consecrated_by = [[Emmanuel-Theódose de la Tour d’Auvergne de Bouillon]]
| cardinal = 12 February 1690
| created_cardinal_by = [[Pope Alexander VIII|Alexander VIII]]
| birth_date = {{birth date|1649|7|23|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Urbino]], [[Papal States]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|1721|3|19|1649|7|23|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Rome]], Papal States
| previous_post = {{Indented plainlist|
*[[Santa Maria in Aquiro|Cardinal-Deacon of Santa Maria in Aquiro]] (1690–1700)
*[[Sant'Adriano al Foro|Cardinal-Deacon of Sant'Adriano al Forno]] (1690–1700)
*[[San Silvestro in Capite|Cardinal-Priest of San Silvestro in Capite]] (1700)}}
| coat_of_arms = C o a Clementem XI.svg
| other = Clement
| signature = Signature of Pope Clement XI.svg{{!}}class=skin-invert
| buried = [[Vatican Grottoes]], [[St. Peter's Basilica]]
}}

{{Infobox popestyles
|image            = File: C o a Clementem XI.svg
|dipstyle         = [[His Holiness]]
|offstyle         = Your Holiness
|relstyle         = Holy Father
|deathstyle       = None
}}

'''Pope Clement XI''' ({{langx|la|Clemens XI}}; {{langx|it|Clemente XI}}; {{langx|sq|Klementi XI}}; 23 July 1649&nbsp;– 19 March 1721), born '''Giovanni Francesco Albani''', was head of the [[Catholic Church]] and ruler of the [[Papal States]] from 23 November 1700 to his death in March 1721.

Clement XI was a patron of the arts and of science. He was also a great benefactor of the [[Vatican Library]]; his interest in archaeology is credited with saving much of Rome's antiquity. He authorized expeditions which succeeded in rediscovering various ancient Christian writings and authorized excavations of the [[Catacombs of Rome|Roman catacombs]].

==Biography==
===Early life===
Giovanni Francesco Albani was born in 1649 in [[Urbino]] to the [[Albani family]], a distinguished family of [[Albanians|Albanian]] origin in central Italy.<ref name="Frazee167168"/><ref name="Martucci154"/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/09/21/fr_lombardi_papal_journey_a_blessing_for_all_albanians/1107019 |title=Fr Lombardi: Papal journey a blessing for all Albanians |last=Bordoni |first=Linda |quote=...a silver portrait of Pope Clement XI – who belonged to the Albani family, so was traditionally of Albanian origin. |date=21 September 2014 |work=Vatican Radio |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140924004740/https://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/09/21/fr_lombardi_papal_journey_a_blessing_for_all_albanians/1107019 |archive-date=24 September 2014 }}</ref> His mother Elena Mosca (1630–1698) was a high-standing Italian of [[Bergamo|bergamasque]] origin, descended from the noble Mosca family of [[Pesaro]]. His father Carlo Albani (1623–1684) was a patrician. His mother descended in part from the Staccoli family, who were patricians of [[Urbino]], in part from the Giordani, who were nobles of Pesaro.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Catholic Encyclopedia |last=Shahan |first=Thomas J. |chapter=Albani |year=1913 |publisher=Robert Appleton Company |location=New York Public Library |page=255 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_FmgQAAAAIAAJ/page/n292 |access-date=5 December 2010}}</ref><ref name="Williams116">{{cite book|last=Williams|first=George L.|title=Papal Genealogy: The Families and Descendants of the Popes|year=2004|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0786420711|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-mq7ctwMNdoC&pg=PA116 |page=116}}</ref> The original name of the Albani was Lazzi (Laçi) which they changed to ''Albani'' in memory of their origin. Francesco Albani funded an expedition in Albania to locate the exact settlement of his family's origins. In the final report, the two most probable locations which were presented to him were [[Laç]] near Lezhë and Laç near Kukës, both in northern Albania.{{sfn|Brunga|2021|p=134}}

Albani was educated at the [[Collegio Romano]] in [[Rome]] from 1660 onwards. He became a very proficient Latinist and gained a doctorate in both canon and civil law. He was one of those who frequented the academy of [[Queen Christina of Sweden]].  He would serve as a [[Prelate of Honour of His Holiness|papal prelate]] under [[Pope Alexander VIII]] and was appointed by [[Pope Innocent XII]] as the [[Referendary]] of the [[Apostolic Signatura]]. Throughout this time, he also served as the governor of [[Rieti]], [[Sabina (region)|Sabina]] and [[Orvieto]].

