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Bible Encyclopedias
Innocent XII
Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
or (cardinal Antonio Pignatelli) was born at Naples March 13, 1615, and succeeded Alexander VIII in July, 1691. He had a serious dispute with the emperor Leopold I, who, attempting to revive in Italy the rights of the empire over the former imperial fiefs, which had, during the wars and vicissitudes of ages, become emancipated, published an edict at Rome in June, 1697, enjoining all the possessors of such territories to apply to the emperor for his investiture within a fixed time, or they would be considered as usurpers and rebels. This measure, if enforced, would have affected the greater part of the landed property of Italy, and also the sovereignty of its governments, and of the Roman see among the rest. The pope protested against the edict, and advised the other Italian powers to resist such obsolete pretensions, and, with the support of France succeeded in persuading Leopold to desist from them. He also succeeded in putting an end to the difficulties existing between France and the see of Rome on the question of investiture, (See INNOCENT XI), and obtained from the French clergy an address which amounted almost to a recantation of the four articles of the Galliean Church. The question of Quietism then reappeared. Bossuet accused Fenelon of favoring that tendency in his Explication sur a vie interieure. The book was moderately condemned by the pope, in accordance with the report of the Congregation of the Index (q.v.), and Fenelon (q.v.), as is well known, submitted (see vol. 3:p. 529-530). Innocent built the harbor of Ponto d'Anzo on the ruins of the ancient Antium; he constructed the aqueduct of Civita Vecchia; the palace of the Monte Citorio at Rome, for the courts of justice; and the fine line of buildings at Ripagrande, on the north bank of the Tiber, below the town, where vessels which ascend the river load and unload. He also built the asylum, school, and penitentiary of San Michele, and other useful works. Innocent was of regular habits, attentive to business, a lover of justice, and averse to nepotism. He died Sept. 27, 1700, and was succeeded by Clement XI. See Bruys, Hist. des Popes, 5, 454; Sismondi, Hist. des Franvais, 26,69; De Prades, Abrige de l'Histoire Ecclesiastique, 2, 338; N. P. Giannetasio, Panegyricus in funere Innocentii XII (Naples, 1700, 8vo); Herzog, Real Encyklop. 6:676; English Cyclop.; Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. G neral, 25:923; Ranke, Hist. of the Papacy, 1, 281-313; Mosheim, Ch. Hist. cent. 17, sec. 2, pt. 1, chap. 2 Aschbach, Kirchen-Lex. 3, 466 sq.
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McClintock, John. Strong, James. Entry for 'Innocent XII'. Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tce/i/innocent-xii.html. Harper & Brothers. New York. 1870.
