University of Padua.[2]

2 Career

Bellarmine’s systematic study of theology began at Padua in 1567 and 1568, where his teachers were adherents of Thomism. In 1569 he was sent to finish it at the University of Leuven in Flanders. There he was ordained, and ob- tained a reputation both as a professor and a preacher. He was the first Jesuit to teach at the university, where the subject of his course was the Summa Theologica of Thomas Aquinas. His residence in Leuven lasted seven years. In poor health, in 1576 he made a journey to . Here he remained, commissioned by Pope Gregory XIII to lecture on polemical theology in the new Roman Col- lege, now known as the Pontifical Gregorian University. Bellarmine’s coat of arms Later, he would promote the cause of the beatification of , who had been a student at the college during Bellarmine’s tenure.[1] Saint Robert Bellarmine, S.J. (Italian: Roberto - sco Romolo Bellarmino; 4 October 1542 – 17 September 1621) was an Italian Jesuit and a Cardinal of the Catholic 2.1 New duties after 1589 Church. He was one of the most important figures in the Counter-Reformation. Until 1589, Bellarmine was occupied as professor of the- He was a professor of theology and later rector of the ology. After the murder in that year of Henry III of Roman College, and in 1602 became archbishop of Ca- France, sent Enrico Caetani as legate to pua. Bellarmine supported the reform decrees of the Paris[3] to negotiate with the of France, . and chose Bellarmine to accompany him as theologian.[4] He was in the city during its siege by Henry of Navarre. He was canonized in 1930 and named a Doctor of the Church. Bellarmine is also widely remembered for his The next pope, Clement VIII, said of him, “the Church role in the Giordano Bruno affair and the Galileo affair. of God had not his equal in learning”.[1] Bellarmine was made rector of the Roman College in 1592, examiner of bishops in 1598, and cardinal in 1599. Immediately after his appointment as Cardinal, Pope Clement made him a 1 Early life Cardinal Inquisitor, in which capacity he served as one of the judges at the trial of Giordano Bruno, and concurred Bellarmine was born at Montepulciano, the son of noble, in the decision which condemned Bruno to be burned at albeit impoverished, parents, Vincenzo Bellarmino and the stake as a heretic.[5] his wife Cinzia Cervini, who was the sister of Pope Mar- [1] Upon the death of Pope Sixtus V in 1590, the Count of cellus II. As a boy he knew Virgil by heart and com- Olivares wrote to King Philip III of Spain, “Bellarmine posed a number of poems in Italian and Latin. One of ... would not do for a Pope, for he is mindful only of the his hymns, on Mary Magdalene, is included in the Roman interests of the Church and is unresponsive to the reasons Breviary. of princes.”[6] In 1602 he was made archbishop of Ca- He entered the Roman novitiate in 1560, remaining in pua. He had written against pluralism and non-residence three years. He then went to a Jesuit house at of bishops within their dioceses. As bishop he put into Mondovì, in Piedmont, where he learned Greek. While at effect the reforming decrees of the Council of Trent. He Mondovì, he came to the attention of Francesco Adorno, received some votes in the 1605 conclaves which elected the local Jesuit Provincial Superior, who sent him to the Pope Leo XI, Pope Paul V, and in 1621 when Pope Gre-

