Pope Clement XII

Clement XII, pope (1730-1740), born Lorenzo Corsini in Florence, elected at the age of 78. His first act was the trial and condemnation of Cardinal Coscia, guilty of corrupt behavior in office under his predecessor. Little else of importance occurred under his administration, during the greater part of which, according to some historians, he was afflicted with blindness. He was the first pontiff who condemned the Freemasons.