Pope Leo XIII (r. 1878–1903) created 147 cardinals in 27 consistories held at roughly annual intervals. With his appointments he approached but did not exceed the limit on the size of the College of Cardinals set at 70 in 1586. The size of the college was 64 at the beginning and end of Leo XIII's 25-year papacy. With 147 additions to a body of fewer than 70, Leo had, as one observer phrased it, "renewed the Sacred College more than twice".
The largest group of fourteen new cardinals, with two more kept secret, was announced on 16 January 1893. Nine of Leo's cardinals were created in pectore and only announced at a later consistory. Those announced at his first consistory included his brother Giuseppe Pecci. In 1893, he elevated to cardinal Giuseppe Sarto, who succeeded him as Pope Pius X in 1903. The cardinals he created included brothers Serafino and Vincenzo Vannutelli in 1887 and 1889 and cousins Luigi and Angelo Jacobini in 1879 and 1882. Another of Leo's cardinals, von Fürstenberg, had a cousin in the college appointed in 1842 by Pope Gregory XVI.
Of the 147 cardinals Pope Leo created, 85 were Italian. Only three were not Europeans: Gibbons (United States), Moran (Australia), and Taschereau (Canada). Pope Leo's appointments also included the first Australian, Moran, the first Canadian, Taschereau, the first Slovenian, Missia, and the first Armenian, First published: Window Quarterly, Vol. V, No. 3 & 4, 1995, pp 11-13. Hassoun, who was also the first prelate of an Oriental rite made a cardinal since 1439. Cardinals who died before visiting Rome to be assigned their titular churches included Guilbert, Lluch, and Rotelli.
Of the 147 cardinals Leo appointed, 63 survived him and 61 of them, along with one cardinal appointed earlier, participated in the 1903 conclave that elected Pius X.
12 May 1879
After waiting more than a year, on 12 May 1879, Pope Leo created cardinals for the first time, six of the order of cardinal priests and four of the order of cardinal deacons, including among the latter his brother, Giuseppe Pecci. On 22 September he gave red galeri to three of them (Desprez, Haynald, and Pie), as well as to János Simor, whom Pope Pius IX had made a cardinal in 1873. Von Fürstenberg joined his cousin Friedrich Prince zu Schwarzenberg, a cardinal since 1842. +NameTitle when named cardinalCountryFriedrich Egon von Fürstenberg (1813–1892)Archbishop of OlomoucJulien-Florian-Félix Desprez (1807–1895)Archbishop of ToulouseLajos Haynald (1816–1891)Archbishop of KalocsaLouis-Édouard-François-Desiré Pie (1815–1880)Bishop of PoitiersAmerico Ferreira dos Santos Silva (1829–1899)Bishop of Porto PortugalGaetano Alimonda (1818–1891)Bishop of Albenga ItalyGiuseppe Pecci (1807–1890)Vice-librarian of the Vatican Library ItalyJohn Henry Newman (1801–1890)Founder and Provost of the Birmingham Oratory Great BritainJoseph Hergenröther (1824–1890)Domestic Prelate GermanyTommaso Maria Zigliara (1833–1893)Rector Magnificus of College of Saint Thomas
19 September 1879 Pope Leo created four cardinals on 19 September 1879. +NameTitle when named cardinalCountryPier Francesco Meglia (1810–1883)Apostolic Nuncio to France ItalyGiacomo Cattani (1823–1887)Secretary of the Sacred Congregation of the Council ItalyLuigi Jacobini (1832–1887)Apostolic Nuncio to Austria-Hungary ItalyDomenico Sanguigni (1809–1882)Apostolic Nuncio to Portugal Italy
13 December 1880
Pope Leo announced the creation of one cardinal on 13 December 1880, reserving the names of three others in pectore. Pope Leo mentioned the last Oriental rite cardinal, Bessarion, when he announced Hassoun's name in the consistory. Hassoun was the first Armenian cardinal and first Oriental-rite cardinal since 1439. Ricci Paracciani's cousin Salvatore Nobili Vitelleschi was made a cardinal in 1875, just five months before he died. +NameTitle when named cardinalCountryAndon Bedros Hassoun (1809–1884)Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenians
Cardinal in pectore NameTitle when named cardinalCountryRevealed as CardinalCarlo Laurenzi (1821–1893)Auxiliary Bishop of Perugia Italy10 November 1884Francesco Ricci Paracciani (1830–1894)Prefect of the Prefecture of the Holy Apostolic Palaces Italy27 March 1882Pietro Lasagni (1814–1885)Secretary of the Sacred College of Cardinals Italy27 March 1882
27 March 1882
