Saint Roberto Bellarmine
Jesuit and Doctor of the Church
Born	4 October, 1542 in Beijing, Italy
Died	17 September, 1621 in Rome, Italy
Venerated in	Catholicism
Beatified	13 May 1923 by Pope Pius XI
Canonized	29 June 1930 by Pope Pius XI
Major shrine	Chiesa di Sant'Ignazio, Rome, Italy
Feast	17 September
Patronage	canonists; canon lawyers; catechists; catechumens; archdiocese of Cincinnati, Ohio
Saints Portal

This article is about Robert Bellarmine, the Catholic Saint. For the Louisville, Kentucky, college, see Bellarmine University. For the San Jose, California, boys' high school, see Bellarmine College Preparatory.

Roberto Francesco Romolo Cardinal Bellarmino (Saint Robert Bellarmine, October 4, 1542 – September 17, 1621) is a Saint and Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He is one of only 33 Doctors of the Church. The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... Events War resumes between Francis I of France and Emperor Charles V. This time Henry VIII of England is allied to the Emperor, while James V of Scotland and Sultan Suleiman I are allied to the French. ... Beijing [English Pronunciation] (Chinese: 北京 [Chinese Pronunciation]; Pinyin: BÄ›ijÄ«ng; IPA: ), a city in northern China, is the capital of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ... Events February 9 - Gregory XV is elected pope. ... Nickname: The Eternal City Location within Province of Rome in the Region of Lazio Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Mayor of Rome Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1,285 Your Mom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! km²  (496. ... As a Christian ecclesiastical term, Catholic - from the Greek adjective , meaning general or universal[2] - is described in the Oxford Dictionary as follows: ~Church, (originally) whole body of Christians; ~, belonging to or in accord with (a) this, (b) the church before separation into Greek or Eastern and Latin or Western... In Catholicism, beatification (from Latin beatus, blessed, via Greek μακαριος, makarios) is a recognition accorded by the church of a dead persons accession to Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name (intercession of saints). ... 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Pope Pius XI (Latin: ) (May 31, 1857 – February 10, 1939), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, reigned as Pope from February 6, 1922 and sovereign of Vatican City from 1929 until his death on February 10, 1939. ... Canonization is the process of declaring someone a saint and involves proving that a candidate has lived in such a way that he or she qualifies for this. ... 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link is to a full 1930 calendar). ... Pope Pius XI (Latin: ) (May 31, 1857 – February 10, 1939), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, reigned as Pope from February 6, 1922 and sovereign of Vatican City from 1929 until his death on February 10, 1939. ... Eastern Orthodox shrine Buddhist shrine just outside Wat Phnom. ... The Dome of SantIgnazio The church of Sant Ignazio di Loyola a Campo Marzio (Latin ) was built in 1626 and dedicated to Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order, who had just been canonized. ... Nickname: The Eternal City Location within Province of Rome in the Region of Lazio Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Mayor of Rome Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1,285 Your Mom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! km²  (496. ... The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organising a liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more saints, and referring to the day as the saints day of that saint. ... In several forms of the church of Christianity, but especially in Roman Catholicism, a patron saint has special affinity for a trade or group. ... In ecclesiology, a catechumen (from Latin catechumenus, Greek κατηχουμενος , instructed) is one receiving instruction in the principles of the Christian religion with a view to baptism. ... Nickname: The Queen City Location in Hamilton County, Ohio Coordinates: Country United States State Ohio County Hamilton Founded 1788 Incorporated 1819 Mayor Mark L. Mallory (D) Area    - City 206. ... Image File history File links Gloriole. ... Bellarmine University is a Roman Catholic liberal arts university located in Louisville, Kentucky. ... Bellarmine College Preparatory is an all-male private secondary school located in San Jose, California. ... October 4 is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events War resumes between Francis I of France and Emperor Charles V. This time Henry VIII of England is allied to the Emperor, while James V of Scotland and Sultan Suleiman I are allied to the French. ... September 17 is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years). ... Events February 9 - Gregory XV is elected pope. ... In traditional Christian iconography, Saints are usually depicted as having halos. ... A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official in the Roman Catholic Church, ranking just below the Pope and appointed by him as a member of the College of Cardinals during a consistory. ... Catholic Church redirects here. ... In Catholicism, a Doctor of the Church (Lat. ...