===Cardinalate===
[[File:ALBANI GIOVANFRANCESCO.jpg|thumb|upright|Portrait of Cardinal Albani, {{circa|1690}}]]
[[Pope Alexander VIII]] elevated him to the cardinalate in 1690 despite his protests and made him the Cardinal-Deacon of [[Santa Maria in Aquiro]] but he later opted for the ''Diaconia'' of [[Sant'Adriano al Foro]] and later, as the Cardinal-Priest, for the ''titulus'' of [[San Silvestro in Capite]]. He was then ordained to the priesthood in September 1700 and celebrated his first Mass in Rome on 6 October 1700.

==Pontificate==
===Election to the papacy===
{{Main|1700 papal conclave}}
<gallery mode="packed" heights="225">
File:ClemensXI.jpg|Medal depicting Clement XI
File:Pope Clement XI – Pier Leone Ghezzi (c. 1708).jpg|Portrait of Clement XI by [[Pier Leone Ghezzi]], {{circa|1708|1712}}, [[Museo di Roma]]
File:Santa cecilia in trastevere, interno, busto e iscrizione di clemente XI.jpg|Bust of Pope Clement XI at [[Santa Cecilia in Trastevere|Santa Cecilia]] church, Rome
</gallery>
After the death of Pope Innocent XII in 1700, a conclave was convoked to elect a successor. Albani was regarded as a fine diplomat known for his skills as a peacemaker and so was unanimously elected pope on 23 November 1700. He agreed to the election after three days of consultation.

Unusually, from the viewpoint of current practice, his election came within three months after his ordination as a priest and within two months after he celebrated his first Mass, though he had been a cardinal for ten years previously. Having accepted election after some hesitation, he was ordained a bishop on 30 November 1700 and assumed the pontifical name of "Clement XI". Cardinal protodeacon [[Benedetto Pamphili]] crowned him on 8 December 1700 and he took possession of the [[Basilica of Saint John Lateran]] on 10 April 1701.

===Actions===
[[File:Stained glass depiction of Pope Clement XI at the Cathedral of Saint Mother Teresa in Prishtina.jpg|thumb|right|160px|Stained glass depiction of Clement XI at the [[Cathedral of Saint Mother Teresa|Catholic Cathedral]] in [[Pristina]]]]
Soon after his accession to the pontificate, the [[War of the Spanish Succession]] broke out.

In 1703 Pope Clement XI [[Arbëni Council|ordered a synod]] of Catholic bishops in northern Albania that discussed promotion of the [[Council of Trent]] decrees within Albanian dioceses, [[Islamization of Albania#Northern Albania|stemming conversions among locals to Islam]] and securing agreement to deny communion to crypto-Catholics who outwardly professed the Muslim faith.<ref name="Frazee167168">{{cite book|last=Frazee|first=Charles|title=Catholics and Sultans: The Church and the Ottoman Empire 1453–1923|year=2006|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0521027007|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X6DM4szwUpEC&pg=PA168 |pages=167–168}} "...since the pope was of Albanian ancestry (demonstrated by his name of Albani)."</ref><ref name="Skendi235242">{{cite journal|last=Skendi|first=Stavro|title=Crypto-Christianity in the Balkan Area under the Ottomans|year=1967|journal=Slavic Review|volume=26|issue=2|jstor=2492452|pages=235–242|doi=10.2307/2492452|s2cid=163987636 }}</ref><ref name="Martucci154">{{cite book|last=Martucci|first=Donato|title=I Kanun delle montagne albanesi: Fonti, fondamenti e mutazioni del diritto tradizionale albanese|year=2010|publisher=Edizioni di Pagina|isbn=978-8874701223|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lXBJAQAAIAAJ |pages=154}} "Nel 1703, per iniziativa di Papa Clemente XI (che era di origini albanesi) si tenne il primo Concilio Nazionale Albanese, in cui si cercò di promuovere l'applicazione dei decreti del Concilio di Trento nelle diocesi albanesi, di arginare la marea di conversioni all'islam"</ref>

Despite initially holding an ambiguous neutrality in world affairs, Clement XI was later forced to name [[Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles, Archduke of Austria]], as the [[King of Spain]], since the [[Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Emperor|imperial army]] had conquered much of northern Italy and was threatening Rome itself in January 1709.

