1001–1453 • 1012:
Burchard of Worms completes his twenty-volume
Decretum of
canon law. • April 1033/1034:
Anselm of Canterbury is born • July 16, 1054:
Liturgical, linguistic, and political divisions cause a permanent split between the Eastern and Western Churches, known as the
East–West Schism or the Great Schism. The three legates,
Humbert of Mourmoutiers,
Frederick of Lorraine, and
Peter, Archbishop of Amalfi, entered the Cathedral of the
Hagia Sophia during Mass on a Saturday afternoon and placed a
papal Bull of Excommunication on the altar against the Patriarch
Michael I Cerularius. The legates left for Rome two days later, leaving behind a city near riots. • November 27, 1095:
Pope Urban II preaches to defend the eastern Christians, and
pilgrims to the
Holy Land, at the
Council of Clermont. • 1098: Foundation of the reforming monastery of
Cîteaux, leads to the growth of the
Cistercian order. • 1099:
Retaking of Jerusalem by the 1st Crusade, followed by a massacre of the remaining non-Christian inhabitants, and the establishment of the
Crusader kingdoms; Latin bishops are appointed to dioceses still largely populated by the Orthodox. • 1123:
First Ecumenical Lateran Council. Among other internal issues it tackled, Canon 3 of the council (in response to widespread abuse among the clergy) forbade priests, deacons, and sub-deacons to associate with concubines or women in general other than with female family members. • 1139:
Second Ecumenical Lateran Council, promulgated a rule forbidding diocesan or secular priests to marry. • 1144: The
Saint Denis Basilica of
Abbot Suger is the first major building in the style of
Gothic architecture. • 1150: Publication of
Decretum Gratiani furnishing a guide to canon law for centuries, until 1918. • 1179:
Third Ecumenical Lateran Council. • 1182: The
Maronite Church reaffirms its unbroken communion with the
Holy See. • 1184:
Pope Lucius III bans the
Waldensians. • October 2, 1187: The
Siege of Jerusalem.
Ayyubid forces led by
Saladin capture Jerusalem, prompting the
Third Crusade. • 1188:
Pope Innocent III issued a bull that proclaimed the emancipation of all slaves. • January 8, 1198: Lotario de' Conti di Segni elected
Pope Innocent III. His pontificate is often considered the height of the temporal power of the papacy. • April 13, 1204:
Sack of Constantinople by the
Fourth Crusade. Beginning of
Latin Empire of Constantinople. • 1205:
Francis of Assisi becomes a
hermit, founding the
Franciscan order of
friars. • November 11, 1215:
Fourth Ecumenical Lateran Council opened by Pope Innocent III. • November 30, 1215: Fourth Ecumenical Lateran Council is closed by Pope Innocent III. Seventy decrees were approved, the
pre-Thomistic definition of
transubstantiation being among them. • 1215:
Cardinal Stephen Langton, one of the early Catholic
English cardinals, became an important player in the dispute between
King John and
Pope Innocent III. The tense situation led to the signing and promulgation of the
Magna Charta. • 1216: The
Order of Preachers (Dominican Order) founded by
Dominic is approved as a body of Canons Regular by
Pope Honorius III on December 22 (Pope Innocent III having died in July). • 1229:
Inquisition founded in response to the
Cathar heresy, at the
Council of Toulouse. • 1231: Charter of the
University of Paris granted by
Pope Gregory IX. • 1233: In a papal bull or charter,
Pope Gregory IX gave graduates of
Cambridge University the right to teach "everywhere in Christendom". Other popes encouraged researchers and scholars from other universities to visit Cambridge, study there, and give lecture courses. • 1241: The death of
Ögedei Khan, the Great Khan of the
Mongols, prevented the Mongols from further advancing into Europe after their easy victories over the combined Christian armies in the
Battle of Liegnitz (in present-day Poland) and
Battle of Mohi (in present-day Hungary). • 1245:
First Council of Lyon. Excommunicated and deposed Emperor
Frederick II. • 1248: Commencement year of the building of
Cologne Cathedral; later finished in 1880. • 1254:
Pope Innocent IV grants to
Oxford University a charter (via the papal bull,
Querentes in argo). • 1274:
Second Council of Lyon; Catholic and Orthodox Churches temporarily reunited.
