Pope Clement XII

Pope

Clement XII
Pope; Clement XII
Bishop of Rome
	Portrait by Agostino Masucci, c. 1730–40
Church	Catholic Church
Papacy began	12 July 1730
Papacy ended	6 February 1740
Predecessor	Benedict XIII
Successor	Benedict XIV
Orders
Consecration	18 June 1690; by Flavio Chigi
Created cardinal	17 May 1706; by Clement XI
Personal details
Born	Lorenzo Corsini; 7 April 1652; Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany
Died	6 February 1740 (aged 87); Rome, Papal States
Previous post(s)	Titular Archbishop of Nicomedia (1690–1706); Cardinal-Priest of Santa Susanna (1706–1720); Cardinal-Priest of San Pietro in Vincoli (1720–1725); Cardinal-Bishop of Frascati (1725–1730);
Motto	Dabis discernere inter malum et bonum; (Distinguish between good and evil)
Signature
Coat of arms
	Other popes named Clement

Pope Clement XII (Latin: Clemens XII; Italian: Clemente XII; 7 April 1652 – 6 February 1740), born Lorenzo Corsini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 July 1730 to his death in February 1740.

Clement presided over the growth of a surplus in the papal finances. He thus became known for building the new façade of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, beginning construction of the Trevi Fountain,^[2] and the purchase of Cardinal Alessandro Albani's collection of antiquities for the papal gallery. In his 1738 bull In eminenti apostolatus, he provides the first public papal condemnation of Freemasonry.

^ "Pope Clement XII (1730–1740)". www.gcatholic.org. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
^ Gross, Hanns (1990). Rome in the Age of Enlightenment: the Post-Tridentine syndrome and the ancient regime. New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 28. ISBN 0-521-37211-9.

[1] "Pope Clement XII (1730–1740)". www.gcatholic.org. Retrieved 2022-05-12.

[2] Gross, Hanns (1990). Rome in the Age of Enlightenment: the Post-Tridentine syndrome and the ancient regime. New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 28. ISBN 0-521-37211-9.

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