From Pope Leo the Great to Pope Leo XIV
An Introduction to the Lion Popes of the Church
“And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.”
There is something providential in the name Leo. It calls to mind strength, kingship, vigilance—the lion who watches over the flock, who defends the Bride of Christ with tooth and claw when necessary, but also leads with a father’s heart. In the Chair of Peter, the name Leo has echoed across centuries like the solemn roar of a guardian in the shadows of history.
From the towering sanctity of Pope St. Leo I the Great in the 5th century, who met Attila the Hun at the gates and turned him away, to the yet-unfolding papacy of Pope Leo XIV, the name has been worn by saints, reformers, administrators, and guardians of doctrine.
This series will walk you through the lives, the teachings, and the legacy of each of the thirteen Popes named Leo, culminating in the current Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV. For each, I will explore:
The historical and theological context of their reign
Their major teachings and writings
Their contributions to the life of the Church
Their impact on the world and the papacy
Why the Leos?
Names matter in the Catholic imagination. Popes choose their names as signs—a gesture of continuity, or a call to reform, or a whisper of a hidden desire to imitate a saintly predecessor. The name Leo has been chosen again and again not merely for its sound, but for its history. When a Pope chooses Leo, he summons the memory of:
The Tome of Leo (St. Leo I), a cornerstone of Christological orthodoxy defined at the Council of Chalcedon;
The sturdy leadership of Leo X, whose pontificate saw the storm of Martin Luther rise on the horizon.
The assertive clarity of Leo XIII, whose encyclical Rerum Novarum breathed Catholic social doctrine into the modern world;
In this series, I aim not to provide a dry historical account, but to contemplate each Leo, as one contemplates icons in a chapel: looking for light, for instruction, for spiritual kinship.
A Glimpse Ahead
Here are the Popes we will encounter:
Leo I (440–461) – Doctor of the Church, defender of the Incarnation, peacemaker.
Leo II (682–683) – Short pontificate, but notable for clarifying orthodoxy after the Sixth Ecumenical Council.
Leo III (795–816) – Crowned Charlemagne, forged a new alliance between papacy and empire.
Leo IV (847–855) – Fortified Rome, defender against Muslim raids.
Leo V (903) – A brief, troubled papacy amid political upheaval.
Leo VI (928) – Another short reign during the saeculum obscurum.
Leo VII (936–939) – Mediator, fostered peace among Italian princes.
Leo VIII (963–965) – Installed by imperial intervention; legitimacy debated.
Leo IX (1049–1054) – Reform pope, key figure leading up to the East–West Schism.
Leo X (1513–1521) – The Medici Pope, luxurious court, oversaw the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation.
Leo XI (April 1605) – “The Lightning Pope,” reigned only 27 days.
Leo XII (1823–1829) – Conservative moral reformer, reactionary to Enlightenment ideals.
Leo XIII (1878–1903) – Visionary and wise, author of Rerum Novarum, revitalizer of Thomism.
And now, Pope Leo XIV, whose pontificate we are blessed to witness in our own time—a Leo who carries not only the weight of the name, but the burden of leading the Church into the deep waters of the third millennium.
Final Thought: Why This Matters
To contemplate the Popes named Leo is not a mere historical hobby. It is a means of contemplating how Christ has shepherded His Church through ages of war, heresy, political corruption, reform, enlightenment, and now secular fatigue. The papacy is not a relic—it is a living sign of divine guidance.
As the lion watches over the night, so too has the Spirit stirred in each Leo a distinct kind of fire.