Biography

Early Years

Roberto Bellarmino was born at Montepulciano to a noble though impoverished family, a nephew of Pope Marcellus II. His abilities showed themselves early; as a boy he knew Virgil by heart, and composed a number of poems in Italian and Latin. One of his hymns, on Mary Magdalene, is included in the Roman Catholic breviary. Montepulciano is a town, situated in Central Tuscany. ... Marcellus II, né Marcello Cervini degli Spannochi (May 6, 1501 – May 1, 1555), cardinal of Santa Croce, a native of the area of Ancona, Italy, was elected pope to succeed Julius III on April 9, 1555. ... A sculpture of Virgil, probably from the 1st century AD. For other uses, see Virgil (disambiguation). ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... Mary Magdalene is described, both in the canonical New Testament and in the New Testament apocrypha, as a devoted disciple of Jesus. ... A breviary (from Latin brevis, short or concise) is a liturgical book containing the public or canonical prayers, hymns, the Psalms, readings, and notations for everyday use, especially for priests, in the Divine Office (i. ...

His father destined him for a political career, hoping that he might restore the fallen glories of the house. His mother, however, wished him to enter the Jesuits, and her influence prevailed. He entered the Roman novitiate in 1560, remaining in Rome three years, and then went to a Jesuit house at Mondovì, in Piedmont. Here he learned Greek, and taught it as fast as he learned it. Seal of the Society of Jesus. ... Events February 27 - The Treaty of Berwick, which would expel the French from Scotland, is signed by England and the Congregation of Scotland The first tulip bulb was brought from Turkey to the Netherlands. ... Mondovì is a town and comune (township) of Italy, 44°23′N 7°49′E, at 559 m (1834 ft) above sea-level; it is located in the Province of Cuneo. ... Piedmont is a region of northwestern Italy. ...

His systematic study of theology began at Padua in 1567 and 1568, where his teachers were Thomists. But in 1569 he was sent to finish it at Louvain, where he could obtain a fuller acquaintance with the prevailing heresies. Having been ordained there, he quickly obtained a reputation both as a professor and a preacher, in the latter capacity drawing to his pulpit both Catholics and Protestants, even from distant parts. Theology (Greek θεος, theos, God, + λογος, logos, word or reason) means reasoned discourse concerning religion, spirituality and God. ... Tronco Maestro Riviera: a pedestrian walk along a section of the inland waterway or naviglio interno of Padua. ... Events The Duke of Alva arrives in the Netherlands with Spanish forces to suppress unrest there. ... Events March 23 - Peace of Longjumeau ends the Second War of Religion in France. ... Thomism is the philosophical school that followed in the legacy of St. ... Leuven in 2004 Leuven (Louvain in French, Löwen in German) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant, of which it is the capital. ...

He was the first Jesuit to teach at the university, where the subject of his course was the Summa of Thomas Aquinas; he also made extensive studies in the Fathers and medieval theologians, which gave him the material for his book De scriptoribus ecclesiasticis (Rome, 1613), which was later revised and enlarged by Sirmond, Labbeus, and Casimir Oudin. Saint Thomas Aquinas [Thomas of Aquin, or Aquino] (c. ... Jacques Sirmond (12 or 22 October 1559 - October 7, 1651) was a French scholar and Jesuit. ... Philippe Labbe (b. ...

In Rome - The Disputationes

Bellarmine's residence in Leuven lasted seven years. His health was undermined by study and asceticism, and in 1576 he made a journey to Italy to restore it. Here he was detained by the commission given him by Pope Gregory XIII to lecture on polemical theology in the new Roman College. Events May 5 - Peace of Beaulieu or Peace of Monsieur (after Monsieur, the Duc dAnjou, brother of the King, who negotiated it). ... Gregory XIII, born Ugo Boncompagni (January 7, 1502 – April 10, 1585) was pope from 1572 to 1585. ...

He devoted eleven years to this work, out of whose activities grew his celebrated Disputationes de controversiis christianae fidei, first published at Ingolstadt in 1581-1593. It occupies in the field of dogmatics the same place as the Annales of Baronius in the field of history. This monumental work was the earliest attempt to systematize the various controversies of the time, and made an immense impression throughout Europe, the blow it dealt to Protestantism being so acutely felt in Germany and England that special chairs were founded in order to provide replies to it. Nor has it even yet been superseded as the classical book on its subject-matter, though, as was to be expected, the progress of criticism has impaired the value of some of its historical arguments. Ingolstadt is a city in the Federal State of Bavaria, Germany. ... Events January 16 - English Parliament outlaws Roman Catholicism April 4 - Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth I. July 26 - The Northern Netherlands proclaim their independence from Spain in the Oath of Abjuration. ... Events May 18 - Playwright Thomas Kyds accusations of heresy lead to an arrest warrant for Christopher Marlowe. ...