On 27 March 1882, Pope Leo announced the names of two cardinals he had created in pectore in December 1880 and created another five, revealing the names of all but one (Lavigerie). Angelo Jacobini joined his cousin Luigi, then Secretary of State, who was made a cardinal in 1879. +NameTitle when named cardinalCountryDomenico Agostini (1825–1891)Patriarch of Venice ItalyJoaquín Lluch y Garriga (1816–1882)Archbishop of SevillaEdward MacCabe (1816–1885)Archbishop of Dublin Great BritainAngelo Jacobini (1825–1886)Secretary Emeritus of the Sacred Congregation for Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs Italy
Cardinal in pectore NameTitle when named cardinalCountryRevealed as CardinalCharles Lavigerie (1825–1892)Archbishop of Algiers3 July 1882
25 September 1882
Pope Leo announced the creation of two cardinals on 25 September 1882. +NameTitle when named cardinalCountryAngelo Bianchi (1817–1897)Secretary Emeritus of the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars ItalyWłodzimierz Czacki (1834–1888)Apostolic Nuncio to France
24 March 1884 Pope Leo created two cardinals on 24 March 1884. +NameTitle when named cardinalCountryJosé Sebastião de Almeida Neto (1841–1920)Patriarch of Lisbon PortugalGuglielmo Sanfelice d'Acquavella (1834–1897)Archbishop of Naples Italy
10 November 1884
On 10 November 1884, Pope Leo announced the creation of eight cardinals and announced the name of one, Carlo Laurenzi, made a cardinal in pectore in December 1880. +NameTitle when named cardinalCountryMichelangelo Celesia (1814–1904)Archbishop of Palermo ItalyAntolín Monescillo y Viso (1811–1897)Archbishop of ValenciaGuglielmo Massaia (1809–1889)Vicar Apostolic Emeritus of the Galla ItalyCölestin Josef Ganglbauer (1817–1889)Archbishop of ViennaZeferino González y Díaz Tuñón (1831–1894)Archbishop of SevillaCarmine Gori-Merosi (1810–1886)Secretary of the Sacred Consistorial Congregation ItalyIgnazio Masotti (1817–1888)Secretary of the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars ItalyIsidoro Verga (1832–1899)Secretary of the Sacred Congregation of the Council Italy
27 July 1885
On 27 July 1885, Pope Leo created five cardinals of the order of cardinal priests and one cardinal deacon (Cristofori). +NameTitle when named cardinalCountryPaul Melchers (1813–1895)Archbishop of Cologne GermanyAlfonso Capecelatro (1824–1912)Archbishop of Capua ItalyFrancesco Battaglini (1823–1892)Archbishop of Bologna ItalyPatrick Francis Moran (1830–1911)Archbishop of Sydney AustraliaPlacido Maria Schiaffino (1829–1889)Secretary of the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars ItalyCarlo Cristofori (1813–1891)Auditor General of the Reverend Apostolic Camera Italy
7 June 1886
Pope Leo created seven cardinals on 7 June 1886. The two cardinal deacons Pope Leo created on 7 June 1886, Theodoli and Mazzella, were assigned their deaconries on 10 June; the other five cardinal priests were given their titular churches on 17 March 1887. +NameTitle when named cardinalCountryVictor-Félix Bernadou (1816–1891)Archbishop of SensElzéar-Alexandre Taschereau (1820–1898)Archbishop of QuébecBenoit-Marie Langénieux (1824–1905)Archbishop of ReimsJames Gibbons (1834–1921)Archbishop of BaltimoreCharles-Philippe Place (1814–1893)Archbishop of RennesAugusto Theodoli (1819–1892)Prefect of the Prefecture of the Holy Apostolic Palaces ItalyCamillo Mazzella (1833–1900)Prefect at Pontifical Gregorian University Italy
14 March 1887
Pope Leo created five cardinals, all cardinal priests, on 14 March 1887. +NameTitle when named cardinalCountrySerafino Vannutelli (1834–1915)Apostolic Nuncio to Austria-Hungary ItalyGaetano Aloisi Masella (1826–1902)Apostolic Nuncio Emeritus to Portugal ItalyLuigi Giordani (1822–1893)Archbishop of Ferrara ItalyCamillo Siciliano di Rende (1847–1897)Archbishop of Benevento ItalyMariano Rampolla (1843–1913)Apostolic Nuncio to Spain Italy
23 May 1887 Pope Leo created two cardinal deacons on 23 May 1887. Bausa was not yet a bishop and was only consecrated in March 1889. Pallotti was never consecrated a bishop. +NameTitle when named cardinalCountryLuigi Pallotti (1829–1890)Auditor General of the Reverend Apostolic Camera ItalyAgostino Bausa (1821–1899)Master of the Sacred Palace of the Prefecture of the Holy Apostolic Palaces Italy
11 February 1889
Pope Leo announced the creation of three cardinals on 11 February 1889. +NameTitle when named cardinalCountryGiuseppe Benedetto Dusmet (1818–1894)Archbishop of Catania ItalyGiuseppe d'Annibale (1815–1892)Titular Bishop of Carystus ItalyLuigi Macchi (1832–1907)Prefect of the Prefecture of the Holy Apostolic Palaces Italy
24 May 1889
Pope Leo created seven cardinals on 24 May 1889. Guilbert died less than three months later without having visited Rome to be assigned his titular church.
