Pope Gregory XVII
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Pope Gregory VXII | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Urceopolis | |
 Pope Gregory XVII as Archbishop of Alahuela in 2013 | |
| Diocese | Urceopolis |
| See | Holy See |
| Papacy began | 1 December 2019 |
| Predecessor | Pope Urban IX |
| 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 267th 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.
Gregory's pontificate has been largely defined by the Church's relationship with Crona and its response to the Deluge, with oversight of reintegration of Caphiria in the Church as a secondary major focus. As such, many observers have noted a significant emphasis on pastoral and missionary efforts by the Pope personally with respect to people in Crona; consequently, his Pontificate has had relatively few major encyclical letters compared to other contemporary Popes. Gregory's pontificate has been described by some as "status quo" doctrinally.
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.
Church career
Quintanilla was consecrated a bishop in 1997.
In 2008, Quintanilla was named Archbishop of Alahuela. In 2009, he was created a Cardinal.
As Archbishop of Alahuela, Quintanilla achieved a level of prominence above other Latin church prelates of western Sarpedon. As such, he was asked by the Cartadanian and Caphirian governments to mediate peace in Pelaxia between the government and the Montanarans.
Pontificate
In the 2019 Papal Conclave, held in late November 2019, Quintanilla was considered papabile for several reasons: his work with the Montanarans gave him credibility as a peacemaker, while his pastoral record in Alahuela gave observers confidence in his potential to lead the church. The College of Cardinals in 2019 were gravely concerned about the ongoing Deluge and sought a Pope with extensive political and diplomatic experience. In the wake of the Eight Points Agreement, the Cardinals also favored a Sarpedonian candidate for Pontiff to complete the work of integrating Caphiria back into the Catholic Church. Quintanilla held a lead in every ballot and was elected on the fourth ballot, though many Cardinals were concerned about his relative youth of 55 years of age. Even so, many Cardinals thought a generational Pope would be advantageous to smooth the process of Caphiric integration. Quintanilla took the name Gregory after Pope Gregory I after his own aspirations to provide both missionary and humanitarian service in Crona.