THIRD MILLENNIUM LIBRARY
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THIRD MILLENNIUM LIBRARY |
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robert bellarmine
is created cardinal Scarcely had the
hand of Bellarmine rested for two months upon the helm of Roman mercy, when a
rumor spread through court and city that Pope Clement VIII intended to make a
fourth promotion of Cardinals. A thrill of expectation ran through the bosoms
of the Prelates. Down to the humblest Monk was felt an intense impatience to
know on whom the boon would rest. Perhaps the Holy Father was not himself
perfectly decided, either as to number or names; but fame sometimes points to
the final resolution, and in this instance Clement found that the public voice
was pronouncing in favor of the new Regent of the Penitentiary. And this
wandering suffrage reached the ear of Father Robert himself. From the Palace
Apostolic he had heard nothing: the mind of the Pontiff was shut up in deepest
silence. Only it was known that a Consistory would be held for discussing the
merits of personages named as worthy of elevation to the purple. On the night
before, he sent a memorial to the General of the Society, praying him to endeavor
to prevent the descent of such a dignity, if haply it were imminent. Bellarmine
further entreated Aquaviva to obtain for him an audience of the Pontiff, that
he might throw himself on the floor of the Papal closet, and by force of tears,
if words were not sufficient, divert His Holiness from such a thought. He also
trusted that, if even this failed, no one could fancy that he had hankered
after the purple while refusing it.
Next morning,
March 3d, 1599, the Pope nominated “twelve august Fathers”, reserving one in petto, and among them Robert Bellarmine, of whom he spoke
thus:—“Him we choose, because the Church of God has not his equal in learning;
and because he is nephew of a most excellent and most holy Pontiff”. While the
Consistory was yet assembled. Cardinal Aldobrandini dispatched a messenger from
the Vatican to command him not to stir out of his house, under penalty of
anathema, until the Pope should give him leave. That made it clear that he was
to be Cardinal; but seeing that he was a Jesuit, and could only receive the hat
by an act of sovereign authority in the Pope, it became him to reluctate, and
he therefore sat in silence, like a man transpierced with grief. But when a
few moments had passed away, he summoned all the Fathers of his College, and
besought their counsel. After a decorous hesitation, they agreed to think that
his poverty was lost for ever. The Pope had named him, the Sacred College had
accepted the nomination, and he was at that moment taken out of their hands and
in the custody of the Pope himself. He could not resist Providence. Bellarmine
alone dissented, or seemed to dissent. He sent a messenger to Aldobrandini to
say, that, even with groans, he besought an audience of the Pope, to give his
reasons for deprecating the dignity. Aldobrandini sent back to say, that the
Pope wanted not reasons, but obedience.
“Then
Bellarmine, seeing himself hedged round every way, and unable to escape, burst
into tears. He bemoaned the loss of that sweet and tranquil peace that he had
enjoyed for so many years in the Society; and therefore reiterated those words
which, in like circumstances, the most holy Pontiff, Gregory the Great, had
sighed out: ‘Call me not Naomi, call me Mara; for the Almighty hath dealt very
bitterly with me’.” While thus lamenting, they came to conduct him into the
Pope’s presence to take the cap, and meet the others who would come for the
same purpose, shaven and robed. But Bellarmine was immovable. He would not put
off the black habit of his order. Then came his friend Aldobrandini from the
Pope’s closet, with a special message; and him Bellarmine intreated that he
might stay in “his proper state of religion and poverty”. But Aldobrandini
repeated that the Pope required submission, under peril of excommunication. “At
this intimation the servant of God bowed his head, and in tears devoutest put
on the purple; and thus weeping, was conducted to the Pope’s feet, to receive
the cap. And there, too, he wished to speak for himself; but the Pontiff, with
new precept, and with threatening of excommunication, quite shut his month”.
Thus ended that
part of the ceremony which was required by a rule of his order, and which used
to be repeated on every like occasion, with a uniformity that renders it impossible to give the
weepers any credit for their tears. He was compelled so to refuse as to render
compulsion necessary. That being accomplished, nothing hindered acquiescence.
A circular
letter from Aquaviva to the Provincials of the whole Society, on occasion of
this event, may not be uninteresting to my readers.
