The Catholic Church honors Wednesday, Nov. 10, the memory of Saint Leo the Great (San Leo Magno), a Doctor of the Universal Church, and one of the greatest pontiffs in Church history.
Considered by Pope Pius XII as “the greatest among the great,” St. Leo served as the head of the Roman Catholic Church for 21 years (440-461). His exceptional and admirable qualities, remarkable faith, and deep learning raised the prestige of the Holy See to unprecedented heights and made Rome in Italy known as the “City of the Pope.”
Popularly known as one of the most significant figures in Christian antiquity at a time when the Church was experiencing the greatest obstacles to her progress, St. Leo worked for the unity of the Church and came up with a unified doctrine for the Catholic faith. Historically, he was best remembered for having persuaded Attila the Hun, known as “The Scourge of God,” not to attack Rome in the year 452.
St. Leo died in 461 and was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XIV in 1754.