A Pope Truly Worthy of the Title "Great"

Today is the feast day of Pope St. Leo the Great.
















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Leo the First, a Tuscan by birth, governed the Church at the period when Attila, the king of the Huns, surnamed the Scourge of God, was invading Italy. Attila pillaged and burned the city of Aquileia, which he took after a three years' seige. This done, he rushed on Rome like a wild firebrand.

He had reached the place where the Mincio joins the Po, and was on the point of ordering his troops to pass the river, when he was met by Leo, who was moved with compassion at the misfortunes that were threatening Italy. Such was his superhuman eloquence, that he induced Attila to retrace his steps.

When asked by his people how it was that, contrary to his custom, he had yielded such ready obedience to the demands of the Roman Pontiff, the king answered, that he beheld, whilst Leo was speaking, a personage clad in priestly robes, who stood near, with a naked sword in his hand, and threatened him with death unless he obeyed the Pontiff. Whereupon he returned to Pannonia.

Leo was welcomed back to Rome amidst the exceeding joy of all. A short time after, when the city was invested by Genseric, the Pontiff's eloquence and reputation for sanctity had such influence on the barbarian, that he abstained from setting fire to the buildings, and forbade his troops to insult or massacre the inhabitants.

Seeing the Church attacked by several heresies, and mainly by the followers of Nestorius and Eutyches, he called the Council of Chalcedon, in order to remove the error and vindicate the Catholic faith.

Six hundred and thirty bishops assisted at this Council, in which Eutyches and Dioscorus and Nestorius were condemned (the latter for the second time). The decrees of the Council were confirmed by the authority of Leo.

The holy Pontiff then turned his attention to repairing and building churches. It was through his persuasion that a pious lady called Demetria built the Church of Saint Stephen on her own land on the Latin Way, three miles out of the city. He himself build one on the Appian Way, and dedicated it to Saint Cornelius.

He repaired several others, and refurnished them with all the sacred vessels needed for the divine service. He built vaults under the Basilicas of S Peter, S Paul, and S John Lateran, and a monastery near the Vatican.

He appointed guards, to whom he gave the name of Cubicularii, to watch at the Tombs of the Apostles. He ordered that these words should be added to the Canon of the Mass: Holy Sacrifice, spotless Host.

He decreed that a nun should not receive the blessed veil unless she had observed virginity for forty years.

After these and similar admirable acts, and after writing much that was replete with piety and eloquence, he slept in the Lord, on the fourth of the Ides of November (November 10). He reigned as Sovereign Pontiff twenty-one years, one month, and thirteen days.

(Taken from the reading at Matins for April 11)