Pope Gregory XII Trivia Quiz

Answer: 1406

Gregory XII was Pope from 1406 through 1415. He resigned his office on July 4, 1415.

Answer: The Western Schism

The Western Schism should not be confused with the Great Schism, which refers to the split between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, which began in 1054, and continues to this day. The Western Schism began in 1378, when Urban VI was elected Pope.

Many of cardinals who voted for Urban VI soon regretted their choice, and later that same year elected another candidate, who took the name Clement VII. Urban VI refused to resign, and so there were two Popes, each of whom regarded his election as legitimate.

Some countries recognized Urban VI, while others, such as France and Scotland, backed Clement VII. The divisions were largely political, rather than theological.

Answer: Avignon

The Papacy had been moved to Avignon in 1309 by Pope Clement V, and remained there until 1377, when Gregory XI returned to Rome on January 13, 1377. This period in the Church is known as the Avignon Captivity. It was natural that the Antipopes would return to Avignon when the Western Schism began.

Answer: Yes

Gregory XII was elected by a conclave of fifteen cardinals in Rome in 1406. Before the election, each cardinal made an oath that, if elected, he would resign if the Antipope, Benedict XIII, agreed to do the same.

Answer: Nepotism

Like many Popes, Gregory XII shamelessly advanced the careers of of his friends and relatives in the Church. For example, he made at least four of his nephews cardinals, one of whom became the future Pope Eugene IV.

Answer: They elected a third Pope.

The Council of Pisa declared both Gregory XII and Benedict XIII to be "schismatical, heretical, perjured, and scandalous." And they elected the Archbishop of Milan, Petros Philargos, as Pope, who took the name Alexander V. So they actually made the situation worse, as there were now three Popes instead of two. Alexander V died in 1510, but another Antipope, John XXIII, took his place. Even though Alexander V was an Antipope, the next legitimate Pope of that name was called Alexander VI, the numbering reflecting the chaos of the period.

Answer: Germany

By 1414, many people were frustrated by the continuing divisions within the Church. Sigismund, King of Germany and Hungary, and later Holy Roman Emperor, pressured the Antipope John XXIII to convene a council in Constance (now Konstanz) in southwestern Germany to resolve the situation. Gregory XII sent a representative to the council, Prince Malatesta, empowering him to resign the Papacy on his behalf.

The council accepted Gregory's resignation on July 4, 1415. John the XXIII initially agreed to resign as well, but later reneged on his promise, and fled.

The council then deposed him, finding him guilty of "heresy, simony, schism and immorality." The remaining claimant, Benedict XIII, refused to resign, but was deposed and excommunicated by the council.

Answer: Jan Hus

Jan Hus was a Bohemian priest who was strongly critical of corruption within the Church. He was influenced by the teachings of the Englishman, John Wycliffe. He was especially critical of the sale of indulgences to finance wars. In 1414, Hus was given a letter of protection by King Sigismund which guaranteed his safety, and he went to the Council of Constance to defend his teachings.

But despite the king's protection, he was found guilty of heresy and burned at the stake. Gregory XII, however, seems to have had nothing to do with his execution. Nor is there any truth in the assertion that he said, "When dealing with heretics, one is not obligated to keep his word." It should be noted that it was King Sigismund who guaranteed Hus' safety, not the Pope. And Hus was not executed until July 6, 1415, two days after Pope Gregory XII resigned.

It was prelates loyal to the Antipope John XXIII who pressed the case for Jan Hus' execution. In any event, the death of Hus sparked a series of conflicts called the Hussite Wars, which plagued Bohemia from 1419 to 1434.

Some people regard Hus as one of the earliest Protestant martyrs.

Answer: Martin V

It took over two years following the resignation of Pope Gregory XII for the Council of Constance to agree upon a successor. They finally settled on Oddone Colonna, who was a member of a powerful Roman family. Martin V enjoyed a reign of 14 years as Pope, and the schism was effectively ended. Benedict XIII still refused to resign, but after Martin V's elevation to the Papacy, he was recognized only by the Kingdom of Aragon; he died in 1423.

There would be a few more minor Antipopes, but the unity of the Roman Catholic Church was never again seriously threatened until the Reformation.

Answer: He became a bishop.

Actually, Gregory XII emerged from this chaotic period of history in pretty good shape. The Council of Constance agreed to recognize all the cardinals he had created during his reign. He was named Dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals, and appointed Bishop of Frascati, guaranteeing him a comfortable income.

He was also made perpetual legate at Ancona, a small city on the Adriatic. He seems to have lived out his remaining years in peace and comfort. He died in Ancona on October 18, 1417, and thus did not live to see his successor consecrated as Pope.