Sixteenth Century: Seventeen Popes
215.Pius III, September 22-October 18 1503. On the death of Alexander VI, Cardinal Francesco Todeschini-Piccolomini was elected to succeed him. A man of impeccable character, he was a person of great personal dignity and education. He had been Cardinal Protector of Germany, spoke excellent German, and had been a patron of the Arts and culture throughout his life. He was at death's door when elected, but thought only of reform and peace. He so hated nepotism, that he forbade his nephew to come to Rome. His health was so poor that some of the customary ceremonies had to be omitted at his coronation, and he died of premature old age brought on by hard work at the age of 64. 10 days later. Sienese.
216. Julius II, 1503-1513. Under this Pope the Renaissance reached its peak. He was born of poor parents on December 5, 1443, and became a Franciscan. He has been accused as Pope of simony. And it appears that benefices and offices were sold, not for personal gain but to replenish the depleted coffers of the Church which had suffered to much although this is no more excusable than is the sale of indulgences. Against his faults must be balanced Julius's manifest love for the poor, and for refugees. He overthrew the tyrannical rulers of Perugia and Bologna - the Baglioni and Bentivogli. He gradually recovered the papal States, and then set about driving the French from Italy. His great ally was the Bishop of Sitten, Matthaus Schiner. A bronze statue of Julius II by Michaelangelo was destroyed by the Bentivogli. Regarded as one of the most beautiful statues in the world, not even a sketch remains today. When the French pulled out of Italy in 1512, Julius offered up prayers of thanksgiving in the Church of St Peter's Chains, in front of the chains that had bound the first Pope. Historians have regarded this as one of the most magnificent symbolic acts in the history of the Papacy. As Pope Julius could be reckless, impatient and tough, but never indecisive. He gathered around him Raphael, Bramante and Michaelangelo. On April 18, 1506 he laid the foundation stone of the new St Peter's. In 1505, Julius appointed the 29-year-old Michaelangelo to build his tomb. Among other things Julius founded the Swiss Guards, set up a Papal school of chant, still called the Capella Giulia today, and founded the first Arabic printing press in the world at Fano. He founded the first Bishoprics in Latin America. He also issued the dispensation that enabled Henry VIII to marry his dead brother's wife Catherine of Aragon. Italian.
217. Leo X, 1513-1521. Leo was a true renaissance Pope, aesthetic, generous, popular, and always good-humoured. He worked hard for peace, and showed great compassion towards his enemies. When Martin Luther nailed his thesis to the door of the Church in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517, no one was less capable of comprehending its significance than this kindly man who occupied the seat of Peter. His Bull excommunicating Luther took four years to be published, and Leo bestowed upon Henry VIII of England the title of Defender of the Faith for his vigorous defense of Catholicism against Luther. A spendthrift, he was always helping the poor, and particularly will be remembered for his indefatigable defense of the Jews. But he kept a Court of 684 people, four times as many as Pius II needed to rule the Church, from an Archbishop to a keeper of the elephants, from musicians to minor court poets and jesters. Sadly, this gentle man was no strong leader, and with Germany falling apart under Luther's hammering, and the Turks at the gates of Belgrade all government business had to be suspended in 1521 because of a ballet which was considered more important. When he died suddenly of malaria he left Europe in turmoil and the Church facing a challenge to its authority and teachings which has repercussions today. Italian.
218. Adrian VI, 1522-1523. Ascetic and devout, this son of a carpenter from Utrecht saw his principal role to consist in checking the reformation and the inroads that Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent was making into Europe: the latter had conquered Belgrade, and was threatening Hungary, and besieging Rhodes. A good man without political expertise, Adrian died having achieved little of his plans for reform, and disappointed. Dutch.
219. Clement VII, 1523-1534. Cultivated, experienced and hardworking, the new Pope did not appreciate the spiritual revolution going on in the Church. His precarious relations with the empire meant that virtually nothing was done either against the growing heresy in Germany, or the Turkish assaults in Hungary. In his handling of Henry VIII's request for a divorce he was vacillating, and the Church of England moved into schism. His efforts to prevent the adoption of Lutheranism in Norway, Denmark and Sweden were unavailing. However, while turmoil afflicted the Europeans he erected new Bishoprics in Latin America. A good person, he was unequal to the demands of the times. Italian.
