Gregory XI (pope)
1329 – 1378 French Pope (1370-1378)
The last French pope, who ended the Avignon exile by returning to Rome.
- Religion
- Catholic; Bishop of Rome
- Affiliations
- The papacy
Gregory XI brought the papacy back to Rome in 1377, ending nearly seventy years at Avignon. Catherine of Siena had urged him in letters to return and reform the Church, and her pleas helped move him. He was the last French pope. His death the next year led to a disputed election that split the Church in the Western Schism, with rival popes in Rome and Avignon.