Urban VIII

Urban VIII 1568-1644, pope (1623-44), a Florentine named Maffeo Barberini; successor of Gregory XV. Throughout his pontificate the Thirty Years War raged in Germany. For various political reasons, Urban gave little help to the Catholics. The old story that Urban rejoiced at Protestant victories because he hated the Hapsburgs is, however, false. His policy in Italy was unsuccessful, and he was humiliated by defeat at the hands of the Farnese of Parma.

Urban was very active in church affairs: he published the revised breviary, normalized liturgical practice, canonized many saints, instituted new orders, and continued the reformation of the church. He built and decorated extensively in Rome. Urban sanctioned the second condemnation of Galileo for his support of the Copernican theory that placed the sun, rather than the earth, at the center of the universe, but later freed him. He condemned the posthumous work of Cornelis Jansen , Augustinus. Urban's strict legislation against easy acceptance of miracles is still in effect. He was succeeded by Innocent X.

Urban VIII (1568–1644) Pope (1623–1644), b. Maffeo Barberini. His reign coincided with much of the Thirty Years' War. Fearing possible domination of the papacy by the Habsburgs, he supported France and gave little help to German Roman Catholics. An active and knowledgeable patron of the arts, he also approved the establishment of new orders.

Urban VIII (1568–1644), Pope from 1623. Though Maffeo Barberini was essentially a ‘political’ Pope, he encouraged religious life by canonizing a number of saints and approving new orders such as the Visitation (1626), and he fostered missionary efforts by founding the Urban College of Propaganda (1627). His decrees on canonization still have a place in the present law and his revision of the Breviary remained in force until 1912. He also revised the Missal and Pontifical and reduced the number of Feasts of Obligation. Under him G. Galilei was condemned for the second time (1633) and the Augustinus of C. O. Jansen declared heretical (1642). From 1625 he favoured the policy of Card. Richelieu against the Habsburgs and deprived the Catholic League of subsidies, but he tried to prevent the alliance of France and Sweden.