BENEDICT XIV, POPE. — Prospero Lambertini, born in Bologna on 31 March 1675 to Marcello and Lucrezia Bulgari; educated by the Somaschi Fathers and later in Rome, he devoted himself to ecclesiastical studies, particularly canon and civil law. He served as consistorial advocate (1701), Promoter of the Faith (1708) at the Congregation of Rites, canon of St Peter’s (1712), then as consultant to the Holy Office, the Congregation of Rites, the Council, and from 1722 as canonist of the Apostolic Penitentiary, gaining practical experience in the workings of the various dicasteries. Named bishop of Theodosia in 1725, archbishop of Ancona in 1727, he was created cardinal *in pectore* on 9 December 1726 and published on 30 April 1728. He received the archiepiscopal see of his native Bologna in 1731, which he retained even after becoming pope, until he secured Cardinal Malvezzi as his successor.
In the long conclave following the death of Clement XII (6 February 1740), Lambertini remained in the background at first, but on 16 August he was unexpectedly chosen and proclaimed pope the next day under the name Benedict XIV. Known for his affable and approachable character, he is remembered as a witty man, possessed of that refined and gentlemanly wit evident not only in conversation but also in the lively private correspondence he maintained with scholars and friends—most of whom were themselves learned. In an age when erudition, even on ecclesiastical topics, flourished, he proved himself well-informed and capable, and did not shrink from demonstrating his learning in his writings. With enlightened judgment, he transcended every narrow traditionalism.
He was also an able ruler. In difficult times, he took firm measures to restore the papal treasury, balancing expenditures, introducing prudent taxation, and successfully safeguarding the Holy See’s neutrality. His government issued many excellent provisions. Among other things, Rome received a new urban district, while through enlightened patronage four academies came into being: the Academy of Councils, the Academy of Ecclesiastical History, the Academy of Liturgy, and the Academy of Roman Antiquities. He also reformed the Accademia dei Lincei and the Nuovi Lincei, supporting naturalistic research. His services to the Archigymnasium of Bologna were outstanding, particularly through the establishment of a chair and an anatomical museum, as well as other measures that fostered scientific activity. His chief concern, however, was ecclesiastical reform, both of the clergy and the laity, and he left his mark in legislative innovations and in his insistence that ancient laws be observed. He promoted popular missions throughout Italy, aided by the oratory of St Leonard of Port Maurice and the Jubilee celebrations of 1750. He renewed the condemnations against Freemasonry, following the precedent set by Clement XII, and against the writings of enemies of Christianity that were spreading daily. He also opposed Jansenism.
Benedict XIV faced no small difficulties due to international discord, especially the conflict over the imperial crown that arose after the death of Charles VI (1740) between his daughter Maria Theresa—who championed the candidacy of her husband Francis of Lorraine, Grand Duke of Tuscany—and Charles Albert of Bavaria, backed by France and Prussia. The struggle that broke out in 1742 over the election and coronation of the latter spilled into Italy, and even the Papal States, though neutral, were drawn in, while Bologna became a helpless prey to Austrian, Spanish, and Sardinian troops. The death of the Bavarian ruler (1745) and the election of Francis I of Lorraine brought general peace through the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748), yet Benedict XIV felt compelled to protest the unrecognized rights of the Holy See over Parma and Piacenza.
Negotiations for concordats with the courts of Turin, Madrid, and Naples were equally arduous. With regard to Turin, Cardinal Lambertini had already contributed substantially to easing tensions that had persisted between 1731 and 1735. As pope, through direct correspondence with Charles Emmanuel III and the Marquis d’Ormea, he concluded in 1741 agreements concerning the apostolic vicariate over papal territories granted in feudal tenure to the monarchy and regarding ecclesiastical benefices. More challenging was the matter of ecclesiastical jurisdiction and immunity, successfully resolved in 1742 thanks in part to the papal commissioner Ludovico Merlini; evidence of improved relations is seen in the bull of 1744 in favor of the Order of SS. Maurice and Lazarus and in the resolution of the issue concerning the right of spoils and the pensions of benefices.
