With the election of Pope Leo XIV in 2025, we thought it would be worthwhile to look into the figure from whom the new pontiff took his name, Pope Leo XIII.
Elected in 1878, he is most well-known for his encyclical Rerum Novarum. In this document, Leo XIII formally articulated the principals that today define Catholic social teachings. In this, he addressed the conditions of the working poor and what is owed to those living in poverty. His concern for those living in poverty formed an almost natural affinity between His Holiness and the Vincentian double family: the Vincentian priests and the Daughters of Charity.
In 1893, the Superiors of the Vincentians and the Daughters of Charity had an audience with Pope Leo XIII. The account of this meeting is in the Archives dated January 26, 1893, held to celebrate the founding of the Vincentians. Joining them were students of the Daughters of Charity from Rome.
Father Antoine Fiat, Superior General of both communities, provided his gratitude at the Pope’s guidance in Rerum Novarum:
Your admirable encyclicals shed floods of light like to those pharos [lighthouse] that indicate from afar to mariners the course to take in order to escape the dangers of the Sea and reach the harbor in safety. Most Holy Father, the Congregation of the Mission [formal name for the Vincentians] makes it a duty to follow the intellectual movement originated by Your Holiness and to second your views and your efforts.
In response to Father Fiat’s address, Pope Leo XIII addressed the Vincentians and Daughters in French, the language of their founders and superiors, despite himself being a native Italian. He shows particular fondness for the schools the communities conduct around Rome, and seems to show favor toward the ongoing (at the time) cause for sainthood for Louise de Marillac.
Even though no American Daughters were part of this audience, it was still celebrated in the United States. The Provincial Annals contain a letter by Sister Caroline Eck, writing from St. Joseph ‘s Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland. The Sisters and students at the Academy were met by Cardinal Francesco Satoli, the first official Apostolic Delegate to the United States, who recounted the meetings between the Holy Father and the French Superiors. The students and staff celebrated this (at the time) highest meeting of a church official with the students, emphasizing the global nature of the Daughters and the internationality represented by the Catholic Church!
docarchivesblog.org 