Il discepolo e il maestro: Un cardinale-vescovo e il suo direttore spirituale gesuita di fronte ad una scelta difficile
- Format:
- Journal Article
- Year:
- 2014
- Journal Title:
- