Christ's Faithful People
Christ's Faithful People
1261 - 1264 AD
At Alexander's death there were only eight cardinals left, and they had a hard time agreeing on the new pope. At last after three months they went outside their number to choose Jacques Pantaleon, the patriarch of Jerusalem. Jacques accepted and took the name Urban IV. Jacques Pantaleon was born at Troyes in Champagne. After studies at the cathedral school of Troyes, he took the doctorate in canon law at Paris. He attracted the attention of Innocent IV at the First Council of Lyons in 1245. Thereafter his rise was rapid. He served as papal legate, became bishop of Verdun and patriarch of Jerusalem. As a papal legate, Jacques enjoyed success in peace negotiations between the Teutonic Knights and the Prussians. He helped the Poles and raised money for Innocent's fight with the Hohenstaufen. As patriarch of Jerusalem, he wrote an account of the Holy Land. It was while back in Italy seeking aid for the troubled crusading kingdom that he was elected pope.
With goodness, energy, ability, and experience on his side, Urban should have accomplished much; but he had only three years, and the miserable Hohenstaufen fight still ate deeply into a pope's time and energy. Manfred, Frederick's son, was still powerful in Sicily, but Urban was determined to root out the Hohenstaufen. First he worked diligently and with intelligence to whip papal finances into order. Then by a mixture of diplomacy and a pretty free use of his spiritual authority, he did much to discomfit Ghibellines and encourage Guelfs throughout Italy. But the key to the situation was to find some prince willing to accept the throne of Sicily and strong enough to push Manfred off it. Edmund of Lancaster had accepted the throne, but since he showed little inclination to tackle Manfred, his acceptance was academic. At last in the person of Charles-of Anjou, Urban found the man for the job. Charles, the brother of St. Louis, was ready, willing, and able, with a good deal of papal help of course, to take over Sicily. Before a French expedition could materialize, Urban IV died at Viterbo on October 2, 1264.
A former patriarch of Jerusalem, Urban naturally was much concerned about the perilous position of the crusading kingdom. The Tartars overran Palestine, then were chased out by the capable sultan of Egypt, Beibars, while behind their bastions at Acre and Antioch the crusaders trembled. Urban preached a crusade, but the crusade against Manfred prevented much coming of a crusade against the Moslem.
Catholics throughout the world can remember Urban IV when they celebrate Corpus Christi, that beautiful special feast of the Blessed Sacrament. Juliana, the holy nun of Mt. Cornillon, had got Robert, archbishop of Liege, to start the feast in his diocese. Robert's successor, Henry, urged Urban to extend the feast to the whole world, and in a bull filled with glowing praise of the Holy Sacrament, Urban did so on August 11, 1264. To Urban also Catholics owe the very beautiful Mass and office of the feast, for it was at Urban's request that St. Thomas Aquinas wrote them.