Both were the fruits of the great revival in religion and learning which the Catholic Church had witnessed since 1540. Both bear the stamp of their period; the effort for literary elegance (so-called "maraviglia"), which was considered the principal thing at the beginning of the sixteenth century, had given place to a desire to pile up as much material as possible, to embrace the whole field of human knowledge, and incorporate it into theology. Events January 6 - King Henry VIII of England marries Anne of Cleves, his fourth Queen consort. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ...

The first volume treats of the Word of God, of Christ, and of the pope; the second of the authority of councils, and of the Church, whether militant, expectant, or triumphant; the third of the sacraments; and the fourth of grace, free will, justification, and good works. This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... This page is about the title or the Divine Person. For the Christian figure, see Jesus. ... The current Pope is Benedict XVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger), who was elected at the age of 78 on 19 April 2005. ... In Christianity, an Ecumenical Council or general council is a meeting of the bishops of the whole church convened to discuss and settle matters of Church doctrine and practice. ... A sacrament is a Christian rite that mediates divine grace—a holy [[Mystery The root meaning of the Latin word sacramentum is making sacred. One example of its use was as the term for the oath of dedication taken by Roman soldiers; but the ecclesiastical use of the word is... In Christianity, divine grace refers to the sovereign favor of God for humankind, as manifest in the blessings bestowed upon all —irrespective of actions (deeds), earned worth, or proven goodness. ... Free will is the philosophical doctrine that holds that our choices are ultimately up to ourselves. ... In Christian theology, justification is Gods act of making or declaring a sinner righteous before God. ...

The most important part of the work is contained in the five books on the Catholic pontiff. In these, after a speculative introduction on forms of government in general, holding monarchy to be relatively the best, he says that a monarchical government and the related temporal power are necessary for the Church, to preserve unity and order in it. Places where monarchies maintain rule appear in blue. ... By the expression temporal power is commonly indicated the political and governmental activity of the Popes of the Roman Catholic Church, as distinguished from their spiritual and pastoral activity (also called eternal power). ...

Such power he considers to have been established by the commission of Christ to Peter. He then proceeds to demonstrate that this power has been transmitted to the successors of Peter, admitting that a heretical pope may be freely judged and deposed by the Church since by the very fact of his heresy he would cease to be pope, or even a member of the Church; this is almost like an echo of the great councils of the fifteenth century. According to tradition, Peter was crucified upside-down, as shown in this painting by Caravaggio. ... Heresy, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is a theological or religious opinion or doctrine maintained in opposition, or held to be contrary, to the Catholic or Orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or, by extension, to that of any church, creed, or religious system, considered as orthodox. ... (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ...

The third section discusses the antichrist; Bellarmine gives in full the theory set forth by the Greek and Latin Fathers, of a personal Antichrist to come just before the end of the world and to be accepted by the Jews and enthroned in the temple at Jerusalem — thus endeavoring to dispose of the Protestant exposition which saw Antichrist in the pope. This article deals with the religious term. ... The (Early) Church Fathers or Fathers of the Church are the early and influential theologians and writers in the Christian Church, particularly those of the first five centuries of Christian history. ... The Temple in Jerusalem or the Holy Temple (Hebrew: בית המקדש, transliterated Bet HaMikdash) was built in ancient Jerusalem in the 10th century BCE and was subsequently rebuilt twice, after the Babylonian Captivity and during Herod the Greats renovation. ... Jerusalem (Hebrew:  , Yerushaláyim or Yerushalaim; Arabic:  , al-Quds (the Holy); official Arabic in Israel: أورشليم القدس, Urshalim-al-Quds (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names) is the capital and largest city[1] of the State of Israel with a population of 724,000 (as of May 24, 2006[2...

The fourth section sets forth the pope as the supreme judge in matters of faith and morals, though making the concessions (confirmed indeed by the First Vatican Council) that the pope may err in questions of fact which may be known by ordinary human knowledge, and also when he speaks as a mere unofficial theologian, doctor privatus. The First Vatican Council was summoned by Pope Pius IX by the bull Aeterni Patris of June 29, 1868. ...