1 2 4 WORKS

gory XV was elected. but his being a Jesuit stood against it the same to demonstrate that by assuming him in the judgment of many of the cardinals.[1] the sun to be at the center and the earth in heaven one can save the appearances, and to demonstrate that in truth the sun is at the cen- 2.2 The Galileo case ter and the earth in heaven; for I believe the first demonstration may be available, but I have In 1616, on the orders of Paul V, Bellarmine summoned very great doubts about the second, and in case Galileo, notified him of a forthcoming decree of the of doubt one must not abandon the Holy Scrip- Congregation of the Index condemning the Copernican ture as interpreted by the Holy Fathers. doctrine of the mobility of the Earth and the immobil- ity of the Sun, and ordered him to abandon it.[7] Galileo In 1633, nearly twelve years after Bellarmine’s death, agreed to do so.[8] Galileo was again called before the Inquisition in this mat- When Galileo later complained of rumors to the effect ter. that he had been forced to abjure and do penance, Bel- In his article on Bellarmine in the Complete Dictionary of larmine wrote out a certificate denying the rumors, stat- Scientific Biography, Ernan McMullin cites Pierre Duhem ing that Galileo had merely been notified of the decree and Karl Popper as prominent adherents to an “often re- and informed that, as a consequence of it, the Coperni- peated” view that “in one respect, at least, Bellarmine had can doctrine could not be “defended or held”.[9] Cardinal shown himself a better scientist than Galileo”, insofar as Bellarmine believed such a demonstration could not be he supposedly denied that a “strict proof” of the Earth’s found because it would contradict the unanimous consent motion could be possible. McMullin himself emphati- of the Fathers' scriptural exegesis, to which the Council cally rejects that view as untenable.[12] of Trent, in 1546,[10] defined all Catholics must adhere. Moreover, there wasn't a scientific certainty in the Coper- nicanism and, in very truth, the reality showed the op- posite: our own eyes can observe the sun moves, while 3 Death there’s no evident trace of the movement of the earth and of the immobility of the sun, except for some hypotheti- In his old age he was bishop of Montepulciano for four cal “results” of these phenomena (as the tidal movement, years, after which he retired to the Jesuit college of St. studied by Galileo), which don't represent any logical ne- Andrew in Rome, where he died on 17 September 1621, [11] cessity of them. aged 78. Bellarmine wrote to heliocentrist Paolo Antonio Fos- carini:[11] 4 Works the Council [of Trent] prohibits interpret- ing Scripture against the common consensus Bellarmine’s books bear the stamp of their period; the of the Holy Fathers; and if Your Paternity effort for literary elegance (so-called “maraviglia”) had wants to read not only the Holy Fathers, but given place to a desire to pile up as much material as also the modern commentaries on Genesis, the possible, to embrace the whole field of human knowl- Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and Joshua, you will find edge, and incorporate it into theology. His controversial all agreeing in the literal interpretation that the works provoked many replies, and were studied for some sun is in heaven and turns around the earth with decades after his death.[13] At Leuven he made extensive great speed, and that the earth is very far from studies in the Church Fathers and scholastic theologians, heaven and sits motionless at the center of the which gave him the material for his book De scriptoribus world. ecclesiasticis (Rome, 1613). It was later revised and en- larged by Sirmond, Labbeus, and Casimir Oudin. Bel- and larmine wrote the preface to the new Sixto-Clementine Vulgate.[1] I say that if there were a true demonstration that the sun is at the center of the world and the earth in the third heaven, and that the sun 4.1 Dogmatics does not circle the earth but the earth circles the sun, then one would have to proceed with Main article: Disputationes great care in explaining the Scriptures that ap- pear contrary, and say rather that we do not un- From his research grew Disputationes de controversiis derstand them than that what is demonstrated christianae fidei (also called Controversiae), first pub- is false. But I will not believe that there is such lished at Ingolstadt in 1581–1593. This major work a demonstration, until it is shown me. Nor is was the earliest attempt to systematize the various reli- 3

gious disputes between Catholics and Protestants. Bel- 5 Canonization and final resting [6] larmine calmly and fairly reviewed the issues and de- place voted eleven years to it while at the Roman College.

In 1597 he wrote the Catechism (Dottrina cristiana) in two Bellarmine was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1930; the versions (short and full) which has been translated to 50 following year he was declared a Doctor of the Church. languages, becoming one of the greatest bestsellers and His remains, in a cardinal’s red robes, are displayed be- the official teaching of the Church in 17th-19th centuries. hind glass under a side altar in the Church of Saint Ig- natius, the chapel of the Roman College, next to the body of his student, St. Aloysius Gonzaga, as he him- 4.2 Venetian Interdict self had wished. In the General Roman Calendar Saint Robert Bellarmine’s feast day is on 17 September, the Main article: Venetian Interdict day of his death; but some continue to use pre-1969 cal- endars, in which for 37 years his feast day was on 13 May. The rank assigned to his feast has been “double” Under Pope Paul V (reigned 1605–1621), a major con- (1932–1959), “third-class feast” (1960–1968), and since flict arose between Venice and the Papacy. Paolo Sarpi, the 1969 revision "memorial". as spokesman for the Republic of Venice, protested against the papal interdict, and reasserted the princi- ples of the Council of Constance and of the Council of Basel, denying the pope’s authority in secular mat- 6 Legacy ters. Bellarmine wrote three rejoinders to the Venetian theologians, and may have warned Sarpi of an impend- Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky is named ing murderous attack, when in September 1607, an un- after him, as are Bellarmine College Preparatory in San frocked friar and brigand by the name of Rotilio Orlan- Jose, California and Bellarmine Preparatory School in dini planned to kill Sarpi for the sum of 8,000 crowns.[14] Tacoma, Washington. Fairfield University and Seattle Orlandini’s plot was discovered, and when he and his ac- University both have a Bellarmine Hall dedicated to the complices crossed from Papal into Venetian territory, and saint. A Jesuit Sogang University in Seoul, Republic they were arrested.[15] of Korea has a Bellarmino Dormitory, named after the saint’s Italian name. St. Robert Bellarmine, a church in the New Orleans sub- 4.3 Allegiance oath controversy and papal urb of Arabi, Louisiana, was destroyed shortly after its authority completion by Hurricane Betsy in 1965. The church was put completely underwater in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina and took on more water from Hurricane Rita less than For more details on this topic, see Oath of Allegiance of a month later. The parish was permanently dissolved by James I of England. the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans imme- diately after Rita, and its territory was absorbed by Our Bellarmine also became involved in controversy with Lady of Prompt Succor in neighboring Chalmette. King James I of England. From a point of principle for The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago has both English Catholics, this debate drew in figures from much a local territorial parish and a parochial school named in of Western Europe.[16] It raised the profile of both pro- honor of Robert Bellarmine. The parish is located on the tagonists, King James as a champion of his own restricted Northwest side of Chicago in the Jefferson Park neigh- Calvinist Protestantism, and Bellarmine for Tridentine borhood at 4646 N. Austin Ave., Chicago, IL 60630. St. Catholicism.[17] Robert Bellarmine Parish was founded in 1930. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia has a St. Robert Bellarmine Parish based in Warrington, Penn- 4.4 Devotional works sylvania. The parish was founded in 1968.

