SAINT ROBERT BELLARMINE

 

SAINT ROBERT BELLARMINE        (1542-1621)

Robert Bellarmine

Was born in Tuscany

He was Jesuit

And archbishop of Capua

He became skilled

Playing the violin

And speaking in debates

In 1560

He became a Jesuit

And was ordained

A priest in 1570

He was appointed 

A professor

Of  “controversial theology”

At the Roman College

And his lectures

Became the basis

For his famous-controversies-

A four volume work

With him

As the leading Catholic

In the  counter reformation

IT was a COMPLETE defense

OF CATHOLIC THEOLOGY

And was so LEARNED

In SCRIPTURE

It was wrongly believed

To be the work

Of a TEAM OF SCHOLARS

He became the rector

Of the Roman College

In 1592

Provincial of Naples in 1594

And cardinal in 1598

He LIVED off of

Bread and garlic

And used his curtains of his apartment

To CLOTHE the poor

In 1602

He became archbishop of Capua

And took a prominent share

In pastoral and welfare work

In 1605

He became the PREFECT

Of the Vatican LIBRARY

And an ACTIVE member

Of several Roman Congregations

His moderate views 

On the papacy

MAY have delayed his canonization

As well as  his sympathy

To Galileo 

Even though he RECOMMENDED caution

To distinguish

Between hypothesis and PROVED TRUTH

In old age

Bellarmine withdrew from controversy

And wrote books

On devotion

He died at the age of 79-

On September 17th-his feast day

He was 

Physically very small

Bur possessed GREAT powers

Of intellect and sympathy

He PRAYED DAILY

For the Protestant theologians

That he opposed

And was canonized in 1930

And a DOCTOR of the church in 1931

He NEVER

Made personal attacks

On the Protestant theologians

Robert P. Wallman

9-24-13