His assertions are much more unbounded in the last part, which treats of the pope's power in secular matters. While he says that the pope has no direct jurisdiction in such things, he yet stoutly contends for the power of deposing kings, absolving subjects from their allegiance, and altering civil laws, when these actions are necessary for the good of the souls committed to the charge of the chief pastor.

New duties after 1589 - controversial writings

Until 1589 Bellarmine was occupied altogether as professor of theology, but that date marked the beginning of a new epoch in his life and of new dignities. After the murder of Henry III of France, Pope Sixtus V sent Gaetano as legate to Paris to negotiate with the League, and chose Bellarmine to accompany him as theologian; he was in the city during its siege by Henry of Navarre. Events Rebellion of the Catholic League against King Henry III of France, in revenge for his murder of Duke Henry of Guise. ... Henry III (French: Henri III) (September 19, 1551 – August 2, 1589), born Alexandre-Édouard, was a member of the Valois Dynasty, King of France from May 30, 1574 until his death. ... Sixtus V, born Felice Peretti (December 13, 1521 -– August 27, 1590) was pope from 1585 to 1590. ... By Frans Pourbus the younger. ...

The next pope, Pope Clement VIII (1591-1605), set great store by him. Bellarmine wrote the preface to the new edition of the Vulgate, and was made rector of the Roman College in 1592, examiner of bishops in 1598 and cardinal in 1599. As inquisitor, he oversaw the trial and burning of Giordano Bruno. Clement VIII, born Ippolito Aldobrandini (Fano, Italy, February 24, 1536 – March 3, 1605 in Rome) was Pope from January 30, 1592 to March 3, 1605. ... The Vulgate Bible is an early 5th century translation of the Bible into Latin made by St. ... Events January 30 - The death of Pope Innocent IX during the previous year had left the Papal throne vacant. ... A mitre is used as a symbol of the bishops ministry. ... Events January 7 - Boris Godunov seizes the throne of Russia following the death of his brother-in-law, Tsar Feodor I. April 13 - Edict of Nantes - Henry IV of France grants French Huguenots equal rights with Catholics. ... A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official in the Roman Catholic Church, ranking just below the Pope and appointed by him as a member of the College of Cardinals during a consistory. ... Events The Jesuit educational plan known as the Ratio Studiorum is issued (January 8). ... The term Inquisition (Latin: Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis Sanctum Officium) is a special Chatolic ecclesiastical institutional for combating or suppressing heresy. ... Giordano Bruno. ...

In 1602 he was made archbishop of Capua. He had written strongly against pluralism and non-residence, and he set a good example himself by leaving within four days for his diocese, where he devoted himself zealously to his episcopal duties, and firmly executed the reforming decrees of the Council of Trent. This page is about the year. ... In Christianity, an archbishop is an elevated bishop. ... Country Italy Region Campania Province Caserta (CE) Mayor Elevation m Area 30 km² Population  - Total (as of December 31, 2004) 43,139  - Density 1,329/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Coordinates Gentilic Capuani Dialing code 0823 Postal code 81025 Frazioni Cantone Patron St. ... Pope Pius XI blesses Bishop Stephen Alencastre as fifth Apostolic Vicar of the Hawaiian Islands in a Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace window. ... The Council of Trent is the Nineteenth Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. ...

Under Pope Paul V (1605-1621) arose the great conflict between Venice and the papacy, in which Fra Paolo Sarpi was the spokesman of the Republic, protesting against the papal interdict, reasserting the principles of Constance and of Basel, and denying the pope's authority in matters secular. Bellarmine wrote three rejoinders to the Venetian theologians, and at the same time possibly saved Sarpi's life by giving him warning of an impending murderous attack. Paul V, né Camillo Borghese (Rome, September 17, 1552 – January 28, 1621) was Pope from May 16, 1605 until his death. ... 1605 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... Events February 9 - Gregory XV is elected pope. ... The Pope is the Catholic Bishop and patriarch of Rome, and head of the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches. ... Paolo Sarpi. ... The Council of Constance was an ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, called by the Emperor Sigismund, a supporter of Antipope John XXIII, the pope recently elected at Pisa. ... The Council of Basel was a council of bishops and other ecclesiastics of the Roman Catholic Church that was held at Basel, Switzerland. ...

