Pope Innocent XII

Antonio Pignatelli, born to a noble family near Venosa, became a decisive reformer. In 1692 his bull Romanum decet Pontificem effectively abolished papal nepotism, barring popes from enriching relatives and limiting cardinal-nephews—a landmark in curbing a long-entrenched abuse. He devoted papal resources to the poor, converting part of the Lateran into a hospice. He secured Louis XIV's 1693 retraction over the Gallican Articles, easing a long Franco-papal rift. He also, in 1699, condemned Fénelon's Quietist-leaning Maximes des saints, though mildly. Austere and charitable, Innocent XII reshaped expectations of the papal office toward integrity and pastoral concern.