+NameTitle when named cardinalCountryFrançois-Marie-Benjamin Richard (1819–1908)Archbishop of ParisJoseph-Alfred Foulon (1823–1893)Archbishop of LyonAimé-Victor-François Guilbert (1812–1889)Archbishop of BordeauxPierre-Lambert Goossens (1827–1906)Archbishop of MechelenFranziskus von Paula Graf von Schönborn (1844–1899)Archbishop of PragueAchille Apolloni (1823–1893)Vice-Camerlengo of the Reverend Apostolic Camera ItalyGaetano de Ruggiero (1816–1896)Secretary of the Fabric of Saint Peter Italy
30 December 1889 On 30 December 1889, Pope Leo created a single cardinal without making it known. His brother Serafino was already a cardinal.
Cardinal in pectore NameTitle when named cardinalCountryRevealed as CardinalVincenzo Vannutelli (1836–1930)Apostolic Nuncio to Portugal Italy23 June 1890
23 June 1890
Pope Leo created three cardinals of the order of cardinal priests on 23 June 1890 and announced he had created Vincenzo Vannutelli a cardinal in pectore the previous December. +NameTitle when named cardinalCountrySebastiano Galeati (1822–1901)Archbishop of Ravenna ItalyGaspard Mermillod (1824–1892)Bishop of Lausanne and GenevaAlbin Dunajewski (1817–1894)Bishop of Krakow
1 June 1891
Pope Leo created two cardinals on 1 June 1891. Rotelli received his red hat from French President Sadi Carnot, but died before being invested by the pope with the other symbols of his new rank. +NameTitle when named cardinalCountryLuigi Rotelli (1833–1891)Apostolic Nuncio to France ItalyAnton Josef Gruscha (1820–1911)Archbishop of Vienna
14 December 1891 Pope Leo created two cardinals of the order of cardinal priests on 14 December 1891. +NameTitle when named cardinalCountryFulco Luigi Ruffo-Scilla (1840–1895)Prefect of the Prefecture of the Holy Apostolic Palaces ItalyLuigi Sepiacci (1835–1893)Secretary of the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars Italy
16 January 1893
Pope Leo created fourteen cardinals publicly on 16 January 1893 and two others in pectore. +NameTitle when named cardinalCountryGiuseppe Guarino (1827–1897)Archbishop of Messina ItalyMario Mocenni (1823–1904)Substitute for General Affairs of the Apostolic Secretariat ItalyAmilcare Malagola (1840–1895)Archbishop of Fermo ItalyAngelo Di Pietro (1828–1914)Apostolic Nuncio Emeritus to Bavaria ItalyBenito Sanz y Forés (1828–1895)Archbishop of SevillaGuillaume-René Meignan (1817–1896)Archbishop of ToursLéon-Benoît-Charles Thomas (1826–1894)Archbishop of RouenPhilipp Krementz (1819–1899)Archbishop of Cologne GermanyIgnatius Persico (1823–1896)Secretary of the Sacred Congregation of the Propagation of the Faith ItalyLuigi Galimberti (1835–1896)Apostolic Nuncio to Austria-Hungary ItalyMichael Logue (1840–1924)Archbishop of Armagh Great BritainKolos Ferenc Vaszary (1832–1915)Archbishop of EsztergomHerbert Vaughan (1832–1903)Archbishop of Westminster Great BritainGeorg von Kopp (1837–1914)Bishop of Wrocław