During his retirement, he wrote several short books in- The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mobile, Alabama tended to help ordinary people in their spiritual life: De has a St. Robert Bellarmine parish based in the town of ascensione mentis in Deum per scalas rerum creatorum Atmore in Escambia County, Alabama. opusculum (The Mind’s Ascent to God) (1614) which was St. Robert Bellarmine Church in Bayside Hills, Queens translated into English as Jacob’s Ladder (1638) without County NY, of the Diocese of Brooklyn was the original acknowledgement by Henry Isaacson,[18] The Art of Dy- site of Our Lady of the Roses Shrine where the alleged ing Well (1619) (in Latin, English translation under this Marian apparitions to occurred. Veron- title by Edward Coffin),[19] and The Seven Words on the ica Lueken’s apparitions were condemned as “contrary to Cross. the Faith of the ” by Bishop Francis Mu- 4 8 REFERENCES gavero of the Diocese of Brooklyn.[20] [11] Bellarmine’s 12 April 1615 letter to Galileo, translated in Galilei, Galileo; Maurice A Finocchiaro (2008). The es- There was also a secondary school in south west Glas- sential Galileo. Indianapolis, Ind.: Hackett Pub. Co. pp. gow, Scotland named St Robert Bellarmine, which was 146–148. Retrieved 2013-10-25. a feeder school of primary schools around the south west of the city. Shortened to Bellarmine Secondary, [12] McMullin (2008) with Craigbank Secondary being the non-denominational school very close by, pupils would often clash due to [13] On Laymen or Secular People; On the Temporal Power of the Pope. Against William Barclay; and On the Pri- the Catholic/Protestant divide prevalent at the time. Bel- mary Duty of the Supreme Pontiff, are included in Bel- larmine secondary has now been demolished to make way larmine, On Temporal and Spiritual Authority, Stefania for Silverburn Shopping Centre. Tutino, trans., Indianapolis, IN: Liberty Fund, 2012

[14] The Cambridge Modern History, Volume 4: Fra Paolo 7 Footnotes Sarpi (Cambridge University Press 1906), p. 671 [15] Robertson, Alexander (1893) Fra Paolo Sarpi: the Great- est of the Venetians, London: Sampson, Low, Marston & [1] Smith,(2009). Co. pp. 114–117

[2] Rule, William Harris (1853). “A Jesuit cardinal: Robert [16] W. B. Patterson, James VI and I and the Reunion of Chris- Bellarmine”. Celebrated Jesuits. 2. London: John Mason. tendom (1997), pp. 76-77. p. 20. [17] http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/ [3] Miranda, Salvador. “Caetani, Enrico”, The Cardinals of bellarmine-jefferson-and-the-declaration-of-independence the Holy Roman Church [18] http://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A08025.0001.001? [4] Miranda. “Bellarmino S.J., Roberto”, The Cardinals of view=toc the Holy Roman Church [19] Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Edward Coffin". [5] Blackwell (1991, pp. 47–48). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

[6] “Robert Cardinal Bellarmine (1542-1621)", The Galileo [20] DECLARATION CONCERNING THE “BAYSIDE Project, Rice University MOVEMENT”