Thomas Aquinas dies. • 1295:
Marco Polo arrives home in Venice. • February 22, 1300:
Pope Boniface VIII published the Bull
Antiquorum fida relatio; first recorded Holy Year of the Jubilee celebrated. • 1298:
Gregory the Great,
Ambrose,
Augustine of Hippo, and
Jerome are made Doctors of the Church. • November 18, 1302: Pope Boniface VIII issues the papal bull
Unam sanctam. • 1305: French influence causes the Pope to move from Rome to
Avignon. • August 12, 1308: Pope Clement V issues the Bull
Regnans in coelis calling a general council to meet on October 1, 1310, at Vienne in France for the purpose "of making provision in regard to the Order of Knights Templar, both the individual members and its lands, and in regard to other things in reference to the Catholic Faith, the Holy Land, and the improvement of the Church and of ecclesiastical persons". • 1308:
Meister Eckhart, Dominican mystic, composes his
Book of Spiritual Consolations for Agnes, Queen of Hungary. • August 17–20, 1308: The leaders of the
Knights Templar are
secretly absolved by Pope Clement V after their interrogation was carried out by papal agents to verify claims against the accused in the castle of Chinon in the
diocese of Tours. • October 16, 1311: The first formal session of the
Ecumenical Council of Vienne begins under Pope Clement V. • March 22, 1312: Clement V promulgates the Bull
Vox in excelsis suppressing the
Knights Templar. • May 6, 1312: The Ecumenical
Council of Vienne is closed on the third formal session. • 1320:
Dante Alighieri completes the
Divine Comedy, one of the greatest works of world literature. • May 26, 1328:
William of Ockham flees Avignon. Later, he was excommunicated by Pope John XXII, whom Ockham accused of heresy. • 1370:
Catherine of Siena calls on the Pope to return to Rome. • 1378:
Antipope Clement VII (Avignon) elected against
Pope Urban VI (Rome) precipitating the
Western Schism. • 1387:
Lithuanians were the last in Europe to accept the Catholic faith. • 1395:
Julian of Norwich, mystic and contemplative, writes her
Revelations of Divine Love. • 1400:
Geoffrey Chaucer finishes
The Canterbury Tales, a compilation of stories told by pilgrims on a journey to the shrine of
St. Thomas Becket of Canterbury. • c. 1412–1431:
Joan of Arc, a peasant girl from France, has visions from God telling her to lead her countrymen to reclaim their land from the English. After success in battle, she is captured by the English in 1431 and is condemned as a heretic and executed by burning, at the age of 19. Later investigation authorized by Pope Callixtus III would conclude she was innocent and a martyr. • c. 1414–1418: The
Council of Constance occurs, formally ending the
Western Schism and condemning
Jan Hus as a heretic. • 1425: The
Catholic University of Louvain is founded in
Louvain, Belgium. • 1440:
Johannes Gutenberg completes his wooden
printing press using movable metal type, revolutionizing the spread of knowledge by cheaper and faster means of reproduction. This soon leads to the large-scale production of religious books including Bibles, more accessible now to the laity. • May 29, 1453:
Fall of Constantinople.
1454–1599 '' in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City • 1462:
Pope Pius II issued a bill in which he declared the Catholic Church's opposition to the slave trade. The pope's primary concern was that prisoners captured during the European wars should not be enslaved by the victorious powers. • 1492:
Christopher Columbus reaches the Americas. • 1493: With the
Inter caetera,
Pope Alexander VI awards sole
colonial rights over most of the New World to Spain. • 1495:
Leonardo da Vinci started to paint
The Last Supper. • 1497:
John Cabot lands in
Newfoundland, Canada, to claim land for King
Henry VII and to recognize the religious tradition of the Catholic Church. • 1498:
Vasco da Gama reaches
Calicut, India. • January 22, 1506: Kaspar von Silenen and first contingent of Swiss mercenaries enter the Vatican during the reign of Pope Julius II. Traditional date of founding of the
Swiss Guards. • April 18, 1506:
Pope Julius II lays cornerstone of New Basilica of St. Peter. • 1508:
Michelangelo starts painting the
Sistine Chapel ceiling. • August 8, 1511:
Pope Julius II creates the
Diocese of Santo Domingo, the first diocese in the Americas, as well as the
Diocese of Puerto Rico. • 1516: Sir
Thomas More publishes
Utopia in Latin. • October 31, 1517:
Martin Luther posts his
95 Theses, protesting the sale of
indulgences. • 1520: Pope Leo X releases a papal bull, "Debitum Pastoralis", which conceded that neither the Bishop of Utrecht nor any of his successors, nor any of their clergy or laity, should ever have his cause taken to an external tribunal (Rome or anywhere else) for any reason. Any such proceeding would be null and void. • January 3, 1521:
Martin Luther excommunicated by
Pope Leo X in the bull
Decet Romanum Pontificem. • March 16, 1521: Arrival of
Ferdinand Magellan in the
Philippines. • March 31, 1521: Baptism of the first Catholics in the Philippines, the first Christian nation in Southeast Asia. This event is commemorated with the feast of the
Santo Niño de Cebú. • April 14, 1521: The
Santo Niño de Cebú as gift by Hara Humamay (Juana) and Rajah Humabon to
Ferdinand Magellan. • October 17, 1521: Pope Leo X confers the title
Fidei Defensor to
Tudor King Henry VIII of England for his defense of the seven sacraments and the supremacy of the pope in
Assertio Septem Sacramentorum against
Protestantism. • 1525: Arrival of the Spanish Catholic missionaries in the
Philippines. • May 6, 1527:
Sack of Rome. • 1527:
Bartolomé de las Casas,
Dominican friar, begins working on his
History of the Indies. • 1531:
Our Lady of Guadalupe appears to
Juan Diego in Mexico. • April 27, 1533:
Juan de Zumárraga is consecrated first bishop of Mexico. • August 15, 1534:
Ignatius of Loyola and six others, including
