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Pope Leo XIII is known for his development of the social doctrine of the Church, but few people know that he used to be called the Pope of the Rosary. In an era "when all evils have accumulated to oppress the Church under their weight," Leo XIII conceived the idea of resorting to the instrument which in the past had already proved its worth. He decided to promote again the Rosary of St Dominic and St Pius V.
For this reason, in his encyclical of September 1, 1883 (Supremi Apostolatus Officio), he decreed and appointed the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary throughout the Catholic world, to be celebrated with special reverence and solemnity. And he asked that from October 1st to November 2nd, fervent recitation would be made of at least five decades of the Rosary, followed by the Litany of Loreto in all the parish churches.
On August 20, 1885, a decree of the Sacred Congregation of Rites extended this annual celebration indefinitely, "as long as this sad state of affairs continues for the Church and for public affairs.”