By the [[Treaty of Utrecht]] that put an end to the war, the [[Papal States]] lost its [[suzerainty]] over the [[House of Farnese|Farnese]] [[Duchy of Parma and Piacenza]] in favour of [[Habsburg monarchy|Austria]], and lost [[Comacchio]] as well, a blow to the prestige of the Papal States.

In 171<small>3</small> Clement XI issued the [[papal bull|bull]] ''[[Unigenitus]]'' in response to the spread of the [[Jansenism|Jansenist]] heresy. There followed great upheaval in [[Kingdom of France|France]], where apart from theological issues, a strong [[Gallicanism|Gallican]] tendency persisted. The bull, which was produced with the contribution of Gregorio Selleri, a lector at the College of Saint Thomas, the future [[Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas]] ''Angelicum'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios1726-ii.htm |title=Pope Benedict XIII (1724–1730): Consistory of December 9, 1726 (VI) |publisher=Florida International University |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030117091002/www2.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios1726-ii.htm |archive-date=17 January 2003 |access-date=18 July 2022}}</ref> condemned Jansenism by extracting and anathematizing as [[heresy|heretical]] 101 propositions from the works of [[Pasquier Quesnel]], declaring them to be identical in substance with propositions already condemned in the writings of [[Cornelius Jansen|Jansenius]].

The resistance of many French ecclesiastics and the refusal of the French ''[[parlement]]s'' to register the bull led to controversies extending through the greater part of the 18th century. Because the local governments did not officially receive the bull, it was not, technically, in force in those areas&nbsp;– an example of the interference of states in religious affairs common before the 20th century.

Clement XI supported [[James Francis Edward Stuart]], the exiled Stuart Prince of Wales, recognizing him as James III and VIII, and paid for the residence of him and his wife, Princess [[Maria Clementina Sobieska]], Granddaughter of [[John III Sobieski]], King of Poland-Lithuania, in Rome, the [[Palazzo Muti]], as well as donating a summerhouse near the shores of [[Lake Albano]].<ref name="Kybett">{{cite book |last1=Kybett |first1=Susan M. |title=Bonnie Prince Charlie: A Biography of Charles Edward Stuart |publisher=Unwin Hyman |location=London |date=1988 |page=23|isbn=978-0044403876}}</ref> He also performed the baptism of James' son, the Jacobite Prince of Wales, [[Charles Edward Stuart]].<ref name="Kybett"/>

During his reign as a pope the famous ''[[Illyricum sacrum|Illyricum Sacrum]]'' was commissioned, and today it is one of the main sources of the field of [[Balkans#Early modern period|Balkan region during Middle Ages]], with over 5,000 pages divided in several volumes written by the [[Jesuit]] [[Daniele Farlati]] and Dom [[Jacopo Coleti]].

Clement XI made a concerted effort to acquire Christian manuscripts in [[Syriac language|Syriac]] from Egypt and other places in the Middle East, greatly expanding the [[Vatican Library]]'s collection of Syriac works.<ref name=syriacmanu>{{cite journal |last=Heal |first=Kristian S. |title=Vatican Syriac Manuscripts: Volume 1 |journal=Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies |year=2005 |volume=8 |issue=1 |url=http://syrcom.cua.edu/hugoye/Vol8No1/index.html |access-date=17 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525173242/http://syrcom.cua.edu/Hugoye/Vol8No1/index.html |archive-date=25 May 2011 }}</ref>

===Other activities===
Clement XI extended the feast of [[Our Lady of the Rosary]] to the Universal Church of the Roman Rite in 1716.