Francis Xavier, meet in
Montmartre near Paris and form a group that would become the non-monastic religious order the
Society of Jesus. • 1534: The
Diocese of Goa is created by Portuguese missionaries to serve the Western Coast of India. • October 30, 1534:
English Parliament passes
Act of Supremacy making the King of England
Supreme Head of the Church of England, a national church canonically alienated from the bishop of Rome, the pope. The hegemony of one form of liturgy and order within the pre-Reformation English church is eventually broken or altered among ecclesial fractions, notably Dissenters, Anglicans (Church of England) and Catholics. • 1535:
Michelangelo starts painting the
Last Judgement in the
Sistine Chapel. • 1536 to 1540:
Dissolution of the monasteries in England, Wales and Ireland. Public strangulation and burning at the stake of
William Tyndale, Protestant Reformist. • 1537:
Pope Paul III issues a bull in which he declared the Catholic Church's opposition to the slave trade. The pope's concern was similar to the concerns of his predecessor, Pius II, that prisoners captured during European wars should not be enslaved by victorious powers. He also issues the bull
Veritas Ipsa, which decreed that indigenous people in the Americas were not to be enslaved. • December 17, 1538:
Pope Paul III definitively excommunicates King
Henry VIII of England in papal bull
Cum redemptor noster. • 1540: Pope Paul III confirms the order of the
Society of Jesus. • 1541 The
Archdiocese of Lima is founded as the diocese of Lima,
Peru. • July 21, 1542: Pope Paul III, with the constitution
Licet ab initio, establishes the
Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition. • 1543:
Polish scientist-cleric
Nicolaus Copernicus publishes a full account of the heliocentric
Copernican theory, titled "On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres" (
De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium). Considered as the start of the scientific revolution. • December 13, 1545: Ecumenical
Council of Trent convened during the pontificate of Paul III, to prepare the Catholic response to the
Protestant Reformation. Its rulings set the Counter-Reformation tone of Catholic Church for four centuries until the
Second Vatican Council (1962–1965). • July 27, 1549:
Francis Xavier reaches Japan and goes ashore at
Kagoshima, August 15. • 1551: First diocese of
Brazil is created with a Portuguese appointed bishop reaching
Bahia, Brazil, a year later. • 1562:
Palestrina finishes
Missa Papae Marcelli. • December 4, 1563: Ecumenical Council of Trent closed. The decrees were confirmed on January 26, 1564, by Pius IV in the Bull
Benedictus Deus. • April 27, 1565: Arrival of
Miguel López de Legazpi and
Augustinian friars in the Philippines. • April 28, 1565: Finding of the image of
Santo Niño de Cebú in
Cebu,
Philippines. • April 28, 1565: The
Basilica Minore del Santo Niño is the first
Roman Catholic church in the
Philippines. • 1568:
John Chrysostom,
Basil of Caesarea,
Gregory Nazianzus,
Athanasius of Alexandria and
Thomas Aquinas are made
Doctors of the Church. • July 14, 1570: Pope Pius V issues the apostolic constitution on the
Tridentine Mass,
Quo Primum. • January 24, 1571:
Miguel López de Legazpi conquers
Manila,
Philippines, with the zeal of Spanish Catholic missionaries. • May 19, 1571: Consecration of
Nuestra Señora de Guia (Our Lady of Guidance) as "Sworn Patroness of Manila" in
Manila,
Philippines. • June 24, 1571: Founding of
San Agustin Church in
Intramuros,
Manila,
Philippines. • October 7, 1571: Christian fleet of the Holy League defeats the Ottoman Turks in the
Battle of Lepanto. • 1571: French government of
King Charles IX decrees that "all prisoners are free in this kingdom, as soon as a slave has reached these frontiers and becomes baptized, he is free." • 1571: Founding of the
Manila Cathedral in
Intramuros,
Manila,
Philippines, as "Church of Manila". • 1577:
Teresa of Ávila writes
The Interior Castle, one of the classic works of Catholic
mysticism. • December 21, 1581: Construction of
Manila Cathedral in
Intramuros, Manila,
Philippines. • February 24, 1582: Pope Gregory XIII issues the bull
Inter gravissimas reforming the
Julian calendar. • October 15, 1582: The
Gregorian calendar is first adopted by Italy, Spain, Poland and Portugal. October 4 (Julian) is followed by October 15 (Gregorian) – ten days are removed. • 1582:
John of the Cross begins his
Dark Night of the Soul, a classic works of Catholic
mysticism. • 1582:
Matteo Ricci arrives at
Macau to begin his missionary work in China. • September 28, 1586: Domenico Fontana successfully finished re-erecting the Vatican Obelisk at its present site in St. Peter's Square. Hailed as a great technical achievement of its time. • 1589–91:
William Byrd composes his
Cantiones sacrae. His music, according to the
Encyclopedia Britannica, has "an intensity unrivaled in England and a breadth of scale unknown on the Continent." Byrd and his teacher,
Thomas Tallis, though both Catholic, were allowed to compose and perform music during the reign of
Elizabeth I. • 1593:
Robert Bellarmine finishes his
Disputationes de controversiis christianae fidei. • 1593: Printing of
Doctrina Christiana in
Manila, Philippines. • 1593–1596: Spanish Governor-General
Luis Pérez Dasmariñas commissions the image of
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of La Naval de Manila in
Manila, Philippines. • August 14, 1595: Canonical erection of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila,
Diocese of Nueva Segovia,
Diocese of Nueva Cáceres and
Diocese of Cebu in the Philippines. • August 21, 1595:
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila established in
Manila, Philippines. • 1596: Signing of the
Union of Brest between the See of Rome and the
Ruthenian Orthodox Church. • 1598: Papal role in
Peace of Vervins.