“Perhaps”, he
writes, “you may have already received, by letters from others, intelligence of
what God has disposed concerning the recent assumption of our Father Robert
Bellarmine into the order of Cardinals. Yet I consider it to be consistent with
the duties of my office to write you more distinctly. For by relating what
really took place, I shall extinguish, or at least moderate, that feeling which
the Society entertains with regard to admitting any marks of honor; and with
which feeling we earnestly desire that God may constantly keep us in our
humility. I wish, therefore, all to understand clearly, that not only on the
part of the Society was everything done, seriously to deter the Pope, by
reasons laid before him, from bestowing honors and titles of the kind; but that
Father Bellarmine himself signified to the Pope, with all possible humility,
that he only desired one thing,—to live and die in the same manner in which he
had lived so long. But the Pope thought that he had given the matter
sufficiently careful consideration, and that the appointment was pleasing to
God. He, therefore, would not listen to the supplications of Bellarmine. And
indeed, before he had received the first insignia of Cardinal, when he was
beginning to speak for himself, and, while yet undressed, was refusing to be
attired in the purple robes, the Pope forbade him to speak, under the penalty
of instantly thundering censures upon him, if he said a word more about
refusing. Perceiving how matters were, we all rejoiced, and see that nothing
that could be done was left undone, either by the Society or the Cardinal. And
we may also hope that this election will redound to the service of God. For
since the Pope has freely conferred this dignity on a man of so great learning,
integrity, and religion, as is Bellarmine, we may expect him to be a Cardinal
of most praiseworthy example in the Church, devoted to public usefulness, and
friendly to the Society. Now that God may favor all our desires, and give
health to Bellarmine himself, with which he may attain to as great eminence in
the purple as he enjoyed by his virtue in the Society, let all the Priests that
are in your province offer one mass, and all the members that are not in orders
one rosary to the Divinity. Meanwhile, I commend myself to the holy sacrifices
and prayers of you all. Rome, March 6th, 1599”.
To himself the
usual visits and letters of congratulation came. Montepulciano was in a rapture of pride and joy at the addition of
another Cardinal to those of whom the town already boasted. In places where he
had resided, the inhabitants kept holiday. At Taverna, a small town in
Calabria, the rustics seemed beside themselves. The house-tops flamed with
torches; the people danced and sang through the streets; tears floated in their
eyes with joy, and the grand dames wept outright. The fraternities walked in
procession for three nights, shouting Te Deum as they went; adding byway of chorus at intervals. Viva Gesu! Viva
Bellarmino! And the multitude caught the cry, “Long live Jesus!
Long live Bellarmine!”
disdains the purple.
Where there is
one spiritual despot to control the conscience general, every man who submits
his particular conscience to that authority should obey without scruple. But if
he cannot overcome his own scruples, he ought to break loose from the
vassalage at once, and appeal to God, who is, indeed, the Judge of all. The
Pope was acknowledged by the Jesuits to be the controller of their common
conscience; and as such he compelled Bellarmine to be a Cardinal under peril of
anathema. Yet the new-made Cardinal rendered the Pope no more than a divided
allegiance.
Here
are questions of conscience which, using the third person, he proposed in
writing to his General, Aquaviva, with the answers rescribed.
1.
How has he entered into this dignity? By the true
door? Yes, by the true door.
2.
Can he live in that state
without offending God? Certainly he can.
3.
Could he go on better in
the service of God, if he were to return to his former manner of life? That is doubtful.
4.
Would not this be much better? This, too, is doubtful.
5.
Is it likely
that he could be permitted to return? Scarcely.
6. Or would it
be safer, simply to give ear to God who calls, and who commands by the voice of
His Vicar, and not be solicitous about changing his state, but to become
perfect in that rank in which obedience places him?
Aquaviva gave no
answer to this last question. He told him, indeed, that he had entered by the
right door, and might possibly be a Cardinal without offending God; but that,
whether he could serve God better in that state, or whether it was better for
him to continue thus, was doubtful. There was no hope of being extricated from
this ambiguous position; and on the great question of submission to “the Vicar
of God”, the General did not pronounce. The General, for himself, was bound to
serve the Pope; but he, and every other member of the Society, were by a
special rule bound to the Society, even after exaltation to a dignity beyond
its precincts. There could be no absolute release from that order, as there
might from others; and Bellarmine, being perfectly imbued with the spirit of
Jesuitism, would interpret most strictly the rule he had sworn to keep.
Resolved to be a true Jesuit to his latest breath, he entered on a course of
asceticism, surpassing the requirements of the Society itself, and serving to
distinguish him from every other member of the College. And he was “a poor
Cardinal”, dependent for subsistence on the allowance annually distributed to
the poor Cardinals, and on the revenue of a benefice that had been previously
given to him, but was liable to fluctuation. This poverty, however, had its
advantages. He acquired a reputation of sanctity, and maintained himself in a
position of independence. Without much of the pomp, he enjoyed the privileges,
of his rank.
Having taken
possession of the palace, he engaged a steward whom he well knew, to carry out
his plans; and having ascertained the state of the establishment, as left by
his predecessor, and made inquiry concerning the customs of those few Cardinals
who had persevered in habits of asceticism, he made out an inventory of the
furniture, submitted it to the inspection of Aquaviva, and begged him to direct
how much plate, what articles of furniture, and how many servants he should
have; in order that he might not so much live for the glory of the purple, as
for the observance of the vow of poverty which he had taken on entering the Society.
Even after his revenue became larger, his voluntary humility continued. The “court”
of a less ostentatious Cardinal had usually consisted of about sixty persons.
Baronius, lauded as a great despiser of worldly pomp, counted forty-five in his
train. But Bellarmine would have no more than ten gentlemen, fifteen of inferior class, and menials, making up the
number to thirty. For a peer of Kings this modesty was wonderful. On every
suitable occasion he spoke of his robes as a grief and an encumbrance, flames
of fire enwrapping his body, rather than a visible distinction of honor; and it
is related, that, once in company, taking off his broad red hat, and holding it
up, he burst into tears, and said, “God gave me this purple in punishment of
the sins that I committed when I was in the world”. He described himself as an
object of pity rather than of envy, and, after a long speech, setting forth his
misery, left the party sitting in silent admiration of humility and heavenly-mindedness
in Princes of the Church so rare.
admonishes the pope.
Cardinals are
privileged to advise the Sovereign Pontiff; and Clement VIII had desired
Cardinal Bellarmine to tell him if he saw that anything might be better and
more wisely done for the good of the Church. In obedience to this injunction,
the Cardinal sent him a paper “concerning the chief duty of the Pope”. Clement
perused it carefully, and on each article noted a reply. This document came
into the possession of Fuligatto, who gives it in his biography; and it
certainly exhibits a remarkable example of plain dealing.
The Supreme
Pontiff, Bellarmine began by saying, sustains in the Church a threefold representation
of God. He is Shepherd and Ruler of the universal Church, Bishop of the city of
Rome, and temporal Prince of the Papal state. But, of all his offices, the care
of all the churches is indisputably the first, and incomparably the greatest. First, because St. Peter was constituted Shepherd of all
the Lord’s flock, long before he was made Bishop of Antioch, or of Rome. There
are many other Bishops of most noble cities, and many other temporal Princes;
but the Pontiff of the world, the Vicar-General of Christ, the universal
Shepherd of the Church, stands alone in dignity. Greatest, because, while the diocese of Rome is narrow, and the temporal principality of
the Church is comprehended within contracted bounds, the Supreme Pontiff has
no limits to his dominion, except the limits of the world itself.
This office, so
ancient, so great, so singular, the Pope might easily fill, if he were to
appoint good Bishops over all the churches, and compel them, if necessary, to
do their duty. And if the good Bishops would choose good Priests, good
Preachers, and good Confessors, everything would be right. But the Priests,
Preachers, and Confessors were not good. The writer hinted that the failure
began with Clement himself; and therefore said, “Trusting in the Apostolic
benignity, I will confide to the bosom of the most pitiful Father, or rather, I
will lay at his feet, ray scruples, which, I must confess, will not let me rest”.
To this exordium
the Pope answered:—“We, too, are alarmed. But as the hearts of men are only
known to God, and we can only elect men, two examples comfort us. One is, that
when our Lord Jesus Christ elected twelve Apostles, after spending a whole
night in prayer, which we know not that He did on any other occasion, there was
yet one Judas among those whom he elected. Then the twelve Apostles, all full
of the Holy Spirit, elected seven Deacons, of whom one was Nicolaus, afterwards
so notorious a heretic. Which examples we suppose Almighty God left in the
Church for the comfort of those who elect”.
