| − | '''His Holiness, Pope Pius IX, Vicar of Christ''' (May 13, 1792-February 7, 1878) was the [[Pope]] and leader of the [[Catholic church]] from June 16, 1846 to February 7, 1878. He convened the [[First Vatican Council]], fought [[secularism]] in a rebellious [[Italy]] and an increasingly progressive [[France]], and became a [[saint]] during the papacy of [[Pope John Paul II]]. | + | '''His Holiness, Pope Pius IX, Vicar of Christ''' (May 13, 1792-February 7, 1878) - born '''Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti''' - was the [[Pope]] and leader of the [[Catholic church]] from June 16, 1846 to February 7, 1878. He convened the [[First Vatican Council]], fought [[secularism]] in a rebellious [[Italy]] and an increasingly progressive [[France]], and became a [[saint]] during the papacy of [[Pope John Paul II]]. |