The Catholic Church celebrates the feast of Saint Robert Bellarmine, the Patron Saint of Catechists and Catechumens on September 17th.
Born in Montepulciano, Italy on October 4, 1542, St. Robert Bellarmine was the third of ten children. His mother, Cinzia Cervini who was a niece of Pope Marcellus II, lead a life dedicated to almsgiving, prayer, meditation, fasting and mortification of the body, which inspired Robert.
In 1560, Robert entered the newly formed Society of Jesus. When he was ordained in 1570, he realized that the study of Church history and the fathers of the Church were neglected. A promising scholar from his youth in Tuscany, he devoted his time to these two subjects. He also closely followed Scripture, in order to systematize Church doctrine against the attacks of the Protestant Reformers. He was the first Jesuit to become a professor at Louvain.
In 1576, he was appointed to the chair of controversial theology at the Roman College, becoming Rector in 1592, he went on to become Provincial of Naples in 1594 and Cardinal in 1598.
His most famous work is his three-volume Disputations on the Controversies of the Christian Faith. In his work, the sections on the temporal power of the pope and the role of the laity are noteworthy. Bellarmine incurred the anger of monarchists in England and France by showing the divine-right-of-kings theory untenable. He developed the theory of the indirect power of the pope in temporal affairs; although he was defending the pope against the Scottish philosopher Barclay, he also incurred the ire of Pope Sixtus V.
This outstanding scholar and devoted servant of God defended the Apostolic See against the anti-clericals in Venice and against the political tenets of James I of England. He composed an exhaustive apologetic work against the prevailing heretics of his day.
Bellarmine was made a cardinal by Pope Clement VIII on the grounds that “he had not his equal for learning.” While he occupied apartments in the Vatican, Bellarmine relaxed none of his former austerities. He limited his household expenses to what was barely essential, eating only the food available to the poor. He was known to have ransomed a soldier who had deserted from the army and he used the hangings of his rooms to clothe poor people, remarking, “The walls won’t catch cold.”
Among many activities, Bellarmine also became theologian to Pope Clement VIII, preparing two catechisms which have had great influence in the Church.
Saint Robert Bellarmine devoted his life to the study of Scripture and Catholic doctrine. His writings help us understand that the real source of our faith is not merely a set of doctrines, but rather the person of Jesus still living in the Church today.
This saint was the spiritual father of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, helped St. Francis de Sales obtain formal approval of the Visitation Order, and in his prudence opposed severe action in the case of Galileo. He has left us a several important writings, including works of devotion and instruction and of controversy as well.
Saint Robert Bellarmine died on September 17, 1621. The process for his canonization was begun in 1627, but was delayed until 1930 for political reasons, stemming from his writings. In 1930, Pope Pius XI canonized him and the next year declared him a doctor of the Church