Bellarmine
proceeded to enumerate six points of reformation that could not be overlooked
without peril.
Churches were
left without Pastors, a deficiency which it was the Pope’s duty to supply.
Clement confessed that, in this particular, he had sinned, and still was in
sin. But fit men, he said, could not be found. Many, very many, were recommended,
but he could not trust them; and, besides, he had determined to lay hands
suddenly on no man.
The second point
of censure was the promotion of useless Prelates. Churches ought to be
provided for good persons, not persons with good churches. The Council of Trent
says, that they to whom it pertains to make promotion sin mortally, if they do
not observe this rule. The implied conclusion is, that the Pope is in mortal
sin. His Holiness answers: “This we know; and, so far as we can, we always keep
it in view, endeavoring to provide for churches, not for persons. But the
Church must be the first and greatest object of consideration. This is true;
but if we are to be confined to the more worthy,, the
Church will never be provided for, because we have no means of knowing who is
the more worthy. And as for the Bishops themselves, we are here again in difficulty;
for if we will not give bishoprics to those who ask for them, or to those whom
others recommend, we know not how the churches are to be provided for,
especially the smaller and the poorer ones. If your lordship knows how to
manage this better, we shall be glad to hear your method, and to adopt it. Many
good things may be said on this subject; but when we come to practice, we
encounter great difficulties”.
The third point
was the absence of Bishops from their churches; for of what use is a good man if
he is not at his work? Many Bishops are Apostolic Nuncios, who do not see their
churches for years together, but are busy elsewhere with politics. And many
are at Rome, doing work that might be done by others, leaving their dioceses to
ruin. “In this matter”, writes Clement, “we confess that we have sinned, by
too readily indulging Bishops with permission to come to Rome; and when they
are come, it is difficult to get rid of them. You may remember, however, that
formerly there were far fewer resident. As for the Nuncios, we think it far
more becoming that Nuncios should be Bishops, because they command
Bishops, and are of greater authority than Princes and people; and if we were not so badly off for men, we should change them sooner”. And
then he extenuates the blame of employing ecclesiastics in civil magistracy.
The fourth evil
was that of “spiritual polygamy”, or, as we should speak, pluralities. Against this Bellarmine severely arrays the
sentences of saints and canonists. “As for this polygamy”, rejoins the Pope,
somewhat angrily, “at present it only consists in those six cardinalitial
bishoprics, in which we do not intend to make any change; for this matter has
been examined by our predecessors, even since the Council of Trent, and is
fixed. And to disturb the order of the College, and throw blame on the acts of
our predecessors, and of so many Cardinals, seems to us a thing that could not
be done without scandal”.
The fifth sin
reprehended was the facile translation of Bishops from one see to another. It
was branded as a breach of spiritual marriage. “For it is well known, from cap. Inter corporalia, that the bond of spiritual
marriage is, in a certain sense, greater than the bond of bodily marriage, and
therefore cannot be dissolved, except by God, or by the Vicar of God declaring
the will of his Lord”. And it is incredible that God could approve of such breach
of marriage for the sake of pecuniary gain. The Pope quietly answers that, on
that subject, he has given good advice to Princes.
Lastly,
Bellarmine condemns the resignation of bishoprics without lawful cause, and,
worst of all, when the retiring Bishop keeps the revenue. “It is as if a man
should divorce his wife, and yet keep the dowry”. Clement justifies his permission
of this exorbitancy by saying, that such resignations are always effected with
difficulty, and always preceded by due examination in the Consistory of
Cardinals.
And after the
discussion of these abuses come professions of humility from Bellarmine, and
professions of good intention and good-will from Clement.
But this kind of
counsel from a poor Cardinal, who carried himself as loftily as if he had been
privileged as highly as “the Nephew”, and whose poverty, being the expression
of a severe and censorious cynicism, marked him to the public eye, must have
made his presence more and more vexatious to the courtiers.
Although the
semblance of good-will, at least, continued between the Pope and his monitor,
its cordiality was weakened. The famous controversy between the Dominicans and
Thomists on one side, and the Jesuits and Molinists on the other, divided the Romish
theologians, for several years, into two adverse hosts. Molina, a Spanish
Jesuit, led the opponents of predestinarianism, and to him the Society adhered.
