Biography
Robert Bellarmine was an Italian Jesuit and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was one of the most important figures in the Counter-Reformation. A brilliant intellectual, his massive work 'Disputationes de Controversiis' was the definitive Catholic defense against Protestant theology; it was so effective that special chairs were established in Protestant universities just to attempt to refute it. He taught at the Roman College and was the spiritual director of St. Aloysius Gonzaga. He played a significant role in the Galileo affair, advising caution and maintaining that the Church would have to reinterpret Scripture if heliocentrism were definitively proven. Despite his high office, he lived austerely, famously using the tapestries in his apartment to clothe the poor.
Miracles & Signs
- ✦His intense and profound gift of tears during prayer
Wisdom & Quotes
“Charity is that with which no man is lost, and without which no man is saved.”
“Sweet Lord, you are playing a trick on me... You promise me heaven, but you are bringing heaven to me here on earth.”