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Clement Xii

Clement XII Pope of the Catholic Church


Birth name	Lorenzo Corsini
Birth	7 April 1652 at Florence
Election to the papacy	12 July 1730
Enthronement	16 July 1730
End of the pontificate	6 February 1740
Predecessor	Benedict XIII
Successor	Benedict XIV
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Lorenzo Corsini, born 7 April 1652 of a famous family whose member was St. Andrew Corsini and died on 6 February 1740 , was a pope of the Catholic Church under the name of Clement XII (in Latin in Italian ).

Biography

After studying at the Jesuit school, Lorenzo Corsini gets a doctorate in law at the University of Pisa. Created cardinal by Clement XI , and was elected pope on 12 July 1730 , succeeding Pope Benedict XIII , he became almost totally blind and paralyzed, while his brilliant intellect and ability to choose an appropriate environment allowed him a brilliant pontificate.

Clement began his task by reducing the corruption of some Benedictines, improved the efficiency of the government of the Papal States , although it has been blamed for the creation of a lottery as a means of raising funds.

In its relations with major powers of the time, Clement received the same humiliation that most of the popes of this century. His right to lord over Parma was ignored, and Bourbon allied themselves with the Habsburgs against the old pope.

He also continued pressure on the Jansenists , whose bubble Unigenitus marks the beginning, and especially he thundered in 1738 , the bubble Eminenti In apostolatus specula cons of Freemasonry. In addition, he received into the Church a great number of Coptic Monophysite.

He continued the policy development of the city of Rome wanted by his predecessors. He was responsible for building the Trevi Fountain and the expansion of the Capitol Museum and the Vatican Museums.

He disappeared on 6 February 1740 , his successor was Benedict XIV.