Editing Pope Gregory III (section)

==Election==
Gregory was the son of a [[Syrian]] [[Eastern Christian|Christian]] named Ioannes, Yohannan or John.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios726.htm|title=The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church|access-date=15 March 2013|archive-date=5 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305083858/http://www2.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios726.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> He was [[papal selection before 1059|elected pope]] by popular acclamation on 11 February 731, but was not formally [[episcopal consecration|consecrated]] as [[bishop of Rome]] until 18 March,<ref>Mann, p. 204</ref> after having received the approval of the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] [[exarch of Ravenna]]. He was the last pope to seek the exarch's ratification of a papal election.<ref>Levillain, p. 643</ref>