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Name:
Pope Gregory XV
Born: Alessandro Ludovisio
Preceded by: Paul V (1605 - 1621)
Succeeded by: Urban VIII (1623 - 1644)
Roman Catholic Pope #235
Dates:
Born: January 9, 1554 (Italy)
Died: July 8, 1623
Pope: February 9, 1621 - July 8, 1623 (2 years)
Biography:
Gregory XV, the first pope to be educated by Jesuits, hoped to support Catholic
forces who were fighting Protestants in Germany, but was able to achieve little
aside from reinstating the dominance of Catholicism in Bohemia. He did, however,
reinforce traditional Catholicism by canonizing important Church figures in the
battle against Protestantism and in support of the authority of the Church:
St. Theresa of Avila, Francis Xavier, Ignatius Loyola, and Philip Neri.
Gregory also played an important role in the development of new rules governing the election of future popes, something which grew out of his background in law. The basics of the rules he helped develop are still in use by the Roman Catholic Church today.
Also Known As: none
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
Related Resources:
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