The Pope convened Doctors of both parties, entered warmly into the question,
and was anxious to use his prerogative and enforce decision. Bellarmine,
devoted to Jesuitism, strenuously defended the Spaniard; and, seeing that the
decision would not leave his party in possession of the field, labored hard to
dissuade the Pope from carrying his wish into execution. He and his colleagues
succeeded in putting off the threatened decision, that would have pronounced
their doctrine contrary to that of St. Augustine and St. Thomas. The quarrel
was hushed at Rome. Nations espoused it; and if the Holy See had condemned
either party, the other might have revenged itself in schism. The divines
refrained from a precipitation of the affair, and Bellarmine, honored with the
archbishopric of Capua, was put out of the way. By his own censure of
absentees, he was bound to reside within the diocese; and thus, wedded to
Capua, he was removed from Rome.
archbishop of caPua.
Cardinal
Baronius had often applied to the Pope on behalf of his friend, soliciting
appointments to rich benefices as they fell vacant; but hitherto without
success. The annalist represented to his Holiness that, having created Bellarmine
a Cardinal, he ought to make the favor complete by giving him a sufficient
maintenance.
Clement
sometimes expressed regret that he had not found opportunity to do so; and
Bellarmine as often replied, that he wanted nothing; but comforted himself,
when reflecting on his dependence, as a poor Cardinal, on the bounty of the
reigning Pontiff, by considering that, when Clement died, he could go back
again to the Jesuit College, and there be sure of the same fare as his
brethren.
On the vacation of the archiepiscopal see of Capua, Clement thought well to dismiss the stern monitor, and the stubborn champion of Molinism, with a good grace. On Sunday, April 21st, 1602, the second Sunday after Easter, the Gospel for the day being, “I am the good Shepherd”, the Pope consecrated him with great pomp as Archbishop, and gave him the pallium two days afterwards in the Vatican. On the second day after this investiture, he was on his way to Capua, hastening, partly to avoid the trouble of ceremonial visits, and partly to enter on the new station without delay.
He made his
entry into the city on the 1st of May. The populace were rejoicing in the prospect
of indulgences, which he had promised to all who should merit them by going to
mass, and thus be the first to take benefit of his ministrations as their
Metropolitan. The Clergy met him first, then the laity, and, under shelter of a
silken canopy, he rode into Capua. The six gentlemen elected to the government
of the people carried the canopy. The nobility surrounded him; some at the
bridle, some at the stirrups, some on either side the horse. And this was in
expression of a homage that the Church exacts on all similar occasions. The
cross preceded, to show that he took possession of the province. The way was
strewed with flowers. From the belfries of the twenty parish churches, and from
those of the numerous monasteries, came clashing peals of welcome. The crowds,
kneeling, received his blessing as he advanced; and, at the cathedral, into
which he was carried over the heads of the crowd, it seemed to him that St.
Stephen, the protomartyr and guardian of the place, extended the right hand of
recognition. And if it be true that an arm of the saint, whom devout men
buried, was disinterred, and if, in defiance of the waste of sixteen centuries,
it remained entire in Capua, that very limb was carried in procession round the
church, and in this fashion exhibited for two days, by command of the new
Archbishop, and to the delectation of the people. On the feast of Ascension,
although it was not usual to preach on that day, he set aside the custom, took
the pulpit, and delivered a sermon on these words of the Prophet: “See, I have
this day set thee over the nations, and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down,
and to destroy, and to throw down, to build and to plant”. But the Capuan pulpit
had been poorly occupied; the inhabitants felt little desire to hear sermons;
and it was not until after great exertion and perseverance that he could gather
numerous congregations. Then he wrote an earnest letter to the Pope, entreating
that, while such cities as Rome, Naples, and Milan, were supplied with
excellent Preachers, second-rate cities, like his own, should not be left
destitute. “In these”, he says, “if the Bishop does not speak, all are mute,
except during the days of Lent. In Lent, indeed, there are many Preachers to be
heard, whom pay, rather than charity, attracts, and who rather gape after gain
of money than seek souls. These, therefore, are miserable cities, desolate
fields, which Heaven, while it waters all the rest, rains upon for one month
only in the year; and from such fields you can gather nothing but thorns and
weeds”.
