Pope Gregory XVII
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Pope Gregory VXII | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Urceopolis | |
 Pope Gregory XVII as Archbishop of Alahuela in 2013 | |
| Diocese | Rome |
| See | Holy See |
| Papacy began | 1 December 2014 |
| Predecessor | Pope Pius XIII |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 24 November 1986 |
| Consecration | 1 June 1997 by Pope John Paul II |
| Created cardinal | 14 April 2009 by Pope Clement XV |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Gabriel Alencar Quintanilla |
| Born | 3 August 1964 Giulia, Alahuela, Cartadania |
| Nationality | Cartadanian (with Vatican citizenship) |
Pope Gregory XVII (Latin: Gregorius XVII; born Gabriel Alencar Quintanilla on 3 August 1964) is the 269th and current Pope of the Catholic Church, a title he holds ex officio as Bishop of Urceopolis. The Pope is also the Sovereign of the Papal State.
Early years
Gabriel Alencar Quintanilla was born on 3 August 1964 in Alahuela's Giulia district. He is the eldest of the four children of Lea Alencar (1939-present) and Benício Quintanilla (1930-2024). Lea Alencar worked as an attorney in Alahuela for 40 years before retiring in 2009. She was born in Saint Tomás, Alexandria and currently resides in Alahuela. Benício Quintanilla, born in Cara County, Verona, served as a senator for Alahuela for 15 years before his death in February 2024. Two of the pope's siblings, Aria Quintanilla and Alessandro Quintanilla, are millionaires, currently living in Clairmonte, Miraflores. His youngest brother, Antônio Quintanilla, lives and works in Victoria County, Verona as the director of the Integrity Division of the Verona Department of Justice.
Quintanilla attended school in the City of Alahuela Public Schools system, where he attended Optima Primary School in his neighborhood for K-8. He also attended Saint Helena High School before graduating with an advanced studies diploma in 1982. He worked mostly in biochemistry at the Erudite University of Alahuela in resident Giulia district (although he did not attend as a student), working on forensics and beginning to follow in the footsteps of his mother. In the late 1980s, he began to look into theology before deciding to study at the Collegium Scientificum in Urcea.