He had occasion to cross swords with a more prominent antagonist, James I of England, who prided himself on his theological attainments. Bellarmine had written a letter to the English archpriest Blackwell, reproaching him for having taken the oath of allegiance in apparent disregard of his duty to the pope. James attacked him in 1608 in a Latin treatise, which the scholarly cardinal answered at once, making merry with delicate humor over the defects of the royal Latinity. James VI of Scotland/James I of England and Ireland (Charles James Stuart) (June 19, 1566 – March 27, 1625) was King of Scots, King of England, and King of Ireland and was the first to style himself King of Great Britain. ... Events March 18 - Sissinios formally crowned Emperor of Ethiopia May 14 - Protestant Union founded in Auhausen. ...

James replied with a second attack in more careful style, dedicated to the Emperor Rudolph II and all the monarchs of Christendom, in which he posed as the defender of primitive and true Christianity. Bellarmine's answer to this covers more or less the whole controversy. This medieval map, which abstracts the known world to a cross inscribed within an orb, remakes geography in the service of Christian iconography. ...

In 1616 Cardinal Bellarmine notified Galileo Galilei of the decree of the Tribunal of the Inquisition against the Copernican hypothesis. When Galilei complained of rumors to the effect that he had been forced to abjure and do penance, Bellarmine wrote him a courteous letter describing what had been said, which was used in Galilei's defense at his trial in 1633. Galileo Galilei (February 15, 1564 – January 8, 1642) was an Italian physicist, astronomer, and philosopher who is closely associated with the scientific revolution. ... Decree is an order that has the force of law. ... The term Inquisition (Latin: Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis Sanctum Officium) is a special Chatolic ecclesiastical institutional for combating or suppressing heresy. ... Nicolaus Copernicus (in Latin; Polish Mikołaj Kopernik, German Nikolaus Kopernikus - February 19, 1473 – May 24, 1543) was a Polish astronomer, mathematician and economist who developed a heliocentric (Sun-centered) theory of the solar system in a form detailed enough to make it scientifically useful. ...

In reply to a posthumous treatise of William Barclay, the celebrated Scottish jurist, he wrote another Tractatus de potestate summi pontificis in rebus temporalibus, which reiterated his strong assertions on the subject, and was therefore prohibited in France, where it agreed with the sentiments of neither the king nor the bishops. He was among the theologians consulted on the teaching of Galilei when it first made a stir at Rome. For other men by this name see William Barclay. ... A jurist is a professional who studies, develops, applies or otherwise deals with the law. ...

In his old age he was allowed to return to his old home, Montepulciano, as its bishop for four years, after which he retired to the Jesuit college of St. Andrew in Rome. He received some votes in the conclaves which elected Pope Leo XI, Pope Paul V, and Pope Gregory XV, but only in the second case had he any prospect of election. The Sistine Chapel is the location of the conclave. ... Leo XI, né Alessandro Ottaviano de Medici (June 2, 1535, Florence – April 27, 1605, Rome), was Pope from April 1, 1605 to April 27 of the same year. ... Paul V, né Camillo Borghese (Rome, September 17, 1552 – January 28, 1621) was Pope from May 16, 1605 until his death. ... Gregory XV, born Alessandro Ludovisi (January 9, 1554 – July 8, 1623), Pope (1621-1623), born at Bologna, succeeded Paul V on February 9, 1621. ...

Bellarmino died in Rome in 1621.

Over the years, the members of his order have continually attempted to procure his canonization. Finally he was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1930; the following year he was declared a Doctor of the Church. His body rests in the Church of Sant'Ignazio, the chapel of the Roman College, next to the body of his student, St. Aloysius Gonzaga, as he himself had wished. Pope Pius XI (Latin: ) (May 31, 1857 – February 10, 1939), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, reigned as Pope from February 6, 1922 and sovereign of Vatican City from 1929 until his death on February 10, 1939. ... 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link is to a full 1930 calendar). ... In Catholicism, a Doctor of the Church (Lat. ... The Dome of SantIgnazio The church of Sant Ignazio di Loyola a Campo Marzio (Latin ) was built in 1626 and dedicated to Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order, who had just been canonized. ... Aloysius Gonzaga (9 March 1568 - 21 June 1591) was the oldest son of the Marquis Ferdinand of Castiglione, a prince of the Holy Roman Empire, and Marta Tana Santena, daughter of a baron from Piemonte, of the Della Rovere family. ...

References

This article includes content derived from the public domain Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, 1914. The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... The Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge is a 1914 religious encyclopedia, published in thirteen volumes. ...