St. Leo the Great

Pope Leo saw himself as a teacher of the faith.

Pope Leo was elected as the 45th Pope on September 29, 440 and served until he died on November 10, 461. Our current Pope Benedictus XVI, was elected the 263nd Pope on April 19, 2005.

Little is known about Pope Leo's early life, but we do know that he was a deacon and was serving on a diplomatic mission in Gaul (modern-day France) when he was elected to the papacy. Throughout his term he was called upon to resolve disputes between bishops and exhibited his diplomacy skills when dealing with the various armies that sought to destroy Rome.

Pope Leo was the first pope to claim to be Peter's heir, which, according to Roman law, meant that all rights and duties associated with Peter lived on in Leo. His diplomacy was recognized and he was often asked to intercede in disagreements between dioceses and bishops, He ordered that bishops not interfere with the administration of other bishop's dioceses. At this time, bishops were elected by the local clergy and leading laity, and the election was ratified by the people. Leo's electoral principle was "he who is in charge of all should be chosen by all".

The Council of Chalcedon, Turkey was held in 451 by the order of the emperor Marcian. Here, Pope Leo's letter to Flavian of Constantinople, asserting that Christ has two Natures (the human and divine) in one Person, was accepted as a definition of faith. It countered the various heresies of his time.

Pope Leo not only protected the Catholic faith from within, he also protected the people of Rome from invaders. In 452, Attila and his Huns entered Italy, burning cities and killing whole populations. After seizing Milan, the imperial capital in the West, Attila headed to Rome. Emperor Valentinian III and the senate ordered the pope to negotiate with Attila. To everyone's surprise, Attila agreed to accept annual tribute rather than enter Rome. Three years later, Rome was invaded by the Vandals under Genseric. Pope Leo again convinced the invaders to limit the damage to looting the city and not burning the city or murdering its people.

Only two Popes have been called "the Great", Pope Leo and Pope Gregory I (590-604). Leo was also declared a "Doctor of the Church" in 1754 to recognize him as an eminent teacher of the faith. Other saints recognized as Doctors of the Church include Sts. Augustine of Hippo, Basil the Great, Thomas Aquinas, Teresa of Avila and Catherine of Siena.