Pope Benedict XIII

Pope Servant of God Benedict XIII O.P.
Bishop of Rome
Church	Catholic Church
Papacy began	29 May 1724
Papacy ended	21 February 1730
Predecessor	Innocent XIII
Successor	Clement XII
Previous post(s)	Cardinal-Priest of San Sisto (1672–1701) Bishop of Manfredonia (1675–1680) Bishop of Cesena (1680–1686) Archbishop of Benevento (1686–1730) Apostolic Administrator of Benevento (1686–1730) Cardinal-Bishop of Frascati (1701–1715) Cardinal-Bishop of Porto e Santa Rufina (1715–1724) Vice-Dean of the College of Cardinals (1715–1724)
Orders
Ordination	24 February 1671 by Clement X
Consecration	3 February 1675 by Paluzzo Paluzzi Altieri Degli Albertoni
Created cardinal	22 February 1672 by Clement X
Personal details
Born	Pietro Francesco Orsini (1649-02-02)2 February 1649[1] Gravina in Puglia, Kingdom of Naples
Died	21 February 1730(1730-02-21) (aged 81) Rome, Papal States
Coat of arms
Ordination history
History Priestly ordination Ordained by Clement X Date 24 February 1671 Episcopal consecration Principal consecrator Paluzzo Card. Paluzzi (Card. Nep.) Co-consecrators Stefano Brancaccio (Vit. & Tusc.) and Costanzo Zani (Imola) Date 3 February 1675 Cardinalate Elevated by Clement X Date 22 February 1672
Episcopal succession Bishops consecrated by Pope Benedict XIII as principal consecrator Tiberio Muscettola 19 May 1680 Domenico Diez de Aux 13 November 1689 Fabrizio Cianci 30 November 1689 Marcello Cavalieri 15 January 1690 Giuseppe Rosa [it] 22 January 1690 Giuseppe Ponzi 22 January 1690 Pietro Vecchia 12 March 1690 Benedict XIV 16 July 1724
Other popes named Benedict

Pope Benedict XIII (Latin: Benedictus XIII; Italian: Benedetto XIII; 2 February 1649 – 21 February 1730), born Pietro Francesco Orsini and later called Vincenzo Maria Orsini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 May 1724 to his death in February 1730.^[2]

A Dominican friar, Orsini focused on his religious responsibilities as bishop rather than on papal administration. Orsini's lack of political expertise led him to increasingly rely on an unscrupulous secretary (Cardinal Niccolò Coscia) whose financial abuses ruined the papal treasury, causing great damage to the Church in Rome.

In the process towards sainthood, his cause for canonization opened in 1755, but it was closed shortly afterwards. It was reopened on 21 February 1931, but it was closed once again in 1940. It was opened once more on 17 January 2004, with the official process commencing in 2012 and concluding later in 2017. He now has the posthumous title of Servant of God.