GREGORY XIII (Uco BtroncomPAcnro), Pope (1572-1585) : b. Bologna, 7 Jan. 1502; d. Rome, 10 April 1585. He studied law at the University of Bologna, receiving the doctorate in both laws in 1530, and afterwards taught jurisprudence there for some years. He was the recipient of various eccleciastical appoint ments from Paul III, Julius III and Paul IV in succession. The latter sent Gregory as his con fidential deputy to the Council of Trent, where he had been in 1545 as one of Paul III's jurists. On his return thence he was .created cardinal priest in 1564 and on the death of Pius V was elected pope on 13 May 1572. Although his youth had not been spotless, he realized the responsibilities of his high position and was active in church reforms, pledging himself to carry into execution the decrees of the Council of Trent, and was extremely zealous in the promotion and improvement of education., He founded numerous colleges and 'sdniiiiiitles at Rome and elsewhere, even as far away as Japan, and put most of them under the direction of the Jesuits, whose rapid spread during his pontificate was greatly due to his encourage ment and financial assistance. Gregory's name, however, is especially associated with the re, formation of the Julian calendar (see CALENI. DAR) which was the result of long consideration and was introduced in most Catholic countries by the bull of 24 Feb. 1582. Under his care was published also a new and greatly improved critical edition of the 'Corpus Juris Canonici,' a project which had been inaugurated by Phil IV shortly after the conclusion of the council of Trent. Gregory's efforts to secure religious
liberty for Catholics in England, partly through expeditions to Ireland, were without avail, al though he was strongly supported by Philip II of Spain. The large sums of money expended by Gregory in his many benefactions reduced the papal treasury to such an extent that he felt constrained to confiscate various . castles and properties in the papal dominiptis upon pretext or another, thereby producing a state of unrest and disfavor which finally led to shed and banditry only suppressed by'Gr • 's successor, Sixtus V. Gregory has be . C. object of severe criticism for his celehiMlbn. in Rome of the horrible massacre of nots on Saint Bartholomew's Day in 1572. It must be remembered, however, that even if he was at that time aware of the circumstances of the massacre (which is not at all evident), he did not rejoice at the bloodshed, but at the suppression of a rebellion against the state as well as the Church. Contemporaries relate that he even shed tears when he learned of the massacre.
Bibliography.— Ciappi, 'Compendio dell' attioni e santa vita di Gregorio XIII' (Rome, 1591); Palatius, (Gesta Pontificum Romanorum' (Venice 1688) ; Maffei, 'Annales Gregori•XIIP (Rome 1742) ; Brosch, Moritz,
HERuERT F. WRIGHT, Sometime of the Department of Latin, The Catholic University of America, •