ROME (dpa): An asteroid in space has now been named after the former pope Leo XIII.
The rock is orbiting the Sun under the new name (858334) Gioacchinopecci, the Vatican said on Wednesday, after Gioacchino Pecci who was Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903).
An Italian, he wrote the Roman Catholic Church’s first social encyclical - a papal letter of guidance sent to all bishops - and is still known as the "Pope of the Workers."
He was also referred to as such by the current Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost, who has been in the role for a year.
Leo XIII's legacy includes the Vatican Observatory, which he founded. Photographs from the early 20th century show the domes of the observatory’s telescopes on the walls of the Papal States.
The asteroid that has been named after him was first discovered by Lithuanian astronomer Kazimieras Černis and the Vatican Observatory astronomer, Father Richard P. Boyle.
Leo XIII is not the first pope to have an asteroid named after him. The minor planet named (8661) Ratzinger is named after the German pope, Benedict XVI (1927-2022).
There is also an asteroid named after Pope Gregory XIII (1502-1585), who created the Gregorian calendar. -- dpa
