Grégoire XI

Grégoire XI, born Pierre Roger de Beaufort in 1329 in Corrèze, France, was the last pope of the Avignon papacy, serving from 1370 until his death in 1378. He is notable for returning the papacy to Rome in 1377 after nearly 70 years of residence in Avignon, significantly impacting the Church's history. His pontificate ended with the onset of the Great Schism of the West, a critical crisis that led to multiple claimants to the papacy. Since his death, no Frenchman has occupied the papal throne, marking over 650 years without a French pope.