1600–1699 • 1600:
Pope Clement VIII sanctions use of coffee despite petition by priests to ban the Muslim drink as "the devil's drink". The Pope tried a cup and declared it "so delicious that it would be a pity to let the infidels have exclusive use of it. We shall cheat Satan by baptizing it." • August 25, 1601: Establishment of
San Jose Seminary, known as El Colegio de San Jose de Manila, in
Intramuros,
Manila, Philippines. • 1606: Arrival of the
Black Nazarene in
Manila, Philippines, from
Acapulco, Mexico; its home is the
Minor Basilica and National Shrine of the Black Nazarene/Parish of Saint John the Baptist in Quiapo district. • 1609:
Francis de Sales publishes his
Introduction to the Devout Life. Later, in 1616, he publishes
the Treatise on the Love of God. • 1610:
Claudio Monteverdi's
Vespro della Beata Vergine is performed. • 1610: Apparition of
Our Lady of Manaoag in
Manaoag, Pangasinan,
Philippines. • 1611–1619, 1639: Apparition of
Our Lady of Caysasay in
Taal, Batangas,
Philippines. • April 28, 1611:
University of Santo Tomas established in
Sampaloc, Manila,
Philippines, and also known as Pontifical and Royal University. • 1614:
Tokugawa Ieyasu bans Christianity from Japan. • 1618: Arrival of the image of
Our Lady of Mount Carmel in
Manila, Philippines; its home is
San Sebastian Church in Quiapo district. • 1620:
Colegio de San Juan de Letran established in
Intramuros,
Manila, Philippines. • 1621: Establishment of Cofradia de Jesus Nazareno in
Quiapo,
Manila, Philippines. • April 19, 1622:
Pope Gregory XV makes Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu a cardinal upon the nomination of King
Louis XIII of France – becoming
Cardinal Richelieu. His influence and policies greatly impact the course of European politics. • March 25, 1626: Arrival of
Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage from Manila going to
Antipolo, Rizal,
Philippines; its home is
Antipolo Cathedral. • November 18, 1626:
Pope Urban VIII solemnly dedicates the New Basilica of St. Peter 1,300 years after the first Constantinian basilica was consecrated by
Pope Sylvester I. • October 24, 1632: Establishment of Colegio de Santa Isabel in
Intramuros,
Manila, Philippines; its home is
Santa Isabel College Manila in Ermita district. • 1633: Trial of
Galileo, after which he is sentenced to
house arrest. of France • 1637:
Lorenzo Ruiz is a Filipino martyr of the Philippines and his companions martyred in Nishizuka Hill,
Nagasaki, Japan. • 1638:
Shimabara Rebellion leads to a further repression of Catholics, and all Christians, in Japan. • March 15, to October 4, 1646:
Battles of La Naval de Manila off
Manila Bay,
Philippines, was fought between the Spanish and Dutch naval warships. • 1653:
Coonan Cross Oath is taken by a group of
Saint Thomas Christians against the Portuguese. • 1667: Apparition of
Our Lady of Porta Vaga in
Cavite City,
Cavite,
Philippines. • 1671:
Rose of Lima, Peruvian lay member of the
Order of Preachers (Dominican order) and mystic, is canonized by Pope
Clement IX. • 1672:
Pedro Calungsod of the Philippines and
Diego Luis de San Vitores is the Spanish Jesuit missionary martyred in
Tumon, Guam. • 1674:
Quebec City, Canada, is elevated to a diocese with its own bishop,
Francois de Montmorency-Laval. At one time (1712), the Quebec diocese covered most of the American continent (French, English and Native American territories/colonies) to the
Gulf of Mexico. No other Christian community, Catholic or otherwise, had a bishop in those territories at the time. • September 12, 1683:
Battle of Vienna. Decisive victory of the army of the
Holy League, under King
John III Sobieski of Poland, over the Ottoman Turks, under Grand Vizier Merzifonlu
Kara Mustafa Pasha. The Turks do not threaten Western Europe militarily again. • 1685:
Louis XIV revokes the
Edict of Nantes, and large numbers of
Huguenot refugees leave France. • 1687:
John Dryden, dominant English literary figure and influence of his age, publishes
The Hind and the Panther to celebrate his conversion to Catholicism. • 1691:
Pope Innocent XII declares against
nepotism and
simony.
