Pope Leo XIII called for a return to the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas in the late 19th century to counter modernizing trends in philosophy and science. Thomism, the philosophy of Aquinas and his later interpreters, became the official philosophy of the Roman Catholic Church in 1917 following a recommendation from the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas' philosophy emphasized faith and reason could coexist and his writings were aimed at reconciling Aristotle with Christianity.