====Beatifications and canonizations====
[[File:Nelli-Clement.jpg|thumb|185px|Portrait of Clement XI by [[Pietro Nelli]] (c.1714), at the {{ill|Palazzo Albani|it}}]]
Clement XI confirmed the cultus of [[Ceslas Odrowaz]] (27 August 1712), [[Jakov Varingez]] (29 December 1700), [[Peregrine Laziosi]] (11 September 1702), [[John of Perugia and Peter of Sassoferrato|John of Perugia (11 September 1704), Peter of Sassoferrato]] (11 September 1704), Buonfiglio Monaldi (1 December 1717), [[Pope Gregory X]] (8 July 1713) and [[Humbeline of Jully]] (1703). He formally beatified a number of individuals: [[Alexis Falconieri]], Bartholomew degli Amidei and Benedict Dellantella, (1 December 1717) and [[John Francis Regis|John Francis Régis]] (24 May 1716). He also beatified the sisters [[Theresa of Portugal, Queen of León|Theresa]] (20 May 1705) and [[Sancha of Portugal|Sancha]] (10 May 1705).

He canonized [[Andrew Avellino]], [[Catherine of Bologna]], [[Felix of Cantalice]] and [[Pope Pius V]] on 22 May 1712, [[Saint Humility|Humility]] on 27 January 1720, [[Stephen of Obazine]] in 1701 and [[Boniface of Lausanne]] in 1702.

Clement XI, on 8 February 1720, named [[Anselm of Canterbury|Saint Anselm of Canterbury]] as a [[Doctor of the Church]], providing him the supplementary titles of "''Doctor magnificus''" ("Magnificent Doctor") and "''Doctor Marianus''" ("Marian Doctor").

====Consistories====
{{main|Cardinals created by Clement XI}}
Clement XI created a total of 70 cardinals in 15 consistories. Notably, two cardinals of his own creation were Michelangelo dei Conti, who became his immediate successor, [[Pope Innocent XIII]], and Lorenzo Corsini, who later became [[Pope Clement XII]]. The pope also nominated eight cardinals "''[[in pectore]]''", later publishing their names which validated their appointments as cardinals.

During his pontificate, Gabriele Filippucci resigned his cardinalate which the pope accepted on 7 June 1706. Clement XI also accepted the resignation of [[Francesco Maria de' Medici, Duke of Rovere and Montefeltro|Francesco Maria de' Medici]] from the cardinalate on 19 June 1709.

===Chinese Rites controversies===
[[File:Open letter from Kangxi to Pope Clement XI.png|thumb|right|Open letter from [[Kangxi Emperor]] to Pope Clement XI]]
Another important decision of Clement XI was in regard to the [[Chinese Rites controversy]]: the [[Jesuit]] missionaries were forbidden to take part in honors paid to [[Confucius]] or the ancestors of the Emperors of [[Manchu China|China]], which Clement XI identified as "idolatrous and barbaric", and to accommodate Christian language to pagan ideas under plea of conciliating the heathen.

==Death and burial==
[[File:Funeral of Pope Clement XI.jpg|thumb|left|Clement's funeral]]
Clement XI died in Rome on 19 March 1721 at 12:45pm and was buried in the pavement of [[Saint Peter's Basilica]] rather than in an ornate tomb like those of his predecessors.

On March 10, Clement XI had a meeting at about 11:00am with the [[Ancient Diocese of Sisteron|Bishop of Sisteron]] Pierre François Lafitau. When the pope met with the bishop, he said that his time was drawing to a close and that he would soon die, despite protests to the contrary by Lafitau. On 14 March, Clement XI took ill while Lafitau was trying to get the pope's nephew to persuade the pope to name the [[Chief minister of France|French Chief minister]] [[Guillaume Dubois]] to the cardinalate. However, Clement XI was in a state of delirium and was not responsive to his pleas. On 16 March, [[Quadragesima Sunday]], the pope did not participate in the services, however, celebrated Mass in his private chapel at the [[Quirinal Palace]]. He took medication that day but experienced pains in his thorax and had trouble breathing from the cold air in his rooms.<ref name=CSUN>{{cite web|url=http://www.csun.edu/~hcfll004/SV1721.html|title=Sede Vacante 1721|publisher=CSUN|date=23 September 2015|author=John Paul Adams|accessdate=7 March 2022}}</ref>

