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Name:
Pope Gregory XVI
Born: Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari
Preceded by: Pius VIII (1829 - 1830)
Succeeded by: Blessed Pius IX (1846 - 1878)
Roman Catholic Pope #255
Dates:
Born: September 18, 1765 (Italy)
Died: June 1, 1864
Pope: February 2, 1831 - June 1, 1864 (15 years)
Biography:
Gregory XVI came from an aristocratic family and was the last monk to be pope; prior to
assuming the papal throne he was a Camadolese monk and had been the Vicar-general
of the Camaldolese order. Gregory was known as a strong reactionary, opposing all
aspects of modernism and liberalism whether they were in matters of religion, philosophy
or politics. He even banned railroads within his region of authority because he regarded
them as a dangerous invention of modernity.
Before he became pope, Pius had actively defended the principles of both papal sovereignty and papal infallibility. He did not permit internal dissent when it came to orthodoxy and punished H.F.R de Lammenais, a French priest who started the newspaper L'Avenir (The Future) which promoted ideas like the separation of church and state, religious liberty and the freedom of the press. He resisted attempts by others to introduct reforms in the papal governments and, instead, worked to further centralize authority.
Gregory was not entirely successful when it came to dealing with the political sphere. His policies and style of administration helped push the Papal States into open revolt, something which was only suppressed with the aid of the Austrian military. With regards to foreign policy, he came into conflict with the governments of Spain, Portugal and Switzerland when they passed laws he thought were anti-clerical.
Also Known As: none
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
Related Resources:
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