Gregory VIII, Antipope

GREGORY VIII, Antipope. - Maurice Burdino (a nickname meaning donkey), a native of southern France, first a monk at Limoges, having gone to Spain in 1095 and elevated shortly afterward to the episcopal see of Coimbra, in 1098 he succeeded St. Gerald in the archbishopric of Braga. At Rome, from Paschal II he obtained the pallium and appointment as his legate to negotiate peace with Henry V. After Gelasius II was elected, Henry V entered Rome, while the new Pontiff fled to Gaeta.

Invited by Henry to return, under threat of electing an antipope if he did not obey, Gelasius, rejecting the demand, proposed a council to settle the disputes between Church and Empire. Henry then had Burdino elected antipope, who had already earlier crowned him emperor. Gelasius, having reached Capua, on 7 April excommunicated the Emperor and the antipope, sending Conon, bishop of Palestrina, to publish the sentence in Germany. Henry was therefore forced to return to Germany, for fear of losing control of it, and Gelasius on 5 July 1118 re-entered Rome. Because of a riot Gelasius had to leave again and set out for France, where, at Cluny, on 29 January 1119 he died. After Callistus II was elected, at the end of the year the Emperor and the antipope were again excommunicated, and in June 1120 Callistus entered Rome. In 1121 he sent Cardinal John of Crema against G. VIII, who had taken refuge at Sutri. He was brought back to Rome seated in mockery backwards on a camel. Thus the schism ended: the antipope was sent to the monastery of Cava, then to Rocca Iemola, near Montecassino, and in 1125 to Castel Fumone; in 1137 he was still alive at Cava.

Alberto Ghinato