220. Paul III, 1534-1549. As a young man not a good living person, he took his new duties seriously when named Bishop of Parma by Julius II, and reorganized his private life, and espoused reform. When Clement VII died he was the oldest Cardinal (67). A true renaissance Pope he restored Rome University, enriched the Vatican Library, and called for a General Council to tackle the major problems of Christendom. He revitalized the Sacred College with a series of brilliant nominations including Giovanni Carafa (late Paul IV), Gasparo Contarini, Reginald Pole and Marcello Cervini (later Marcellus II). He submitted a plain-spoken and far-reaching report on the need for reform in the Church and encouraged reform of the Religious Orders, and blessed new ones, among them the Ursulines and the Society of Jesus. He called the Council of Trent together on December 13, 1545. He tried to convince those who went astray, by intellectual argument. By two edicts he defended the rights of the American Indians persecuted and enslaved by the Conquistadores. He entrusted the direction of the building of St Peter's to Michelangelo: its most splendid creation, the cupola, was to symbolize a new era for the Catholic Church and the papacy. Italian.
221. Julius III, 1550-1555. The Englishman Reginald Pole missed out on election by a single vote. A typical Renaissance Pope, he carried through piecemeal reforms in the Church, encouraging the Society of Jesus and establishing the Germanicum, a college for German priests. He worked for the extension of the faith in the Indies and Latin America but the most striking success of his short reign was the return of England to Catholicism under Mary. Cardinal Pole, a relative of the Queen was sent to England to absolve the nation of schism. Roman.
222. Marcellus II, April 9 - May 1, 1555. When this holy, scholarly and generous Pope died, of a stroke from overwork after only 22 days as Pope, a contemporary quoted the beautiful words of Virgil, the Roman poet: 'Fate simply wanted to show him'. And on his grave the poet Faustus Sabaeus wrote: 'It is not the grave that honours the ashes, but the ashes that honour the grave'. One of his sisters was the mother of St Robert Bellarmine. Italian.
223. Paul IV, 1555-1559. Elected aged 79, this scholar who knew Greek and Hebrew as well as he knew Latin was to prove too unbending and intolerant for the times. He even quarreled with Mary I in England and at her death made the return of that country to Protestantism easier by demanding the restitution of all confiscated Church lands and requiring Elizabeth I to submit her claim to the throne to him. A good man who punished nepotism and corruption harshly, he laid the groundwork for future reform but was too severe in his treatment of those in error to win their hearts. He was too much a Pope like Boniface VIII to fit into the late-Renaissance world of his time. Italian.
224. Pius IV, 1559-1565. The election of Giovanni Angelo de' Medici who was friendly, lively, well-loved for his charity and yet a man of simple tastes and goodness, created universal approval and pleasure. He reconvened the Council of Trent and brought it to a successful conclusion. He could not prevent the spread of Protestantism but he injected new life into Catholicism. Under his protection, the 86 year old Michelangelo remained the builder in charge of St Peter's. In 1564, this greatest of artists who served under ten Popes and had done more than any man before or after for the glory of Rome, the Church and the Papacy, died. The pope wanted him to be buried in St Peter's, but he himself had asked that he buried in Florence. Pius is the only Pope, along with St Charles Borromeo, to star in an opera: Hans Pfitzner's legend Palestrina with its underlying theme of reform in the Catholic Church, and the implementing of the decrees of the Council of Trent. Italian.
225. St Pius V, 1566-1572. The new Pope had been a shepherd until he joined the Dominicans at the age of 14. His contemporaries looked on him as a man who would turn Rome into a Monastery. Ascetic, devout, and of irreproachable holiness of life, he set out to put all the decrees of the Council into effect throughout the world. He declared St Thomas Aquinas a doctor of the Church (1570), and Elizabeth I of England deposed, the last such sentence on a reigning monarch by a Pope. He formed with Venice and Spain a Holy League against the Turks and at the Battle of Lepanto (October 7, 1571) defeated forever Turkish ambition in the Mediterranean and Europe. Attributing the victory of Our Lady's intercession, he instituted the Feast of Our Lady of Victory, later changed by Clement XI to the Feast of the Holy Rosary. Italian.
226. Gregory XIII, 1572-1585. Did all he could do to further reform. Promoted educational colleges for the clergy; set up Greek, German, Armenian, Maronite, Hungarian and English Colleges in Rome. He supported the Jesuits in missionary work in India, China, Japan and Brazil, approved the Congregation of the Oratory, and the reforms of St Teresa of Avila. Realised the importance of the rediscovery of the Catacombs in Rome (1578). He supported an unsuccessful Irish uprising against Elizabeth I, and a plan for Phillip II to declare war on England. He died aged 84. Industrious and pious, charitable if politically unsuccessful, Gregory not only reformed the calendar, but encouraged the implementation of the decrees of Trent. Italian.