The following day, Clement XI celebrated Mass in his private chapel before meeting various prelates which included the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ravenna-Cervia|Archbishop of Ravenna]] Geronimo Crispi. However, at around noon, he was suddenly struck with an extraordinary chill which was accompanied by a very strong [[fever]] that immediately forced him to his bed, with the pope declining a meal that evening. His pulse was exceptionally slow and he even coughed up a thick liquid that was streaked with blood. Unable to sleep that night, his fever abated somewhat. But the following day saw his fever return much more violently, and he had an irregular pulse. The [[sputum]] was foamy, once more with blood, indicating that there was something wrong with his lungs, causing his doctors to realize that his condition would more than likely prove fatal. Clement XI made his confession and the profession of faith before receiving [[Eucharist|Holy Communion]] at 8:00pm. [[James Francis Edward Stuart]], the "Pretender", tried to see the dying pope, however he was denied on the grounds of the dangerous state of the pope's condition. That night, the papal [[sacristan]] Niccolo Agostino degli Abbati Olivieri, Bishop of [[Porphyreon|Porfirio]], administered the [[Extreme Unction]].<ref name=CSUN/>

On 19 March, the fever returned violently, and Clement XI slowly lost his ability to speak as his eyes clouded over and his respiration slowly diminished as the pope died just after midday.<ref name=CSUN/>

===Contemporary influence===
In his book "''Journal of a Soul''", while he was preparing for the [[Second Vatican Council]], [[Pope John XXIII]] resolved to pray the [[s:St. Vincent's Manual/Universal Prayer for All Things Necessary to Salvation.|Universal Prayer]] and highly recommended it to others.

==Construction activity and patronage==
{{unreferenced section|date=November 2023}}
[[File:Tomb of Pope Clement XI requiem.jpg|thumb|right|220px|The tomb of Pope Clement XI.]]
<!--library stuff moved to [[Albani (family)]] article-->
Pope Clement XI had a famous [[sundial]] added in the church of [[Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri]] and had an obelisk erected in the [[Piazza della Rotonda]] in front of the [[Pantheon, Rome|Pantheon]], and a port built on the [[Tiber River]], the beautiful [[Porto di Ripetta]], demolished at the end of the 19th century.

He established a committee, overseen by his favourite artists, [[Carlo Maratta]] and [[Carlo Fontana]], to commission statuary of the apostles to complete the decoration of [[Basilica of Saint John Lateran]]. He also founded an academy of painting and sculpture on the [[Campidoglio]].

He also enriched the [[Vatican Library]] with numerous Oriental codices and lent his patronage to the first archaeological excavations in the Roman [[catacomb]]s. In his native Urbino he restored numerous edifices and founded a public library.

==See also==
*[[Cardinals created by Clement XI]]
*[[List of popes]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
*{{cite thesis|last=Brunga|first=Liza|year=2021|title=Kishat e Zadrimës deri në prag të kuvendit të Arbërit
|publisher=Academy of Albanological Studies (Academy of Sciences of Albania)|url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1onYUPxS_Gy5_knfHyXMN4Xl9stC5otxM/view}}
* {{Cite book|last=Frazee|first=Charles A.|title=Catholics and Sultans: The Church and the Ottoman Empire 1453-1923|year=2006|orig-year=1983|location=Cambridge|publisher=Cambridge University Press|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X6DM4szwUpEC|isbn=9780521027007}}
* {{Cite CE1913|wstitle=Pope Clement XI}}
* {{cite book |last=Rendina |first=Claudio |title=I papi. Storia e segreti |publisher=Netwon & Compton |location=Rome |pages=586–588 |year=1983}}
==External links==
*{{commons category-inline|Clemens XI|Pope Clement XI}}
*{{wikisource author-inline}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-rel|ca}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Pope Innocent XII|Innocent XII]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Pope]]|years=23 November 1700&nbsp;– 19 March 1721}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Pope Innocent XIII|Innocent XIII]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Popes}}
{{Catholicism}}
{{History of the Catholic Church}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clement 11}}

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[[Category:Pope Clement XI| ]]
[[Category:Italian popes]]
[[Category:Albani family]]
[[Category:Religious leaders from Urbino]]
[[Category:Arbëreshë people]]
[[Category:1649 births]]
[[Category:1721 deaths]]
[[Category:17th-century Italian Roman Catholic priests]]
[[Category:Popes]]
[[Category:Cardinals created by Pope Alexander VIII]]
[[Category:18th-century popes]]
[[Category:Burials at St. Peter's Basilica]]