1700–1799 • April 28, 1702: Establishment of the Royal and Conciliar San Carlos Seminary (now
San Carlos Seminary) in
Manila,
Philippines; its home is in
Makati City. • 1710: Carving of the original image of
Our Lady of Peñafrancia in
Naga City,
Camarines Sur,
Philippines. • 1713:
Encyclical Unigenitus condemns
Jansenism. • 1715:
Pope Clement XI rules against the Jesuits in the
Chinese Rites controversy. Reversed by
Pius XII in 1939. • 1720:
Anselm of Canterbury made Doctor of the Church. • 1721:
Kangxi Emperor bans Christian missions in China. • 1729:
Pope Benedict XIII recognized
Cyril VI as the legitimate
Patriarch of Antioch and recognized his followers as being in
full communion with the Catholic Church. • 1736: The
Synod of Mount Lebanon takes place in which the Maronite Church reforms itself and aligns closer with the Latin Church. • 1737:
Vincent de Paul, French priest who dedicated his life and ministry to serving the poor, is canonized by Pope Clement XII. • April 28, 1738:
Pope Clement XII publishes the bull
In Eminenti forbidding Catholics from joining, aiding, socializing or otherwise directly or indirectly helping the organizations of
Freemasonry and Freemasons under pain of excommunication. Membership to any secret society would also incur the penalty of excommunication. • 1738:
Grey Nuns founded. • 1740: Publication of
Richard Challoner's
Garden of the Soul. • 1740–1758:
Pope Benedict XIV appointed first women as professors to Papal Universities in Bologna, reformed canonization procedures: an intellectual open to all sciences; • 1769:
Passionist religious institute granted full rights by
Pope Clement XIV. • 1769:
Junípero Serra establishes
Mission San Diego de Alcalá, the first of the
Spanish missions in Alta California. The Jesuits had founded missions in
Baja California from 1684. • 1773:
Suppression of the Jesuits by
Pope Clement XIV, already excluded from many states. Only in the
Russian Empire are they able to remain. • 1784: Baptism of the first Korean Catholic. • 1789:
John Carroll becomes the
Bishop of Baltimore, the first bishop in the United States. • 1789:
Georgetown University is founded as Georgetown College. It is the oldest Catholic university in the United States and the first of 28 colleges and universities founded by the Jesuits in the US. • 1791:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composes
Ave verum corpus and his unfinished
Requiem. • 1793:
French Revolution institutes
anti-clerical measures. • 1798:
Joseph Haydn,
Austrian composer and teacher of
Beethoven, composed
The Creation (Haydn), an oratorio that celebrates and portrays the creation as recounted in the
Book of Genesis. • 1798:
Pope Pius VI taken prisoner by the armies of
Napoleon Bonaparte, dies in captivity in France.
19th century • 1800–1823:
Pope Pius VII • 1801:
Queen Dowager Jeongsun bans Christianity from Korea. • July 16, 1802: French Concordat of 1801. The Catholic Church re-established in France. • December 2, 1804: Napoleon crowns himself Emperor of the French in the Cathedral of
Notre Dame, Paris, in the presence of Pope Pius VII. • August 6, 1806:
Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire • 1823:
Ludwig van Beethoven finishes his
Missa solemnis, started in 1819, and dedicates it to his friend and pupil,
Archduke Rudolf of Austria, archbishop of
Olomouc. • 1829: The
Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829, also known as the Catholic Emancipation Act 1829, is passed by Parliament in the United Kingdom. • 1830: the Chaldean Church leaves the
Church of the East to reunite with the Roman Catholic Church • 1837: Arrival of the French Catholic Missionaries in Korea. • 1839: In a papal letter,
Pope Gregory XVI declared the official opposition of the Catholic Church to the slave trade and to slavery. In the United States, Catholic slaveholders generally ignored the papal pronouncement and continued to participate in the institution of slavery. • 1842: The
University of Notre Dame is founded in
Notre Dame,
Indiana, by
Edward Sorin of the
Congregation of Holy Cross. • 1846:
Pope Pius IX begins his reign. During his reign he asks that an anti-Catholic document written by Freemasons known as the
Alta Vendita be distributed to alert Catholic officials of possible Masonic infiltration. • 1847: The
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem resumes residence in Jerusalem. • 1848:
John Bosco, priest, writer and educator, founds the
Salesians, a religious community based on the spirituality and the philosophy of
Francis de Sales, a Catholic bishop of
Geneva • 1850: The
Archdiocese of Westminster and twelve other dioceses are set up, re-establishing a Catholic hierarchy for the Catholic public in the United Kingdom against intense political opposition.
Westminster Cathedral is formally consecrated 53 years later, in 1903. • 1852: The First
Plenary Council of Baltimore is held in the United States. • 1854:
Dogma of the
Immaculate Conception by
Pope Pius IX • 1856:
Gregor Mendel,
Augustinian friar, scientist, and father of
genetics, begins experiments that lead to the fundamental laws of inheritance. • 1858: Apparitions in
Lourdes. • December 10, 1859:
Ateneo de Manila University established in
Intramuros, Manila,
Philippines was also known as Escuela Municipal de Manila. But later the Ateneo is located at Loyola Heights,
Quezon City. • 1862:
Paulo Miki and his companions, martyred in
Nagasaki, Japan (1597), are canonized by
Pope Pius IX. • 1863: La Salle University (now
De La Salle University) established in
Manila, Philippines. • 1865: The Society of African Missions of
Lyon establishes a mission in
Lagos,
Nigeria. The same Society establishes a mission in
Benin, five years later. • 1866:
Cardinal John Henry Newman finishes his autobiography,
Apologia Pro Vita Sua. • December 8, 1869:
Pope Pius IX opens the
First Ecumenical Council of the Vatican • July 18, 1870 – The Dogmatic Constitution of the Church of Christ from the fourth session of Vatican I,
Pastor Aeternus, issues the dogma of
papal infallibility among other issues before the fall of Rome in the
Franco-Prussian War causes it to end prematurely and brings an end to the
Papal States. Controversy over several issues leads to the formation of the
Old Catholic Church. This council was not formally closed until 1960 by Pope John XXIII in preparation for the Second Vatican Council. • 1873–75: The enactment of the
Falk Laws, legislation in Germany during the
Kulturkampf conflict with the Church which led to the expulsion of some religious orders from Germany. English poet and Jesuit,
Gerard Manley Hopkins, dedicated his famous poem "
The Wreck of the Deutschland" to five nuns who were forced to flee Germany because of the Laws and later drowned in a shipwreck. • 1877:
Francis de Sales is made a
Doctor of the Church. • 1878:
Cardinal Charles Lavigerie, archbishop of
Algiers and
Carthage, sends ten missionaries to
East Africa. • 1879: Encyclical
Aeterni Patris, by
Pope Leo XIII, prepares a revival of
Thomism. • 1888: The
Pontifical Catholic University of Chile is founded. In 2018, it ranked #1 university of
Latin America by QS rankings. • 1891:
San Sebastian Church completed in
Quiapo, Manila,
Philippines. • May 15, 1891:
Pope Leo XIII issues encyclical
Rerum novarum (Of New Things). • November 30, 1894: Pope Leo XIII publishes the
Encyclical Orientalium Dignitas (On the Churches of the East) safeguarding the importance and continuance of the Eastern traditions for the whole church. • 1895:
Mark Twain's
Personal Reflections of Joan of Arc is published by Harper's Magazine. • 1896:
Pope Leo XIII formally declares Anglican orders "absolutely null and void" in
papal bull,
Apostolicae Curae. • 1897:
Thérèse of Lisieux dies. • 1898: Secondo Pia takes the first photographs of the
Shroud of Turin.
