Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 7.djvu/27

 GREGORY

GREGORY

Arms of Gregory XV

prudence. After graduating at the University of Bologna in canon and civil law, he went back to Rome and was appointed judge of the Capitol by Gregory XIII. Clement VIII made him referendary of both signatures and member of the rota, and appointed him \'icegerent in temporal affairs of Cardinal Vicar Rusticuccio. In 1612 Paul V appointed him Arch- bishop of Bologna, and sent him as nuncio to Savoy, to mediate between Duke Charles Emmanuel of Savoy and King PhiUp of Spain in their dispute concerning the Duchy of Monferrat. In 1616 the same pope created him Cardinal- Priest of Santa Maria Transpou- tina. Henceforth Ludovisi re- mained at his see in Bologna until he came to Rome after the death of Pope Paul V to take part in the election of a new pope. On 9 February Ludo\'isi himself was elected successor of Paul V, chiefly through the influence of Cardinal Borghese, and took the name of Gregory XV. Al- though at his elevation to the papal throne he had already reached the age of 67 years and was. moreover, in a bad state of health, his pontificate of two years and five months was one of remarkable activity. He saw that he needed a strong and energetic man. in whom he could place imphcit confidence, to assist him in the government of the Church. His nephew Ludo- vico Ludovisi, a young man of 25 years, seemed to him to be the right person and, at the risk of being charged with nepotism, he created him cardinal on the third day of his pontificate. On the same day, Orazio, a brotlier of the pope, was put at the head of the pontifical army. The future revealed that Gregory XV was not dis- appointed in his nephew. Ludovico, it is true, ad- vanced 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. Eleven cardinals in all were created by Gregory XV.

One of the most important pontifical acts of Gregory XV, affecting the inner affairs of the Church, was his new regulation concerning papal elections. In his Bull ''^Eterni Patris" (15 Nov., 1621) he prescribes that in the future only three modes of papal election are to be allowed: scrutiny, compromise, and quasi- inspiration. His Bull "Decet Romanum Pontifi- cem" (12 March. 1622) contains a ceremonial which regulates these three modes of election in every detail. The ordinary mode of election was to be election by scrutiny, which required that the vote be secret, that each cardinal give his vote to only one candidate and that no one vote for himself. Most of the papal elections during the sixteenth century were influenced by political conditions and by party considerations in the College of Cardinals. By introducing secrecy of vote Pope Gregory XV intended to abolish these abuses. The rules and ceremonies prescribed by Gregory XV are substantially the same as those that guide the papal elections in our day. Gregory XV took great interest in the Catholic missions in foreign countries. These missions had become so extensive and the missionary countries differed so greatly in language, manners, and civilization from the countries of Europe, that it was extremely difficult to keep a proper control over them. At the request of the Capuchin Girolamo da Narni and the Discalced Car- melite Dominicus a Jesu-Maria, the pope established on 6 January, 1622, a special congregation of cardinals who were to have supreme control over all foreign missions (Congregatio de Propaganda Fide). Gregory XIII and Clement VIII had alreadv previously formed temporary congregations of cardinals to look after the interest of particular foreign missions, but Gregory XV was the first to erect a permanent congregation,

whose sphere of activity should extend over aU foreign missions (see Propag.\nda). For particulars concern- ing the rights and duties of the new congregation see the Bull "Inscrutabili"of 22 June, 1622, in "BuUariura Romanum", XII, 690-3.

Both Gregory XV and his nephew Ludovico held the reUgious orders in high esteem, especially the Jesuits. On 12 March, 1622, he canonized Ignatius of Loyola, their founder, and Francis Xav-ier, their most successful missionary. He had already per- mitted them on 2 October, 1621, to recite the office and celebrate the mass in honour of the angelic youth Aloy- sius of Gonzaga. (!)ther religious orders he honoured in the same way. On 12 March, 1622, he canonized PhiUpNeri,the founder of the Oratorians, and Theresa, the reformer of the Carmelites in Spain. In the same year he beatified Albertus Magnus, the great Domini- can theologian, and permitted the feast and office of

Tu.MB OF tiKEliuRY XV

Churcli of Sant' IgDazio, Rome

Ambrogio Sansedoni, another Dominican, to be cele- brated as that of a saint. On 18 April, 1622, he beatified the Spanish Minorite, Peter of Alcantara, and on 17 Feb., 1623, he ordered the feast of St. Bruno, the founder of the Carthusians, to be entered in the Ro- man Breviary. One layman, the Spanish husbandman Isidore, he canonized on 22 March, 1622. During his short pontificate he approved the famous Maurist Congregation of Benedictines, the Congregation of the French Benedictine nuns of Calvar}' (BiJnedictines de Notre- Dame du Calvaire), the Theatine nuns and the Theatine recluses, the Congregation of Pious Work- men (Pii Operarii), the Priests of St. Bridget in Bel- gium (Fratres novissimi Brigittini), and raised the Piarists and the Priests of the Mother of God (Clerici regulares Matris Dei) to the dignity of a religious order. On 18 March, 1621, he founded at Rome an international college for the Benedictines, the Colle- gium Gregorianum which was the cradle of the now famous international Benedictine college of St. Anselm. Before passing to the political achievements of Gregory XV, mention must be made of his Con- stitution " Omnipotentis Dei", issued against magi- cians and witches on 20 March, 1623. It is the last