Name Gerard Groesbeeck | ||
 | ||
Died 1580, Cork, Republic of Ireland | ||
Gerard van Groesbeeck (1517–1580) was a Belgian Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal.
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Early life
Gerard van Groesbeeck was born in the château of Curingen, Hasselt in 1517. He was related to the barons of Groesbeek, Guelders.
As a young man, he became a canon of Aachen Cathedral. He was also a canon, and later the dean of the cathedral chapter of St. Lambert's Cathedral, Liège. He became the coadjutor bishop of Robert of Berghes, Prince-Bishop of Liège in March 1562. He became the administrator of the Prince-Bishopric on 11 April 1564.
Career
On 5 June 1564 he was elected Prince-Bishop of Liège; his election was preconized by Pope Pius IV on 23 February 1565. He was consecrated as a bishop by Gregoire Silvius, titular bishop of Tagaste, in the Cistercian Abbey of Herckenrode on 20 May 1565. As Prince-Bishop, he was not successful in implementing the decrees of the Council of Trent in the Prince-Bishopric. He succeeded in preventing Protestantism from spreading into the Prince-Bishopric. In 1567, he crushed revolts in Hasselt, Maaseik, and Maastricht. In 1576, he became Prince-Abbot of Stavelot. He and the Estates of Liège declared the Prince-Bishopric a neutral state in 1577.
Pope Gregory XIII made him a cardinal priest in the consistory of 21 February 1578. He never traveled to Rome to receive the red hat or a titular church.
Death
He died on 23 December 1580 and was buried in St. Lambert's Cathedral, Liège.