20th century • 1900:
Edward Elgar sets to music Cardinal
John Henry Newman's
The Dream of Gerontius. • June 29, 1906: The Consecration of
Jorge Barlin as First Filipino and First Bicolano Bishop of the Diocese of Nueva Caceres (now.
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cáceres) in
Naga City,
Camarines Sur,
Philippines. • October 5, 1907: First Canonical Coronation of the Philippines including
Our Lady of La Naval de Manila in
Intramuros, Manila,
Philippines. • June 16, 1911: The Establishment of
La Salle University (now.
De La Salle University) in
Manila,
Philippines. • 1903–1914:
Pope Pius X publishes
Lamentabili sane exitu against Modernism, introduces frequent communion, and promotes
Gregorian chant. • 1914–1918:
Pope Benedict XV declares neutrality during World War I. His peace initiatives are rejected by both sides as favoring the other. Massive papal charity in Europe. • 1916:
Charles I of Austria is crowned Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Charles attempted to negotiate peace between the warring nations during World War I. His attempts at peace are largely ignored. • 1917:
Pope Benedict XV promulgates the
1917 Code of Canon Law for the
Latin Church, the first official comprehensive
codification of
Catholic canon law in history. The apparition of
Our Lady of Fátima occurs in Fátima, Portugal, over the course of six months ending in the
Miracle of the Sun. This apparition is very popular throughout the century. • 1918: Persecution of the Roman Catholic Church and especially the
Eastern Catholic Churches in the Soviet Union (until 1985). • 1922: Emperor Charles I of Austria dies in exile and poverty in Portugal. Later to become beatified as Blessed Charles. • 1922:
G. K. Chesterton, philosopher, poet, and writer, converts to Catholicism. • 1925:
Holy Year proclaimed by
Pope Pius XI.
John Vianney, French priest referred to as the ''Cure d'Ars'', is canonized by Pope Pius XI. • 1926: Beginning of
Church persecutions in Mexico until 1940, also known as the Cristero War or La Cristiada. • March 19, 1927: Foundation of the
Sisters of the Destitute (SD) at Chunungumvely,
Kerala by
Mar Varghese Payyappilly Palakkappilly. • 1927:
Georges Lemaître, Belgian priest scientist, first proposed on theoretical grounds that the universe was expanding. In addition, he was first to ascertain what is now known as
Hubble's law. He also proposed what became known as the
Big Bang. • October 2, 1928:
Josemaría Escrivá founded
Opus Dei, a worldwide organization of lay members of the Catholic Church. • 1928:
Sigrid Undset wins the Nobel Prize in Literature. • February 11, 1929: The
Lateran Treaty is signed by
Benito Mussolini and Cardinal Gasparri establishing the independent State of the
Vatican City and resolving the
Roman Question between Italy and the
Holy See since the seizure of the
Papal States in 1870. • October 5, 1929: Death of
Varghese Payyappilly Palakkappilly, founder of
Sisters of the Destitute. • February 12, 1931:
Vatican Radio is set up by
Guglielmo Marconi and inaugurated by Pope
Pius XI. First signal broadcast is in Morse code:
In nomine Domini, amen. • 1931–1936: Persecution of the Church in Spain. It is estimated that in the course of the
Red Terror (Spain), 6,832 members of the Catholic clergy were killed. • July 20, 1933: Concordat Between the Holy See and the German Reich signed by Cardinal
Eugenio Pacelli and
Franz von Papen on behalf of
Pope Pius XI and President
Paul von Hindenburg, respectively. • 1933:
Dorothy Day co-founded the
Catholic Worker with
Peter Maurin. • December 8, 1933: Pope Pius XI canonized
Bernadette Soubirous of
Lourdes. • 1935: Sir
Thomas More and
John Fisher, English martyrs, executed under the reign of
Henry VIII, are canonized by
Pope Pius XI. • July 16, 1935: Declaration of
Our Lady of Guadalupe as "Heavenly Patroness of the Philippines" and is home of the national shrine in
Makati City,
Metro Manila. • 1937:
Mit brennender Sorge encyclical against
National Socialism by
Pope Pius XI, written by Cardinals
Eugenio Pacelli and
Michael von Faulhaber. • February 3–7, 1937: The 33rd
International Eucharistic Congress held in
Manila, Philippines. The first congress in Asia and the first congress held in the Philippines. • September 1, 1939: Germany invades Poland, start of the Second World War. The Vatican, after trying to avoid the war, declares neutrality to avoid being drawn into the conflict. Massive Vatican relief intervention for displaced persons, prisoners of war and needy civilians in Europe. • 1939:
St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, was finished being built. • 1940:
Graham Greene publishes
The Power and the Glory. • During World War II: Convents, monasteries, and the Vatican are used to hide Jews and others targeted by the Nazis for extermination (see
The Myth of Hitler's Pope).
