Pope Adrian VI

Who was Pope Adrian VI?

Pope Adrian VI, born Adriaan Florenszoon Boeyens, was the head of the Roman Catholic Church from 9 January 1522 to his death in 1523. Pope Adrian VI was born in the Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht in the Netherlands, and he was the last non-Italian Pope until Pope John Paul II, 455 years later, and is, together with Pope Marcellus II, one of only two modern popes to retain his baptismal name after election, as well the most recent pope to date to take the name "Adrian" upon being elected Pope.