This week in Christian history: new pope elected, Reformed Church founded, Jesus Daily launched

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, April 05, 2020

Urban VI elected Pope — April 8, 1378

A seventeenth century image of Pope Urban VI, (c.1318-1389). | Public Domain

This week marks the anniversary of when Bartolomeo Prignano of Naples was elected pope, and took the name Urban VI upon his consecration.

Succeeding Pope Gregory XI, whom he served as papal chancellor, Urban garnered much controversy in his day by advancing divisiveness between himself and French cardinals.

“13 French cardinals—fearing that the majority in the Sacred College would be turned against them by a new promotion of Italians—left Rome,” noted Britannica.

“At Anagni, four months later, they declared Urban’s election as ‘null because it was not made freely but under fear.’ At Fondi, on Sept. 20, 1378, they elected the French cardinal Robert of Geneva, who became antipope Clement VII. Thus began the Western Schism that wracked the Roman Church for 40 years.”