Blessed Urban V

Pope Urban V (Latin: Urbanus V; born Guillaume de Grimoard, 1310 – 19 December 1370) was head of the Catholic Church from 28 September 1362 until his death on 19 December 1370. He was a member of the Order of Saint Benedict and the only Avignon pope to be beatified. Even after his election as pontiff, he continued to follow the Benedictine Rule, living simply and modestly. This frequently brought him into conflict with his ecclesial peers, who were often accustomed to affluent lifestyles. Urban V pressed for reform throughout his pontificate and also oversaw the restoration and construction of churches and monasteries. One of the goals he set himself upon his election to the Papacy was the reunion of the Eastern and Western Churches. He came as close as some of his predecessors and successors, but did not succeed. Guillaume de Grimoard was born in 1310 at the castle of Grizac, near Mende, in what is now the department of Lozère. He was the oldest son of Guillaume de Grimoard, lord of Grizac, and Amphélise de Montferrand. He had six siblings, including his younger brother Angel de Grimoard, whom Guillaume, as Pope Urban V, created cardinal in 1366. Grimoard was tonsured at the age of twelve and left home to study at the University of Montpellier, later continuing his education in civil law at the University of Toulouse. In 1327, he joined the small priory of Chirac to become a Benedictine monk. Grimoard was then sent to the Abbey of St. Victor in Marseille for his novitiate. After his profession of monastic vows, he was ordained a priest at Chirac in 1334. He studied literature and law at Montpellier, and then he moved to the University of Toulouse, where he studied law for four years. He earned a doctorate in Canon Law on 31 October 1342. He became a noted canonist, teaching at Montpellier, Paris and Avignon.