Pope Gregory XV

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Pope Gregory XV
Bishop of Rome
Portrait by Guercino, 1622 (oil on canvas, Getty Center, Los Angeles)
Church	Catholic Church
Papacy began	9 February 1621
Papacy ended	8 July 1623
Predecessor	Paul V
Successor	Urban VIII
Orders
Consecration	1 May 1612 by Scipione Cardinal Caffarelli-Borghese
Created cardinal	19 September 1616 by Paul V
Personal details
Born	Alessandro Ludovisi 9 January 1554 Bologna, Papal States
Died	8 July 1623(1623-07-08) (aged 69) Rome, Papal States
Previous post(s)	Referendary of the Apostolic Signatura (1593–1596) Vicegerent of Rome (1597–1598) Auditor of the Sacred Roman Rota (1599–1612) Archbishop of Bologna (1612–1621) Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria in Traspontina (1616–1621)
Alma mater	University of Bologna
Coat of arms
Other popes named Gregory

Pope Gregory XV (Latin: Gregorius XV; Italian: Gregorio XV; 9 January 1554 – 8 July 1623), born Alessandro Ludovisi, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 February 1621 until his death in 1623. He is notable for founding the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, an organization tasked with overseeing the spread of Catholicism and missionary work. Gregory XV was also responsible for the canonization of Saints Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier, Teresa of Ávila, and Philip Neri, which solidified his commitment to the Counter-Reformation.^[1]