Maximilian Kolbe is martyred in Auschwitz concentration camp after volunteering to die in place of a stranger. The Nazis imprison and at times execute Catholic clergy, monks and nuns who criticize Nazi ideology. • September 12, 1942: Declaration of the
Immaculate Concepcion as "Principal Patroness of the Philippines" and is home of the
Manila Cathedral in
Intramuros,
Manila, Philippines. • 1943: Encyclical of
Pope Pius XII Mystici corporis describing the Catholic Church as the Body of Christ; • 1943: Encyclical
Divino afflante Spiritu, opening biblical research to Catholic scholars • 1943: Year of the founding of the lay association
Focolare Movement by
Chiara Lubich. The Movement promotes the ideals of unity and universal brotherhood. • 1944: The German Army occupies Rome.
Adolf Hitler proclaims he will respect Vatican neutrality; however several incidents, such as giving aid to downed Allied airmen, nearly cause
Nazi Germany to invade the Vatican. Rome is liberated by the Allies after only a few weeks of occupation. • 1945:
Evelyn Waugh publishes
Brideshead Revisited. • 1945: The Eight Churches in
Intramuros, Manila, destroyed during the
1945 Battle of Manila. • February 15, 1945: The
Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is founded in
Manila was become as "Catholic Welfare Organization". • 1945:
Battle of Manila: turning point in war in the Pacific; heavy losses of life and property. • 1948:
Thomas Merton,
Trappist contemplative, publishes
The Seven Storey Mountain. • August 18, – September 26, 1948: The Marian Apparitions of
Our Lady, Mediatrix of All Grace in
Lipa City, Batangas,
Philippines, are witnessed to Sis.
Teresita Castillo. • October 14, 1949:
Gabriel Reyes is the First Filipino Archbishop of the
Archdiocese of Manila in the
Philippines. • 1950:
Holy Year declared by
Pope Pius XII, who announced on December 25, 1950, that the Tomb of Saint Peter had been identified by archeologists underneath Saint Peter Basilica; canonization of
Pope Pius X and
Maria Goretti; encyclical
Humani generis • 1950: The
Assumption of Mary is defined as dogma by
Pius XII • April 9, 1951: Formal Establishment of the
Relations Between the Philippines and Holy See. • 1952:
Francois Mauriac wins Nobel Prize in Literature. He wrote the foreword to
Elie Wiesel's book
Night, having encouraged Wiesel earlier to write about his experiences as a Jew during the
Holocaust. • January 7–29, 1953: First Plenary Council of the Philippines. • 1954: First
Marian year in church history proclaimed by Pius XII; new feast
Queenship of Mary. • 1954:
J.R.R. Tolkien publishes
The Lord of the Rings, filled with Christian and Catholic themes. • 1954: Lay ecclesial movement
Communion and Liberation founded. • 1957:
Bernard Lonergan publishes
Insight: A Study of Human Understanding. • 1957:
Francis Poulenc, composes his opera,
Dialogues des Carmelites and two years later, the
Gloria. • 1958: The Post-War
Manila Cathedral in
Intramuros, Manila,
Philippines, is completed after the
Allied Liberation of Manila. • 1960: Senator
John F. Kennedy is elected, the first Roman Catholic president in United States history. • March 28, 1960:
Rufino Santos became the First Filipino Cardinal and became the 29th Archbishop of the
Archdiocese of Manila in the
Philippines. • October 11, 1962:
Pope John XXIII opens the
Second Ecumenical Vatican Council. The 21st
ecumenical council of the Catholic Church emphasized the
universal call to holiness and brought many changes in practices, including an increased emphasis on
ecumenism; fewer rules on penances, fasting and other devotional practices; and initiating a revision of the Mass, which was made more accessible by allowing the use of native languages instead of
Latin. Opposition to changes inspired by the Council gives rise to the movement of
Traditionalist Catholics who disagree with changing the old forms of worship and disagree with the rise of previously condemned philosophies. End of
Oath against modernism. • 1962:
Martin de Porres, a Peruvian lay brother, is canonized by
Pope John XXIII. • 1964:
Charles Lwanga and his companions, martyred in Namugongo,
Uganda (1885–87), are canonized by
Pope Paul VI. • 1964: Year of the founding of the lay movement
Neocatechumenal Way by Kiko Argnello and Carmen Hernandez. • December 7, 1965: Joint Catholic-Orthodox Declaration of
Pope Paul VI and the Ecumenical Patriarch
Athenagoras I. Mutual excommunication of the Great Schism of 1054 against Catholic and Orthodox is lifted by both parties. • December 8, 1965:
Pope Paul VI solemnly closes the Second Vatican Council. • 1966:
Roman Catholic Index of Prohibited Books abolished. • 1967:
Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement is established. • 1968:
Second Episcopal Conference of Latin America at
Medellín, Colombia, in follow-up to Vatican II. Latin American bishops call for "a
preferential option for the poor" and give their approval to
Christian "base communities". • 1968: Year of the founding of the international lay group
Community of Sant'Egidio by
Andrea Riccardi. • 1969: The Inauguration of
Radyo Veritas (now.
