Meet some of the real men of the Roman Catholic Church––saints, scoundrels, & sundry––from all eras. @RealRCWomen's companion. By historian @bronwenmcshea.
New York, New York
Joined October 2026
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Real Roman Catholic Men retweeted
Ironically, Pope St. Pius X, although he partly owed his election to Emperor Franz Joseph's exercise of the ancient, imperial "ius exclusivae" (something many emperors and kings had at their disposal for centuries during papal elections, if only occasionally actively employing it) quickly issued a papal decree prohibiting the "ius exclusivae" in 1904, describing any and all such lay, Catholic rulers' involvement with conclaves as "interference" from powers "external" to the Church.
Meet FRANZ JOSEPH I (1830-1916), Emperor of Austria & King of Hungary, husband to Elisabeth of Bavaria; & father of 4. Ruling amid crises such as Prussia's rise to dominance & the start of WWI, he used his imperial veto at the 1903 conclave, helping St. Pius X to be elected pope.
Real Roman Catholic Men retweeted
The conversion to Catholicism in Europe of the American revolutionary chaplain gained international attention in the late 18th & early 19th centuries, as his conversion story was published in multiple languages, including French.
Meet JOHN THAYER (c. 1758-1815) of Boston. After Yale, he was a Congregationalist minister & chaplain during the American Revolution but became a Catholic in Rome, studied with French Sulpicians, was the first New Englander ordained a priest, & ministered in the USA & Ireland.
Real Roman Catholic Men retweeted
Meet LORENZO DE' MEDICI (1449-1492), banking heir; ruler of Florence; unfaithful husband to Clarice Orsini; father of PP Leo X & 9 others; patron of Botticelli, Michelangelo, Ficino, & many more artists & scholars; & benefactor of the Dominicans, Augustinians, & other religious.
Real Roman Catholic Men retweeted
If you like my account @RealRCWomen, you may be interested in its new companion account, @RealRCMen. Here is my second post there:
Real Roman Catholic Men retweeted
Many Catholics today don't know that at the time of the Protestant Reformation & early European expansion in the Americas, Catholic Christendom wasn't just European but extended into Central Africa.
Meet MVEMBA A NZINGA / AFONSO I (c. 1456-1543), warrior, King of Kongo, & Catholic convert who adopted some Portuguese customs at his court, maintained diplomatic ties with Portugal & the Papal States, & had a son, Henrique, educated in Europe & appointed as Kongo's 1st bishop.
Real Roman Catholic Men retweeted
I have created a companion account to @RealRCWomen, called (of course) @RealRCMen. I will see how it takes off in the coming days, & I will likely post once every other day on both accounts now. And, I will not cross-post too much between the two accounts to keep things streamlined! In any case, please follow and share if this interests you! And thanks if you do!
