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Pope Clement XIV

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Religious Figure

The Resume

    (October 31, 1705-September 22, 1774)
    Born in Santarcangelo di Romagna, Italy
    Birth name was Giovanni Vincenzo Antonio Ganganelli
    249th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church (May 28, 1769-September 22, 1774)

Why he might be annoying:

    He was elected pope as a compromise, having been the candidate least objectionable to the various factions at the papal conclave.
    He gave in to political pressure from several Catholic monarchies and ordered the suppression of the Jesuits (1773).
    Ironically, he had been educated by Jesuits and reportedly had been named a cardinal through the influence of the General of the Jesuit Order.
    Pope Francis, the first Jesuit to become pontiff, briefly considered adopting the name Clement XV as a way of one-upping the Pope who suppressed the Jesuits.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was asked by Pope Benedict XIV to investigate the blood libel (claims that Jews murdered Christian children to use their blood in religious rituals) and concluded it was a load of bollocks (albeit in formal Latin).
    He founded the Museum Pio-Clementino to display antique and Renaissance sculptures (1771).
    He made 14-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart a Knight of the Order of the Golden Spur after being impressed by the child prodigy’s ability to perfectly transcribe a composition after hearing it once.
    The 1876 Encyclopedia Britannica claimed, ‘No Pope has better merited the title of a virtuous man, or has given a more perfect example of integrity, unselfishness, and aversion to nepotism.’

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 156 Votes: 48.08% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 6 Votes: 16.67% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 12 Votes: 41.67% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 8 Votes: 12.50% Annoying