227. Sixtus V, 1585-1590. A man born to rule, this farm-worker's son set about restoring peace to the Papal States. By putting down banditry, regulating food prices, draining marshes, encouraging agriculture, he improved the lot of his subjects. He was successful in his attempts to win back England for the old faith by supporting the Spanish Armada. He saw Elizabeth of England as the greatest single enemy of the Catholic Counter Reformation, but he respected her talents as a ruler. He was a patron of building and scholarship. He established the Vatican Press that in 1587 published an edition of the Septuagint. A worthy Pope, he died of malaria. Italian.
228. Urban VII, September 15-27, 1590. A moderate, earnest and experienced Cardinal, his election provoked high hopes for the Counter Reformation. Although in good health, aged 79, he was stricken by malaria the night following his election and died before his coronation could take place. He bequeathed his personal fortune to the provision of dowries for impoverished Roman girls. Genovese.
229. Gregory XIV, 1590-1591. Very close to Saints Phillip Neri and Charles Borromeo, this holy man was completely inexperienced and unprepared for the high office to which he was raised. From his sick-bed he supervised the work of reform, and did all he could to alleviate the suffering to his people from plague, good shortages and brigandage. In a curious edict, he banned all betting on Papal elections (March 21, 1591). Italian.
230. Innocent IX, October 29-December 30, 1591. One of his first acts was to divide the Papal Secretariate of State into three sections: one for France/ Poland; another for Italy/ Spain; and one for Germany. On December 18 he fell ill, but insisted on making a pilgrimage to the seven Churches. He caught a chill and died after a few days. A scholarly man, he had written a book on Plato's Politics. Italian.
231. Clement VIII, 1592-1605. His life mirrored the ideals of Catholic reform. He was a conscientious worker, and even when confined to bed his piety and austerity were evident. He fasted, meditated, said Mass, made his confession with exemplary regularity and went on foot to the pilgrimage Churches. He issued revised versions of the principal liturgical books, the Pontifical (1596), the Breviary (1602) and the Missal (1604). He left the Papacy stronger and more independent than when we came to office. The Jubilee of 1600 was a brilliant witness to the success of the Counter Reformation. His dreams that England and Sweden would return to the Catholic faith were to come to nought owing to the scheming of James I, and the defeat of Sigismund of Poland by his Protestant uncle Charles of Sodermanland in 1598. Italian.
215.Pius III, September 22-October 18 1503. On the death of Alexander VI, Cardinal Francesco Todeschini-Piccolomini was elected to succeed him. A man of impeccable character, he was a person of great personal dignity and education. He had been Cardinal Protector of Germany, spoke excellent German, and had been a patron of the Arts and culture throughout his life. He was at death's door when elected, but thought only of reform and peace. He so hated nepotism, that he forbade his nephew to come to Rome. His health was so poor that some of the customary ceremonies had to be omitted at his coronation, and he died of premature old age brought on by hard work at the age of 64. 10 days later. Sienese.
216. Julius II, 1503-1513. Under this Pope the Renaissance reached its peak. He was born of poor parents on December 5, 1443, and became a Franciscan. He has been accused as Pope of simony. And it appears that benefices and offices were sold, not for personal gain but to replenish the depleted coffers of the Church which had suffered to much although this is no more excusable than is the sale of indulgences. Against his faults must be balanced Julius's manifest love for the poor, and for refugees. He overthrew the tyrannical rulers of Perugia and Bologna - the Baglioni and Bentivogli. He gradually recovered the papal States, and then set about driving the French from Italy. His great ally was the Bishop of Sitten, Matthaus Schiner. A bronze statue of Julius II by Michaelangelo was destroyed by the Bentivogli. Regarded as one of the most beautiful statues in the world, not even a sketch remains today. When the French pulled out of Italy in 1512, Julius offered up prayers of thanksgiving in the Church of St Peter's Chains, in front of the chains that had bound the first Pope. Historians have regarded this as one of the most magnificent symbolic acts in the history of the Papacy. As Pope Julius could be reckless, impatient and tough, but never indecisive. He gathered around him Raphael, Bramante and Michaelangelo. On April 18, 1506 he laid the foundation stone of the new St Peter's. In 1505, Julius appointed the 29-year-old Michaelangelo to build his tomb. Among other things Julius founded the Swiss Guards, set up a Papal school of chant, still called the Capella Giulia today, and founded the first Arabic printing press in the world at Fano. He founded the first Bishoprics in Latin America. He also issued the dispensation that enabled Henry VIII to marry his dead brother's wife Catherine of Aragon. Italian.