Veritas 846 (DZRV)) are stationed in
Quezon City,
Metro Manila,
Philippines. • 1970:
Revision of the Roman Missal, following on introduction of vernacular languages in celebration of
Mass. • 1970: Pope Paul VI canonizes the
Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. • 1970:
Catherine of Siena made
Doctor of the Church. • November 27, to 29, 1970:
Pope Paul VI visits the Philippines. • 1971:
Flannery O'Connor's
Complete Stories are published. • 1973:
Agnes Katsuko Sasagawa in the remote area of Yuzawadai, near the city of Akita in Japan, reports seeing a number of apparitions now known as
Our Lady of Akita. • 1973:
Gustavo Gutierrez, Peruvian theologian, Dominican priest, and founder of
Liberation Theology, publishes a pivotal book,
A Theology of Liberation: History, Politics and Salvation. • 1973: Year of the founding of the
Chemin Neuf Community by Jesuit priest, Laurent Fabre. • 1975–83:
Olivier Messiaen composes
Saint-Francois d'Assise. He is organist at
Eglise de la Sainte-Trinite, Paris from 1931 until his death in 1992. • August 26, 1978:
Pope John Paul I becomes the first pope to use a double regnal name. He reigns for only 33 days. • October 16, 1978: Pope John Paul II becomes the first Polish pope and first non-Italian pope elected in 450 years; influential in overthrowing communism in Poland. • 1979:
Mother Teresa awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. • 1979: Third Episcopal Conference of Latin America, at
Puebla, Mexico, confirms option for the poor and asks affluent nations “not to put obstacles in our way to progress.” • March 24, 1980:
Oscar Romero,
archbishop of San Salvador,
El Salvador, is assassinated while celebrating Mass at the Divine Providence Hospital. • 1980:
Czeslaw Milosz wins Nobel Prize in Literature. • 1981:
Henryk Gorecki composes
Miserere (Gorecki). • February 17–22, 1981:
Pope John Paul II second visit to Philippines. • February 18, 1981: Beatification of
Lorenzo Ruiz and companions by
Pope John Paul II held at Rizal Park,
Manila, Philippines. • 1983:
Pope John Paul II promulgates the
1983 Code of Canon Law, a new code of
canon law for the
Latin Church. • 1983:
Lech Wałęsa awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. • 1984: First
World Youth Day instituted by Pope John Paul II celebrated in Rome. Celebrated every year between Rome and a different city. • 1984:
103 Korean Martyrs are canonized by Pope John Paul II. • August 20, 1984:
El Shaddai DWXI Prayer Partners Fellowship International, largest
Catholic Charismatic Renewal movement group in the
Philippines, is established by Brother
Mike Velarde as Servant Leader and Most Reverend Teodoro C. Bacani, Jr. as Spiritual Adviser. • February 25, 1986: Manila Archbishop Cardinal
Jaime Sin mobilizes People Power in
Metro Manila,
Philippines; President
Ferdinand Marcos ousted. • 1987:
Marian year announced by John Paul II in the encyclical
Redemptoris Mater. • October 18, 1987:
Lorenzo Ruiz, layperson of the
Archdiocese of Manila,
Philippines, is canonized by Pope John Paul II as the first Filipino saint. • June 30, 1988: Archbishop
Marcel Lefebvre of the
Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) consecrates four men as bishops at
Écône, Switzerland, without the express permission of the Pope. Lefebvre et al. automatically incur excommunication. Traditionalist bishops of the SSPX continue to be suspended
a divinis. • 1990:
Pope John Paul II promulgates the
Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, a reform of
Eastern Catholic canon law. • January 1991: Australian Catholic University opens. • January 20 – February 17, 1991: Second Plenary Council in the Philippines. • 1991: The Soviet Union is officially dissolved. Persecuted Catholic Church re-emerges from hiding, especially in
Ukraine and
Lithuania. • Fourth Episcopal Conference of Latin America, at
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, showed a discontinuity with other conferences, as it was heavily controlled by conservative elements and by
Rome. • 1992: The new
Catechism of the Catholic Church is published, in Latin and French. • 1993: Crossroad Publishers publishes
Content of Faith: the Best of Karl Rahner Theological Writings. • 1993:
Duns Scotus beatified by Pope John Paul II. • 1994:
Ordinatio sacerdotalis, an Apostolic Letter upholding a prohibition against
ordination of women to the priesthood, is promulgated by Pope
John Paul II. • January 10, to 15, 1995:
World Youth Day 1995 in
Manila, Philippines, and third visit by
Pope John Paul II. • 1997:
Therese of Lisieux is made a
Doctor of the Church. • 1997: The Publishing of Catechism For Filipino Catholics are available in the
Philippines. == Third millennium ==