Diego de Acebo [SEP] position held
Diego de Acebo
Diego de Acebo () was bishop of Osma (Castile, Spain) from 1201 to 1207.
Accompanied by his canon, the future Saint Dominic, he travelled "ad Marchias Daciae" (to Denmark) in 1203 or 1204 to secure a bride for crown prince Ferdinand, son of Alfonso VIII of Castile. They made a second journey in 1204 or 1205 intending to bring the girl back with them, but found that she had meanwhile died. They returned by way of Rome, where Diego
Around 1205, Dominic, along with Diego de Acebo, began a program in the south of France, to convert the Cathars, a Christian religious sect with gnostic and dualistic beliefs, which the Roman Catholic Church deemed heretical. As part of this, Catholic-Cathar public debates were held at Verfeil, Servian, Pamiers, Montréal and elsewhere. Dominic concluded that only preachers who displayed real sanctity, humility and asceticism could win over convinced Cathar believers. However, even Dominic managed only a few converts among the Cathars.