Pope Benedict XIV (1675-1758) was one of the most eminent popes of his century and considered by his contemporaries one of Europe's leading learned minds of the day. His 17-year pontificate was remarkable for several advancements in canon law, in which he was an expert, and reforms that revealed his scholarly, progressive mind. When he was still a cardinal, he wrote a treatise on parapsychological phenomena that helped establish firm guidelines for the canonization of saints.

Bolognese Heritage

Born Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini in the city of Bologna on March 31, 1675, the future Pope Benedict XIV was the son of a senator, Marcello Lambertini, in that city. The Lambertinis were an esteemed family in Bologna but, by the time of this second son's birth, had suffered financial hardships because of flooding on their estates. A promising student at an early age, Benedict went to Rome at the age of 13 in...