[7] Blackwell (1991, p. 126). The Vatican archives contain an unsigned copy of a more strongly worded formal injunction purporting to have 8 References been served on Galileo shortly after Bellarmine’s admo- nition, ordering him “not to hold, teach, or defend” the • Bellarmine, Robert, Spiritual Writings, New York: condemned doctrine “in any way whatever, either orally Paulist Press, 1989. eds., Roland J. Teske and John or in writing”, and threatening him with imprisonment if Patrick Donnelly ISBN 0-8091-0389-3. he refused to obey. However, whether this injunction was ever properly • Blackwell, Richard J. (1991). Galileo, Bellarmine, served on Galileo is a subject of much scholarly and the Bible. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre disagreement.(Blackwell, 1991, p. 127–128) Dame Press. ISBN 0-268-01024-2. [8] Fantoli (2005, p.119). Some scholars have suggested that • Fantoli, Annibale (2005). The Disputed Injunction Galileo’s agreement was only obtained after some initial resistance. Otherwise, the formal injunction purporting and its Role in Galileo’s Trial. In McMullin (2005, to have been served on him during his meeting with Bel- pp.117–149). larmine (see earlier footnote) would have been contrary to • McMullin, Ernan, ed. (2005). The Church and the Pope’s instructions (Fantoli. 2005, pp.121, 124). Galileo. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame [9] Blackwell (1991, p.127). Unlike the previously men- Press. ISBN 0-268-03483-4. tioned formal injunction (see earlier footnote), this milder • restriction would have allowed Galileo to continue using McMullin, Ernan (2008). “Robert Bellarmine”. In and teaching the mathematical content of Copernicus’s Gillispie, Charles. Dictionary of Scientific Biogra- theory as a purely theoretical device for predicting the ap- phy. Scribner & American Council of Learned So- parent motions of the planets. Maurice Finocchiaro’s En- cieties. glish translations of the purported formal injunction, the • decree of the Congregation of the Index and Cardinal Bel- Smith, Sydney Fenn (1907). "St. Robert Fran- larmine’s certificate are available on-line. cis Romulus Bellarmine". In Herbermann, Charles. Catholic Encyclopedia. 2. New York: Robert Ap- [10] “Fourth Session of the Council of Trent”. 8 April 1546. pleton Company. 5

• Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Bellarmine, Roberto Francesco Romolo, Duc de". Encyclopædia Britan- nica. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

9 External links

• St. Robert Bellarmine from Fr. Alban Butler's Lives of the Saints

• CERL page

• The Seven Words on the Cross • The Eternal Happiness of the Saints

• The Art of Dying Well (archive.org) • The Art of Dying Well (text PDF)

• The Writings of St. Robert Bellarmine as a Source for the Declaration of Independence

• Saint Robert Bellarmine: A Moderate in a Disputa- tious Age 6 10 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

