It is Leo XIII, the Italian Pope during the period 1878-1903, born as Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci (1810-1903), who stimulates the role of Mary in the Church. He promotes the Rosary and the scapular. A scapular is originally a shoulder cloth and later appears in a reduced form as a piece of fabric worn around the neck with a ribbon. This Pope issues 11 encyclicals on the Rosary. An encyclical (Latin: Encyclios, meaning “around”) is a papal letter that circulates. It is therefore a circular letter, expressing the teaching authority of the Pope. An important encyclical for the Rosary is Supremi Apostolatus Officio (The Supreme Apostolic Office) of 1 September 1883. In it, the broadening and strengthening of the Rosary is encouraged. Pope Leo XIII sees Mary as an intercessor between God and the faithful.
