Born
9 January 1554
Birthplace
Bologna, Italy
Pope from
9 February 1621
Pope until
8 July 1623
Died
8 July 1623
Who he was
Educated by the Jesuits in Rome, he took degrees in canon and civil law at Bologna and served as a judge in the papal courts. Paul V made him Archbishop of Bologna in 1612 and a cardinal in 1616. Elected at sixty-seven and in poor health, he relied on his able young nephew, Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi.
What he is remembered for
In 1622 he founded the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith (Propaganda Fide) to oversee missions across the world, and his rules for papal elections, with a secret written ballot, still shape conclaves. On one day in March 1622 he canonised St Ignatius of Loyola, St Francis Xavier, St Teresa of Ávila and St Philip Neri, together with St Isidore the Farmer.
Sources
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