In 1753 the long-standing dispute provoked in Spain by dissatisfaction with the concordat concluded with Philip V in 1737 was finally settled. After various vicissitudes, universal patronage over all dioceses and benefices was recognized in the Spanish monarch, while the Holy See reserved for itself the collation of only fifty-two benefices and conceded a few others to bishops, while respecting particular patronage rights. The compensation granted by Spain did not allay the justified concerns of the Curia, which rightly feared that such a precedent might encourage similar claims from other governments.
With Naples, too, a concordat was successfully concluded in 1741 to settle old controversies that persisted despite the feudal investiture granted to the new king, Charles of Bourbon. A mixed tribunal was established to decide disputed cases of ecclesiastical jurisdiction, and the pope made generous concessions regarding immunity and the right of asylum, though he did not find—especially through the agency of Tanucci—the response he had hoped for.
At a time when Catholic states universally and obstinately sought to interfere in ecclesiastical affairs, Benedict XIV’s constant aim was to avoid, through conciliatory procedures, any dramatic diplomatic ruptures that might expose the Church to extreme harm from a flood of civil laws and decrees incompatible with canon law. Thus, between Austria and Venice, he resolved the tangled and long-standing dispute over the patriarchate of Aquileia by dividing it in 1751, with the bull *Injuncta nobis*, into two archbishoprics: Udine for the Venetian domain and Gorizia for the Austrian.
He maintained good relations with Frederick II of Prussia, officially recognizing him for the first time as king in matters pertaining to the Catholics of Silesia, which he had conquered. Difficulties persisted in France because of the intrigues and machinations of the Jansenists, the arbitrary actions of the Parlement, and the abuses of Louis XV. Conditions were better in Portugal, whose monarch was granted the title “Most Faithful King,” though shortly before his death Benedict XIV, due to the machinations of Pombal, was obliged to appoint Cardinal Saldanha as visitor and reformer of the Jesuits in that nation.
In missionary matters, Benedict XIV sought in some way to resolve long-standing controversies over the Chinese and Malabar rites. With the bull *Ex quo singulari* (1742), he prohibited certain honors paid to ancestors and to Confucius in China, and with *Omnium sollicitudinum* (1744) he condemned the tolerance of certain usages and superstitions in India, finally imposing upon missionaries the oath not to permit such rites.
Accusations were made against Benedict XIV for what seemed excessive deference toward the governments of his day and for his brief correspondence with Voltaire, who with great presumption dedicated his *Mahomet* to him. Yet his rectitude in seeking to prevent greater harm to the Church from the absolutism of princes and the philosophers of his time is undeniable. The great pontiff died on 3 May 1758 and was buried in St Peter’s Basilica, where a monument designed by Pietro Bracci commemorates him.
B. XIV AS CANONIST. — Endowed with a prelate’s keen intellect, joined to constant application to study throughout his long life, favored by the circumstances of his ecclesiastical career—which led him through many important curial offices, from that of advocate of the concistorium up to the supreme pontificate—B. XIV remains one of the greatest canonists and legislators of the Church. What distinguishes all his numerous works is their clear diction, free of any grandiloquence, and above all their method: he does not rely on a priori or purely theoretical constructions, but on profound and extensive historical inquiry, which enables him to place the various problems in their true light and to resolve them in conformity with tradition and the practice of the Church. Schulte (q.V. bibliography) does not hesitate to call B. the true founder of modern historical-juridical scholarship, with which he anticipated his times.
Part of his works were written in Italian, translated into Latin especially by Azevedo, who made the first collected edition in 12 volumes (Rome 1747-51). One of the most complete editions is that of Prato 1839-47 in 17 volumes (18 tomes). Almost all the works relate to canon law, but the most important are those on canonization, the diocesan synod, and the papal bulls.