217. Leo X, 1513-1521. Leo was a true renaissance Pope, aesthetic, generous, popular, and always good-humoured. He worked hard for peace, and showed great compassion towards his enemies. When Martin Luther nailed his thesis to the door of the Church in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517, no one was less capable of comprehending its significance than this kindly man who occupied the seat of Peter. His Bull excommunicating Luther took four years to be published, and Leo bestowed upon Henry VIII of England the title of Defender of the Faith for his vigorous defense of Catholicism against Luther. A spendthrift, he was always helping the poor, and particularly will be remembered for his indefatigable defense of the Jews. But he kept a Court of 684 people, four times as many as Pius II needed to rule the Church, from an Archbishop to a keeper of the elephants, from musicians to minor court poets and jesters. Sadly, this gentle man was no strong leader, and with Germany falling apart under Luther's hammering, and the Turks at the gates of Belgrade all government business had to be suspended in 1521 because of a ballet which was considered more important. When he died suddenly of malaria he left Europe in turmoil and the Church facing a challenge to its authority and teachings which has repercussions today. Italian.
218. Adrian VI, 1522-1523. Ascetic and devout, this son of a carpenter from Utrecht saw his principal role to consist in checking the reformation and the inroads that Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent was making into Europe: the latter had conquered Belgrade, and was threatening Hungary, and besieging Rhodes. A good man without political expertise, Adrian died having achieved little of his plans for reform, and disappointed. Dutch.
219. Clement VII, 1523-1534. Cultivated, experienced and hardworking, the new Pope did not appreciate the spiritual revolution going on in the Church. His precarious relations with the empire meant that virtually nothing was done either against the growing heresy in Germany, or the Turkish assaults in Hungary. In his handling of Henry VIII's request for a divorce he was vacillating, and the Church of England moved into schism. His efforts to prevent the adoption of Lutheranism in Norway, Denmark and Sweden were unavailing. However, while turmoil afflicted the Europeans he erected new Bishoprics in Latin America. A good person, he was unequal to the demands of the times. Italian.
220. Paul III, 1534-1549. As a young man not a good living person, he took his new duties seriously when named Bishop of Parma by Julius II, and reorganized his private life, and espoused reform. When Clement VII died he was the oldest Cardinal (67). A true renaissance Pope he restored Rome University, enriched the Vatican Library, and called for a General Council to tackle the major problems of Christendom. He revitalized the Sacred College with a series of brilliant nominations including Giovanni Carafa (late Paul IV), Gasparo Contarini, Reginald Pole and Marcello Cervini (later Marcellus II). He submitted a plain-spoken and far-reaching report on the need for reform in the Church and encouraged reform of the Religious Orders, and blessed new ones, among them the Ursulines and the Society of Jesus. He called the Council of Trent together on December 13, 1545. He tried to convince those who went astray, by intellectual argument. By two edicts he defended the rights of the American Indians persecuted and enslaved by the Conquistadores. He entrusted the direction of the building of St Peter's to Michelangelo: its most splendid creation, the cupola, was to symbolize a new era for the Catholic Church and the papacy. Italian.
221. Julius III, 1550-1555. The Englishman Reginald Pole missed out on election by a single vote. A typical Renaissance Pope, he carried through piecemeal reforms in the Church, encouraging the Society of Jesus and establishing the Germanicum, a college for German priests. He worked for the extension of the faith in the Indies and Latin America but the most striking success of his short reign was the return of England to Catholicism under Mary. Cardinal Pole, a relative of the Queen was sent to England to absolve the nation of schism. Roman.
222. Marcellus II, April 9 - May 1, 1555. When this holy, scholarly and generous Pope died, of a stroke from overwork after only 22 days as Pope, a contemporary quoted the beautiful words of Virgil, the Roman poet: 'Fate simply wanted to show him'. And on his grave the poet Faustus Sabaeus wrote: 'It is not the grave that honours the ashes, but the ashes that honour the grave'. One of his sisters was the mother of St Robert Bellarmine. Italian.
223. Paul IV, 1555-1559. Elected aged 79, this scholar who knew Greek and Hebrew as well as he knew Latin was to prove too unbending and intolerant for the times. He even quarreled with Mary I in England and at her death made the return of that country to Protestantism easier by demanding the restitution of all confiscated Church lands and requiring Elizabeth I to submit her claim to the throne to him. A good man who punished nepotism and corruption harshly, he laid the groundwork for future reform but was too severe in his treatment of those in error to win their hearts. He was too much a Pope like Boniface VIII to fit into the late-Renaissance world of his time. Italian.