10 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

10.1 Text

• Robert Bellarmine Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Bellarmine?oldid=741341094 Contributors: AxelBoldt, The Epopt, Dreamyshade, Andre Engels, Gianfranco, Panairjdde~enwiki, Hardy, Sannse, Ronz, Andrewa, JamesReyes, Rdrozd, Charles Matthews, Dandrake, Zoicon5, Ed g2s, Lord Emsworth, Mksmith, Jph, Gentgeen, Smjg, Paul Richter, Andycjp, Karl Dickman, Kevin Rector, Flex, D6, Guanabot, Sbb, Paul August, Bender235, CanisRufus, Conwiktion, Lima, Mairi, Bill Thayer, Robotje, Nk, PWilkinson, Jarich, Jonathunder, Atlant, Melaen, Coolhappysteve, Dismas, FeanorStar7, Bellhalla, Pol098, KevinOKeeffe, SDC, Dysepsion, Ketiltrout, Rjwilmsi, Coemgenus, Mretalli, MikeJ9919, Ayla, Jaraalbe, Adoniscik, RobotE, Nighm, Xoloz, Hornandsoccer, Hede2000, Johann Wolf- gang, Isolani, Tfarrell, Bota47, Mddake, Dilbert08, [email protected], Nolanus, Staffelde, Allens, Attilios, SmackBot, Aurric, Ze miguel, Verne Equinox, Gilliam, Fogster, Carl.bunderson, Ludi, TimBentley, Afasmit, JONJONAUG, Newmanbe, Pokey5945, Bejnar, Mksword, EditorASC, Rigadoun, Lisapollison, Sailko, Chrisch, Hvn0413, Beetstra, Dicklyon, Hu12, Iridescent, Courcelles, Angeldeb82, Emote, Geremia, Dycedarg, Rwflammang, Nunquam Dormio, Drinibot, WeggeBot, Vaquero100, Cydebot, Oxonian2006, DavidSteinle, Thijs!bot, Epbr123, Anupam, Merkurix, Antique Rose, Lyricmac, Jj137, Fayenatic london, Andonic, Rothorpe, .anacondabot, Magioladi- tis, Connormah, VoABot II, Domingo Portales, PeterMottola, DerHexer, DGG, Oroso, Parveson, Jim.henderson, David J Wilson, Calendar- Watcher, R'n'B, Johnpacklambert, J.delanoy, Student7, Jeff G., Omegastar, Philip Trueman, Broadbot, LeaveSleaves, Falcon8765, Zerged, Deconstructhis, JamesA, G.-M. Cupertino, Kalidasa 777, ClueBot, StBellarmine, Fyyer, Niceguyedc, Rotational, Masterpiece2000, Alexbot, GoRight, Yorkshirian, Spirals31, AMC0712, AidepikiW kcuF, SoxBot III, EstherLois, Ambrosius007, AidanP02, RogDel, Kb- dankbot, HexaChord, Elmiguel409, Jojhutton, Youre dreaming eh?, Leszek Jańczuk, Ka Faraq Gatri, Favonian, Lightbot, Bernadeta, Legobot, Yobot, AnomieBOT, DemocraticLuntz, Manofkings, ArthurBot, Xqbot, Jayarathina, Tasudrty, Wperdue, Jeffrey Mall, Maddie!, Omnipaedista, RibotBOT, Clemens1979, SpaceDJ3, BoomerAB, FrescoBot, D'ohBot, Tkuvho, I dream of horses, Buddhaamaatya, Red- Bot, Julien1978, Scipio125, TobeBot, Oracleofottawa, Daniel the Monk, RjwilmsiBot, Antidiskriminator, Esoglou, TomIzbick, Dcirovic, Thecheesykid, Evanh2008, Beautifulchild, Josve05a, SporkBot, Willthacheerleader18, Manytexts, ClueBot NG, Mannanan51, MerlIw- Bot, Helpful Pixie Bot, BG19bot, Marcocapelle, Anbu121, Lilyk1336, Jihadcola, Marbue, Donfbreed2, Rafaelosornio, CsDix, Julian Felsenburgh, Shearflyer, OccultZone, Monkbot, Jim Carter, NKD360, Tommy Ukeman, Galestan79, Propositum, Zppix, Longsnapper47, KasparBot, Taegyung, Little Will and Anonymous: 170

10.2 Images

• File:046CupolaSPietro.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/046CupolaSPietro.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: MarkusMark • File:Coat_of_arms_Holy_See.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Coat_of_arms_Holy_See.svg Li- cense: Public domain Contributors: • Bruno Bernhard Heim, Heraldry in the Catholic Church: Its Origin, Customs and Laws (Van Duren 1978 ISBN 9780391008731), p. 54; Original artist: F l a n k e r • File:Commons-logo.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contribu- tors: ? Original artist: ? • File:Emblem_of_the_Papacy_SE.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Emblem_of_the_Papacy_SE. svg License: Public domain Contributors: • File:Coat of arms Holy See.svg Original artist: Cronholm144 created this image using a file by User:Hautala - File:Emblem of Vatican City State.svg, who had created his file using PD art from Open Clip Art Library and uploaded on 13 July 2006. User talk:F l a n k e r uploaded this version on 19 January 2007. • File:Flag_of_the_Vatican_City.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Flag_of_the_Vatican_City.svg License: CC0 Contributors: http://files.mojeeuro.meu.zoznam.sk/200000288-390ab3a04d/2_Commemorative_coin_Vatican_city_2010. jpg labelbasis Original artist: Unknown • File:Gloriole_blur.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/Gloriole_blur.svg License: Public domain Con- tributors: Own work Original artist: Eubulides • File:Kirchenfenster_Böckweiler.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/Kirchenfenster_B%C3% B6ckweiler.jpg License: CC BY-SA 2.0 Contributors: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11596438@N00/2435169073/sizes/o/in/ photostream/ Original artist: tiegeltuf • File:Saint_Robert_Bellarmine.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Saint_Robert_Bellarmine.png Li- cense: Public domain Contributors: istitutoaveta.it Original artist: anonymous, Italian School • File:Stemma_dei_Roberto_Francesco_Romolo_Bellarmino.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/ Stemma_dei_Roberto_Francesco_Romolo_Bellarmino.png License: CC BY-SA 4.0 Contributors: Exarandorum Jeusits and Heraldry ViaLibri Original artist: ScolopendraJazz • File:Thomas_Aquinas_in_Stained_Glass.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Thomas_Aquinas_in_ Stained_Glass.jpg License: CC BY-SA 2.0 Contributors: Flickr Original artist: Eddy Van 3000

10.3 Content license

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