In reply to a friend who asked him, some years afterwards, by what means he made himself so good an Archbishop during his residence of three years in Capua, he gives this account: —“As when one looks into a mirror, I set my mind to consider intently the life and conduct of the most admired Bishops that had been in the Church before me; endeavoring, by God’s help, to throw off all that was imperfect in myself, and assume a new exterior, resembling theirs as nearly as possible, that so I might adapt my actions thereunto. I therefore read constantly the histories of those Bishops, perusing in order the volumes of Surius; and I read, especially, the lives of the holy Popes Ambrose, Martin, Augustine, Germanus, Anselm of Canterbury, Antonine of Florence, Lawrence, Patriarch of Venice, and others. But I derived the greatest advantage from the narratives of those most holy Prelates who went before me in Capua, Ansbertus and Andoenus; for both of them perfectly sustained the name and office of Pastor, nourishing the souls of their subjects with the constant preaching of the word of God, their bodies with liberal charities, and themselves with the wholesome food of prayer”. If Bellarmine
had written to gratify the eye of Protestantism, he would scarcely have
exhibited so artlessly the earthly model of perfection that he had chosen for
imitation, or have disclosed so fully his utter forgetfulness of Him who left
us an example that we should walk in His steps. If instead of the lives of
Bishops he had studied the word of God, his profiting would have been indeed
apparent, and his career as an ecclesiastic far more equal. Still we must
acknowledge that he was, in his way, a sincere and successful imitator; and if
it be a virtue in a man who has no domestic tic, and who is free to consume all
that comes into his hands, not concerning himself as to widow or child, his
virtue was heroic. He gave away his income almost as fast as he received it.
The poor, indeed, for whom scarcely any other provision was made, could only
look to the Clergy for help. The Church revenues were held with the understanding
that almsgiving was due from the Incumbents. By his steward, or with his own
hand, he gave money daily to crowds of beggars; and as he was not churlish in
the distribution, so neither did he make any careful inquiry into the necessity
or the character of the beggars that beset his door. In all such cases,
therefore, charity is but artificial, and we are obliged, in order to find any
ground for praise, to observe the temper in which he dispersed his bounties;
and here it is pleasant to find indications of an exceedingly benevolent nature,
with an air of simplicity so captivating, that I have experienced a sensation
of disappointment in passing from a cursory reading of the biography to a
careful study of his life.
His proceedings
as a disciplinarian give us occasion to note the state of the Italian churches
in those times.
Gambling, with
its attendant vices, prevailed generally in Capua and the neighboring towns, in
spite of royal edicts to the contrary; and the local authorities did not
interfere. The Archbishop, at first, intended to launch spiritual censures on
the offenders, but on consideration perceived that such a measure would only bring himself into contempt. His
predecessor, an eminent decretalist, had never interfered with the amusements
of the people, and they had been too long pursuing their own course to be
brought suddenly under ecclesiastical restraint. Secretly, that the
magistrates might not suspect his interference, he sent a messenger to the
Viceroy of Naples; obtained a new law for the prohibition of gambling-houses; and
had the Governor dismissed, and another put in his place. An edict came from
Naples, the new Governor enforced it, and they regarded Capua as reclaimed “by
those arts, to a sense of modesty”.
The laity being
thus involuntarily reformed, the Archbishop set about the reformation of the
Clergy also, who were not less addicted to the same sin. The Priests, in
general, laid aside the dice, or tossed them in private; but after all those
efforts, one of them was brought up as incorrigible. “How is it”, asked Bellarmine,
“that you, an ecclesiastic, and a Priest beside, did not fear that the sound of
dice would be heard, but played even in open day, either for pleasure or for
shameful gain?”. “Because”, answered the Priest, “I am destitute of
maintenance; and unless I get
money by play, I must starve”. The good Archbishop gave him as much as he would
have won by a lucky throw, bade him come to him whenever he would otherwise
have gambled, and promised that each time he should receive as much. The
Priest, seeing that he was caught, became another man.
In visiting the
churches, Bellarmine found that in many of them there was seldom any sort of
ritual performance, but that the Priests themselves bought and sold in them,
as if they were market-houses; the hucksters actually exposing their wares in
the naves. Porters traversed the aisles with burdens, and trade was carried on
so briskly in the porches, that the Priest could not be heard to sing mass.
This indecency the new Archbishop diminished, but could not abolish.