224. Pius IV, 1559-1565. The election of Giovanni Angelo de' Medici who was friendly, lively, well-loved for his charity and yet a man of simple tastes and goodness, created universal approval and pleasure. He reconvened the Council of Trent and brought it to a successful conclusion. He could not prevent the spread of Protestantism but he injected new life into Catholicism. Under his protection, the 86 year old Michelangelo remained the builder in charge of St Peter's. In 1564, this greatest of artists who served under ten Popes and had done more than any man before or after for the glory of Rome, the Church and the Papacy, died. The pope wanted him to be buried in St Peter's, but he himself had asked that he buried in Florence. Pius is the only Pope, along with St Charles Borromeo, to star in an opera: Hans Pfitzner's legend Palestrina with its underlying theme of reform in the Catholic Church, and the implementing of the decrees of the Council of Trent. Italian.
225. St Pius V, 1566-1572. The new Pope had been a shepherd until he joined the Dominicans at the age of 14. His contemporaries looked on him as a man who would turn Rome into a Monastery. Ascetic, devout, and of irreproachable holiness of life, he set out to put all the decrees of the Council into effect throughout the world. He declared St Thomas Aquinas a doctor of the Church (1570), and Elizabeth I of England deposed, the last such sentence on a reigning monarch by a Pope. He formed with Venice and Spain a Holy League against the Turks and at the Battle of Lepanto (October 7, 1571) defeated forever Turkish ambition in the Mediterranean and Europe. Attributing the victory of Our Lady's intercession, he instituted the Feast of Our Lady of Victory, later changed by Clement XI to the Feast of the Holy Rosary. Italian.
226. Gregory XIII, 1572-1585. Did all he could do to further reform. Promoted educational colleges for the clergy; set up Greek, German, Armenian, Maronite, Hungarian and English Colleges in Rome. He supported the Jesuits in missionary work in India, China, Japan and Brazil, approved the Congregation of the Oratory, and the reforms of St Teresa of Avila. Realised the importance of the rediscovery of the Catacombs in Rome (1578). He supported an unsuccessful Irish uprising against Elizabeth I, and a plan for Phillip II to declare war on England. He died aged 84. Industrious and pious, charitable if politically unsuccessful, Gregory not only reformed the calendar, but encouraged the implementation of the decrees of Trent. Italian.
227. Sixtus V, 1585-1590. A man born to rule, this farm-worker's son set about restoring peace to the Papal States. By putting down banditry, regulating food prices, draining marshes, encouraging agriculture, he improved the lot of his subjects. He was successful in his attempts to win back England for the old faith by supporting the Spanish Armada. He saw Elizabeth of England as the greatest single enemy of the Catholic Counter Reformation, but he respected her talents as a ruler. He was a patron of building and scholarship. He established the Vatican Press that in 1587 published an edition of the Septuagint. A worthy Pope, he died of malaria. Italian.
228. Urban VII, September 15-27, 1590. A moderate, earnest and experienced Cardinal, his election provoked high hopes for the Counter Reformation. Although in good health, aged 79, he was stricken by malaria the night following his election and died before his coronation could take place. He bequeathed his personal fortune to the provision of dowries for impoverished Roman girls. Genovese.
229. Gregory XIV, 1590-1591. Very close to Saints Phillip Neri and Charles Borromeo, this holy man was completely inexperienced and unprepared for the high office to which he was raised. From his sick-bed he supervised the work of reform, and did all he could to alleviate the suffering to his people from plague, good shortages and brigandage. In a curious edict, he banned all betting on Papal elections (March 21, 1591). Italian.
230. Innocent IX, October 29-December 30, 1591. One of his first acts was to divide the Papal Secretariate of State into three sections: one for France/ Poland; another for Italy/ Spain; and one for Germany. On December 18 he fell ill, but insisted on making a pilgrimage to the seven Churches. He caught a chill and died after a few days. A scholarly man, he had written a book on Plato's Politics. Italian.
231. Clement VIII, 1592-1605. His life mirrored the ideals of Catholic reform. He was a conscientious worker, and even when confined to bed his piety and austerity were evident. He fasted, meditated, said Mass, made his confession with exemplary regularity and went on foot to the pilgrimage Churches. He issued revised versions of the principal liturgical books, the Pontifical (1596), the Breviary (1602) and the Missal (1604). He left the Papacy stronger and more independent than when we came to office. The Jubilee of 1600 was a brilliant witness to the success of the Counter Reformation. His dreams that England and Sweden would return to the Catholic faith were to come to nought owing to the scheming of James I, and the defeat of Sigismund of Poland by his Protestant uncle Charles of Sodermanland in 1598. Italian.
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