1. De servorum Dei beatificatione et beatorum canonizatione, Op. om., vols. I-VII, Prato 1839-40. Also: Bologna 1734-38, Padua 1743, Rome 1747, Venice 1767, Naples 1773, Rome 1783. The work itself consists of four books: Book I contains the controversiae praeliminares and offers almost a historical and practical overview of the process of beatification and canonization; Book II treats the process of beatification from the ordinary process up to its evaluation in the Roman Curia, all from a historical-juridical perspective; Book III deals with the questions to be addressed in the process: witnesses, martyrdom, virtuous life (in general and for individual states), special graces (gratis datae); Book IV has two parts: the first treats miracles (with discussion of many casuistical questions), the second addresses liturgical matters: concessions of the Divine Office and Mass, insertion in the Roman Martyrology, and the choice of patron saints.
This work, based on extensive studies and experience acquired in the office of Promoter of the Faith (1708-28), has remained unsurpassed and classical for the Roman Curia. As for written historical testimony, however, he admits it only as subsidiary evidence, showing himself formalistic in this regard. The establishment of the historical section in the Congregation of Rites (1930) has appropriately remedied this.
2. Institutiones ecclesiasticae (in Italian, ed. Bologna 1731, 1735; Venice 1740; Rome 1742; in Latin, trans. by Ildefonso di S. Carlo delle Scuole Pie, Rome 1747 and 1750; Ingolstadt 1751; Bassano 1760; Venice 1765). It is not a systematic treatise but a collection of instructions, edicts, and pastoral letters, treating in 107 articles a wide variety of subjects, published by B. when he was archbishop of Bologna. They concern above all pastoral life, but always with profound historical-juridical learning.
3. De Synodo Diocesano. The first edition, Rome 1748, prepared by Azevedo, is divided into 8 books; the work was later expanded and divided into 13 books by the author, Rome 1755; Ferrara 1756, 1760; Padua 1756; Parma 1764; Venice 1773, 1792; Mainz 1842. He composed this work while archbishop of Bologna but perfected it after becoming pope. It contains all the matters that can be the object of a diocesan synod, with such abundance that little is lacking that might pertain to episcopal administration. For its calm and objective exposition, the work was judged a masterpiece, certainly the best of its kind. The author does not disdain to cite and discuss Protestant and Gallican authors.
4. Theatrum resolutionum S. Congregationis Concilii, I-III, Urbino 1759; IV, Rome 1740. As secretary of the Council from 1718 to 1728, he introduced the practice of adding to the Folia causarum distributed before the sessions the prior decisions in similar cases and the opinions of the best canonists. These sheets were later collected and published together with the Council’s resolutions. The collection was subsequently continued up to the year 1908 and comprises 167 volumes, partly reprinted in Rome from 1843 onward. This innovation, by revealing Roman practice and jurisprudence, has, according to Schulte, exerted a great influence on canonistic doctrine and the decisions of ecclesiastical tribunals throughout the world.
5. Quaestiones canonicae et morales. Essentially identical to the first four volumes of the Theatrum; the arrangement is sometimes modified and there are also omissions of minor matters.
6. Casus conscientiae de mandato Prosperi Lambertini, Archiepiscopi Bononiensis propositi et resoluti, Ferrara 1764; Augsburg 1766 ff.; Liège 1853-59.
7. Bullarium Benedicti XIV (eds. Rome 1746-54, 1754-1758, 1760-62; Venice 1768). In his constitutions B. speaks as a legislator without renouncing his habits as a scholar, so that some bulls and encyclicals have a personal note and contain theoretical considerations, taking account of the doctrine of authors and the decisions of the Roman Congregations. The subjects on which B. legislated are extremely varied and cannot be specified here. It is worth noting only that with the constitution Dei miseratione of 3 November 1741 he established, for matrimonial causes under pain of nullity, the defensor vinculi, whose duties he defined; with the constitution Vix pervenit of 1 November 1745, he expounded detailed principles on the subject of interest in loans; for the rest cf. P. Gasparri, Codicis Iuris Canonici Fontes, I, Rome 1923, pp. 662-953; II, ibid. 1924, pp. 1-576, where the constitutions that served for the compilation of the CIC are reproduced and, in some editions of the Code, indicated in the notes. They are exceedingly numerous, more so than those of any other pope.
Among B. XIV’s other works that pertain to canon law are De sacrosancto Missae sacrificio and De festis Domini nostri Jesu Christi et Beatae Mariae Virginis, which are almost exclusively liturgical in content.