Priests of the
first class were seen to solicit the meanest occupations for the sake of a
living, and appeared seldom at church. This degradation he forbade, and
commanded them to attend at lectures established for their instruction. He
convened the Canons frequently in chapter, and himself presided, restoring
ceremonies, and settling disputes. In the absence of Canons from their stalls,
laymen had been accustomed to occupy those convenient seats; but he would not
suffer them even to enter the choir, which was not a place, he said, for “profane
persons”"— for the laity were all held to be profane. Every day he
attended in the choir once, and on festivals at all the hours. To encourage
attendance there, each Canon, when present, was allowed a small sum of money.
Bellarmine took his own daily, and then applied it to some charitable use. By
his presence, too, he compelled the Canons to refrain from chanting immodest
words with sacred music, and from levity in church. He was also careful to
obtain young men of as good character as could be found, to be educated for the
priesthood, free of charge.
When visiting
his diocese, he presumed to imitate our blessed Savior, by sending forward two
Jesuits, whom he likened to disciples, to announce the approach of their master.
Several Jesuits were generally to be found in Capua, and he maintained them in
his palace. For twenty-two years there had not been a Provincial Council in the
metropolitan church, nor a Diocesan Synod; but he caused Synods to be held
annually, and ordered a Council once in three years; but Bellarmine had
scarcely fulfilled one triennial cycle, when he was called to Rome again. For
the sake of showing hospitality, he enlarged and repaired the archiepiscopal
palace. The cathedral, too, he repaired; restoring and decorating the chapel of
St. Paul, which had been converted into a lumber-room. Nor did he forget to
remove the body of his predecessor into a sumptuous tomb, and place a neat
inscription over it.
Near
the church of St. John there was a nunnery, where the depravity of the inmates
had become so scandalous that a Congregation of Cardinals had forbidden any
more females to be admitted as novices. The community had dwindled down to six,
and those six “religious women” were covered with infamy. On the arrival of
Bellarmine, they applied to him for something more than he could give,—a
restoration to good report. They asked for mass to be said in their chapel
once again. It was granted, and a sermon besides, when they fell on their
knees, wept, implored interest at Rome for the grant of a new character, and
offered to submit to any rule that their Archbishop would impose on them. The
patrons of those “sacred virgins” plied Bellarmine hard for a restoration of
character at Rome, and permission to return again “to a form of holier life”. The
men of Capua complained that the nunnery, having a revenue of three thousand
ducats, and therefore capable of receiving many women, to the relief of poor
families, was no longer available for that use. Bellarmine wrote to the Sacred
Congregation, and prayed them not to shut their ears against returning virtue.
The Cardinals could scarcely imagine such a reformation to be possible; but
they yielded to his importunity, and gave license for other females to be
admitted to recruit the society of the repentant virgins, under condition of
their vacating the nunnery where no one would ever imagine that aught good
could dwell, and taking up a new abode. Bellarmine superintended the change;
having first of all purified the Nuns by eight months’ absolute seclusion,
under two ladies from another house, bought other premises, made enclosure
with very lofty walls, and only permitted one small spot for communication
with the world,— a small grating, so close that not a feature could be seen
through it by the most prying eye. Encouraged by this success, another
disordered community, that of St. Francis and St. Clare, was committed to his
hands; and by kindly diligence he succeeded in placing those Nuns, also, on a
more creditable footing.
Attracted by his
fame as a Prelate, multitudes of young men resorted to him for ordination; and
when any were to be sent out as Missioners to China or to India, the Rector of
the Roman College was wont to send them down to Capua, that from his hand they
might receive the indelible character of priesthood. At this time he also
enjoyed the credit of having so great power with God, that nothing could be
denied to his intercession. Sick persons were brought to him for healing, and
others possessed with devils for exorcism. One woman was brought from a neighboring
village, said to be possessed by many. The Cardinal knew her to be an energumen,
but commanded her to go home again. Afterwards, intending to use every means
for her recovery, and fully conscious of the power which Christ our Lord had given him, he began more
austerely than usual to break the strength of the demons by fastings and
prayers. By this they felt his power, and exclaimed with, indignation, “What
has Cardinal Bellarmine to do with us? he torments us more than he ought; he
commands us to go forth; he compels us to depart hence; therefore we will
depart”. Having repeated these words several times, they left the woman in the
church, much exhausted. Many sick persons they say he healed; and “on the
bodies of the diseased he laid a small piece of paper, cut out of the epistles
of St. Ignatius, on which was his name written by his own hand; and by that many were restored to health”.
