Pope gregory the 13th

Pope gregory x
Pope gregory viii third crusade
Pope alexander iii

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Pope Gregory VIII was the 173rd pope in the Catholic Church and one of many men to use the Gregory name as opposed to their given names. Many remember him for his support of the Third Crusade and for his short papacy, which lasted for less than two months. That short papacy and his life are features we’ll look at in this article.

Early Life

The future Pope Gregory VIII was born circa 1100 Ad in Benevento. He grew up in the Papal States and attended church from an early age. The pope’s father was a nobleman and a member of the wealthy di Morra family. His father gave him the name Alberto and encouraged him to become a monk.

Alberto originally worked in Monte Cassino and spent some time in Laon. When he was in his 20s, Alberto became ordained in the Premonstratensian order. They believed in preaching to others to spread the word of the Church.

Alberto developed an early belief that anyone who denied the pope was also denying God.

Later Church Roles

Alberto would hold many roles in the Church before becoming the pope. When he was in his early 50s, he became a

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Pope Gregory VIII

Head of the Catholic Church in 1187

Not to be confused with Antipope Gregory VIII.

Pope Gregory VIII (Latin: Gregorius VIII; c. 1100/1105 – 17 December 1187), born Alberto di Morra, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States for two months in 1187. Becoming Pope after a long diplomatic career as Apostolic Chancellor, he was notable in his brief reign for reconciling the Papacy with the estranged Holy Roman Empire and for initiating the Third Crusade.

Early life

Alberto di Morra was born about 1105 in Benevento. His father was the nobleman Sartorius di Morra. He became a monk early in life, either as a Cistercian in Laon, or a Benedictine at Monte Cassino. Alberto later joined a new religious order, the Premonstratensian or Norbertine order, probably between the ages of 20–30. He was a canon at St. Martin's Abbey in Laon.^[1] He later became a professor of canon law in Bologna.

Cardinal

In 1156, Pope Adrian IV made him cardinal-deacon of Sant'Adriano, and on 14 March 1158 he became cardinal-priest

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Pope Gregory VIII

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(ALBERTO DI MORRA).

Born about the beginning of the twelfth century, at Benevento; elected at Ferrara, 21 Oct., 1187; died at Pisa, 17 Dec., 1187, after a pontificate of one month and twenty-seven days. The year 1187 witnessed the almost complete obliteration of Christianity in Palestine. On 4 July, Saladin won the decisive victory of Hittin, near Lake Tiberias; on 3 October, the terrible sultan was master of Jerusalem. The news of the fall of the Holy City struck Europe like a thunderbolt. Urban III is said to have died of a broken heart (20 Oct.). The following day the cardinals elected the chancellor, Cardinal Alberto. He was a Beneventan of noble family; had received a good education; at an early age became a monk, some say a Cistercian, some a Benedictine of Monte Cassino. He was created cardinal-deacon in 1155, by Adrian IV, and in 1158 c