The Frenchman William of Grimoard, a Benedictine monk, was elected Pope in Avignon (1362-1370) under the name of Urban V. He tried vainly to return the Apostolic See to Rome and to reunite the Church of the West and the East. Austere in life, he helped the poor and fought corruption in the clergy.
The great goal of his pontificate was to re-establish the papal see in Rome, but it failed. Indeed, in 1366, in the face of opposition from the king of France and the French cardinals, he left for Rome. He wept as he entered the Eternal City, where no pope had been for 50 years. The great basilicas were in ruins and he dedicated himself to repairing them and feeding the poor.
However, France was at war with England, his health declined, and Urban V decided to return to France, despite the pleas of the Romans and St. Bridget of Sweden, among others. In 1370 he declared that he was marching for the good of the Church, to help France, but he died on December 19.
