Diego de Acebo

The Holy Diego de Acebo, also: Didactus Azevedo, Diego of Osma, († December 30, 1207 in Osma ) was a Cistercian monk and from 1201 to 1207 Bishop of Osma in Castile (now Spain).

Diego tried after taking office as Prior and Bishop to the improvement of pastoral care. Together with his sub-prior Domingo de Guzmán (later Saint Dominic ) he traveled in 1203 on the initiative of King Alfonso VIII of Castile to Denmark (ad marchias daciae ) in order for the king's son, Crown Prince Ferdinand to woo a woman. A second in this mission trip was inconclusive, as the bride was now deceased.

On these trips Diego and Dominic were confronted with various rampant heresies, in particular with that of the southern French Cathars. Due to the success of this heresy, the two clergymen saw action. After a meeting with Pope Innocent III. in Rome were the two therefore commissioned in 1206 by the Pope to preach together with the papal legate Pierre de Castelnau in Occitania (southern France ) against the Cathars. The peculiarity of this mission was that the Catholic clergy not in rich vestments, but as heretics should occur even in all its simplicity and simplicity. So they could counteract the charge of ostentation and increase their own credibility with the common people. Diego worked in this way with Dominic to 1207, supported by the Cistercian Order and the Bishop of Toulouse, Folquet de Marseille. In Prouille they founded a convent for conversion willing Katharerinnen ( first under the rule of the order of the Cistercians ). Prouille was later an important center of missionary attempts of Dominic.

But Diego had the basis of instructions from Pope Innocent III. return to Osma, as described in Peter of Vaux -de- Cernay:

Thus, Diego returned to the diocese under his control Osma and died in 1207 shortly after. After that, he was canonized.

The preaching mission against the Cathars was continued by Dominic. From her later named after him Dominicans arose.