Benedetto Odescalchi was born in Lombardy in 1611, one of seven children born to a family of the minor nobility there. After receiving education from the Jesuits in his hometown, followed by advanced studies in Rome and Naples, Benedetto served in multiple capacities under Pope Urban VIII. He was made cardinal-deacon by Innocent X and assigned to the Church of Sts. Cosmas and Damian. When Innocent then sent Benedetto to Ferrara to tend to those afflicted by famine, he introduced his cardinal as a “father of the poor.” From 1650-1656, he was Bishop of Novara, where he used diocesan revenues solely to aid the poor and sick, before resigning his see to his brother, Giulio, and returning to Rome to serve in the Curia.

Blessed Pope Innocent XI was elected to succeed Clement X thanks to everyone except the French cardinals. Innocent’s first acts as pope were reining in the spending and lifestyle of the Curia. He himself was well-known for living modestly, so he naturally expected the same of his brother bishops. That requirement of Innocent extended to clergy and laity, as well. In addition to his administrative work, the pope made sure his priests were well-educated and morally upright, reformed several Roman monasteries, and exhorted Roman citizens to dress modestly and avoid the temptation to gambling, which had gained popularity in recent years.

Innocent XI died August 12, 1689 after a papacy of nearly 13 years. Widely renowned for his holiness, Innocent’s cause for canonization was begun in 1714. Louis XIV, who was still alive at the time, tried to derail it by accusing Innocent of having aided the Jansenists (he hadn’t). Though his cause was shelved for over two centuries, Innocent had the last heavenly laugh and was beatified by Pope Pius XII in 1956. His feast day is August 2.

The King of France proved to be an extra large thorn in the side of Innocent X for his entire papacy. Basically, Louis XIV didn’t like to submit to anyone, much less to a churchman in another country, so he had little respect for the (legitimate) rights of the pope over the French Church. When Louis assembled the French clergy in what would be the beginning of the heresy of Gallicanism -- the erroneous belief that national customs trump Rome’s jurisdiction -- Innocent condemned the meeting and refused to recognize any aspiring bishops who had attended.

Episode 2 of their squabble featured two rival candidates for the See of Cologne, for which Innocent passed over Louis XIV’s candidate. Louis retaliated by taking Avignon (a papal territory), but Innocent still wouldn’t budge. Though the conflict outlived Innocent, French ally King James II would soon be overthrown in England, all but ending Louis’ ambitions and power in Europe. Score another one for the Church.

Fun Fact: Innocent XI was somewhat of a St. Pius V in miniature, considering he reassembled the Holy League (a group of Catholic princes) to drive the Turks out of Vienna. Joining with the German Estates and King John III Sobieski of Poland, the pope’s armies emerged victorious there before moving on to Hungary, where they won the Siege of Belgrade in 1688.