Be it remembered
that these fables are told of one of the cleverest doctors of whom the Church
of Rome can boast, and that they were published, as soon as possible, after
his death, both in Italian and Latin, by the command of Muzio Vitelleschi,
General of the Society of Jesus, with dedication to Urban VIII, who might himself have been the biographer, but for his
elevation to the pontificate. Such are the finer pencillings wherewith a Roman
artist, of most approved manner, finishes a portrait that is to be offered for
the admiration, if not the worship, of the Church.
in conclave.
The biographer
and his followers thought it necessary to invest this “servant of God” with the
gift of prophecy. If, as they say, Bellarmine predicted, on leaving Rome, that
Clement VIII would die within three years, his
character rises not in our estimation. We remember a former presage of the
same very suspicious kind. The death, however, did take place when the
Archbishop had been two years and ten months in Capua; and after preaching a
farewell sermon he made haste to take part in the election of a successor to
the pontificate.
Clement expired
March 3d, 1605; and on the 14th day of the same month, sixty Cardinals shut
themselves up in Conclave. In the first scrutiny it was found that Bellarmine
had the largest number of votes. Eleven gave him a nomination. Eight bestowed a
similar honor on Baronius. After Baronius, many received insignificant numbers
of tickets, or single votes.
The Cardinals were not yet prepared to act in earnest; for the intrigues and contradictions which kept them there until the 1st of April were but beginning; and therefore they gave a sort of random vote for the least likely persons. Each Cardinal-Deacon had one, at least, except San Cesareo, who jocosely mourned that no one wanted him for Pope. Bellarmine sternly told his friends that the levity of the Conclave was offensive; “for although Bulls, and the honor of the blessed God, bound the Cardinals to give their votes to the most worthy, they had voted for boys of fifteen, treating that as a jest which demanded infinite respect, and thus committing mortal sin”. The suffrages for Bellarmine diminished, as soon as their Eminences fell to work, and grew more numerous for Baronius, who displayed his satisfaction in the usual manner by perversely quoting Scripture. The passage most in his lips was, “The pains of death have compassed me about”. But when at the very last another interest rose into ascendency, Alessandro de' Medici received the tiara, and came forth as Leo XI.
Four weeks’ durance and contention had wearied out the aged Princes; and
several of them were already driven to their palaces by gout, fever, or vexation.
Conclaves, in those days, were more tumultuous and scandalous than they are
likely to be at present, under improved regulations.
A fatality
haunted new-made Popes. Twenty-eight days had been consumed in the creation of
Leo XI, and in twenty-six he ceased to be. Again, therefore, fifty-nine
Cardinals went into the Vatican. On Sunday morning. May 11th, and without
keeping any Sabbath, for there is none at Rome, they proceeded at once to form
themselves into parties. In this Conclave Bellarmine became a person of importance.
Sforza, his relative, and Aquaviva, nephew of the General of the Jesuits,
applied themselves in earnest to collect votes for him; and on the scrutiny fourteen
were counted in his favor. For a short time a rumor prevailed that Bellarmine
was likely to be elected, under favor of some of the most eminent members of
the College. But, in reality, some of his supporters merely used him for the
time to divert support from another candidate; and the prospect of having a
Jesuit Pope alarmed all the Cardinal-Friars, who raised a clamor
instantaneously. The reporter of the proceedings of this Conclave says, that “Bellarmine
had great friends in consideration of his learning, and singular goodness; but
his being a Jesuit, and of delicate conscience, made him to be little loved by
many, who moved every stone to ruin him. The remembrance of Bellarmine’s
disgrace under Sixtus V, who caused his work on the power of the Pope to be
prohibited, was revived. There were earnest discourses concerning all the
consequences that might be
apprehended from the exaltation of a Jesuit, and the management on the other
side was carried on so vigorously that the project was quickly set at rest”. After
close fighting for five days, the Cardinal Borghese emerged from the crowd of
competitors as Pope Paul V. The cries of adverse factions, and the din of canvassing,
that had resounded in those chambers, were now hushed; and the new Pontiff was
robed, worshipped, and proclaimed in Rome as “Universal Father”.
rises to new dignities.
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