Pope Gregory XV (Latin:Gregorius XV;Italian:Gregorio XV; 9 January 1554 – 8 July 1623), bornAlessandro Ludovisi, was the head of theCatholic Church and ruler of thePapal States from 9 February 1621 until his death in 1623. He is notable for founding the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, an organization tasked with overseeing the spread of Catholicism andmissionary work. Gregory XV was also responsible for the canonization of Saints Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier, Teresa of Ávila, and Philip Neri, which solidified his commitment to the Counter-Reformation.[1]
He returned to Rome in 1575 and he served as the Referendary of theApostolic Signatura from 1593 to 1596 and was appointed as theVicegerent of Rome in 1597, a position he maintained until 1598. He also served as the Auditor of theSacred Roman Rota from 1599 to 1612.
At the moment of his election, chiefly through the influence of CardinalScipione Borghese, at his advanced age (he was 67) and with his weak state of health he saw at once that he would need an energetic man, in whom he could place implicit confidence, to assist him in the government of the Church. His nephewLudovico Ludovisi, a young man of 25 years, seemed to him to be the right person and, at the risk of being charged withnepotism, he created him cardinal on the third day of his pontificate. On the same day, his youngest brotherOrazio was appointedCaptain General of the Church at the head of the Papal army.[3]
The future revealed that Gregory XV was not disappointed in his nephew. TheCatholic Encyclopedia allows that "Ludovico, it is true, advanced the interests of his family in every possible way, but he also used his brilliant talents and his great influence for the welfare of the Church, and was sincerely devoted to the pope".[3] Gregory secured for the Ludovisi two dukedoms, one for his brother Orazio, made aNobile Romano andDuke ofFiano Romano, 1621, and the other, theDuchy ofZagarolo, purchased from theColonna family by his nephewLudovico Ludovisi in 1622. A second nephew,Niccolò, was made reigningPrince of Piombino and Lord of the Isola d'Elba in 1634, having married the heiress, 30 March 1632.
He was a learned theologian and manifested a reforming spirit.[1] As an example, hispapal bull of 15 November 1621,Aeterni Patris Filius, regulated papal elections, which henceforth were to be by secret ballot; three methods of election were allowed: by scrutiny, compromise andquasi-inspiration. Whereas PopesGregory XIII andClement VIII had previously established temporary congregations of cardinals to look after the interest of particular foreign missions, Gregory XV established a permanent congregation, theCongregation for the Propagation of the Faith, on 6 January 1622, to operate as the missionary arm of theHoly See.[3]
The pope created eleven cardinals in four consistories that saw him elevate his nephew Ludovico and his cousinMarcantonio Gozzadini as cardinals; he also elevated the notedArmand Jean Richelieu as a cardinal.
He had been suffering fromkidney stones for some time and was bedridden from 16 June to 1 July 1623, having been suffering fromdiarrhea and astomach disorder that caused him great discomfort. His condition worsened on 4 July, as afever greatly weakened him, leading to his receiving theViaticum on 5 July and theExtreme Unction on 6 July, before succumbing to his illness two days later.[4]
Pope Gregory XV died in theQuirinal Palace on 8 July 1623. He was buried in the Church ofSant'Ignazio where more than 80 years later, the Jesuits erected a magnificent monument following the wish of Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi, who was also honoured in this monument.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Baynes, T. S., ed. (1878)."Gregory XV." .Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (9th ed.). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 178–179.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Ott, Michael (1910). "Pope Gregory XV". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
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Wassilowsky, Günther; Wolf, Hubert (2007).Päpstliches Zeremoniell in der Frühen Neuzeit – Das Diarium des Zeremonienmeisters Paolo Alaleone de Branca während des Pontifikats Gregors XV. (1621–1623) (in German). Münster: Rhema-Verlag.ISBN978-3-930454-80-8.
