Robert Bellarmine of Tuscany became a priest of the Society of Jesus in 1570. As he was a distinguished Theologian, he was appointed professor at the University of Louvain in Belgium. His reputation as an eminent teacher and as an eloquent preacher was such that Catholics and Protestants alike gathered to listen to him. In 1576 Robert was assigned to the newly founded Roman College in the Eternal City. It was here that he wrote his famous book “De Cotroversiis” that dealt with all the religious controversies of his time. This was a monumental work in which he outlined the Catholic doctrine and pinpointed the errors of Protestantism. His approach was doctrinal and persuasive, not polemic or oratorical. The Protestant world was stunned. He also demolished the myth of the “Divine Right of Kings,” a claim of the monarchs that their royal authority came directly from God.
Pope Clement VIII honoured Bellarmine with the Cardinal’s hat in 1597 because “he had not his equal for learning.” As Archbishop of Capua from1602-1605, his major concern was the establishment of Seminaries for the intellectual and moral formation of the clergy. He was a close friend and an admirer of Galileo and his discoveries. When the scientist’s heliocentric theory was condemned by the Holy Office, Bellarmine was assigned to the sensitive task of communicating the decision and of receiving his submission in 1610. He had a holy death in Rome on September 17, 1621 and was raised to the honours of the altar in 1930.
Reflection: Though Bellarmine lived in the comfort and luxury of Louvain and of Rome, he led a life of poverty and austerity befitting a religious. However, he was lavish towards charitable works. The servant of God went to the extent of selling the curtains of his room to clothe the poor saying: “The walls won’t catch cold.”
All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work. (2 Tim. 3: 16)
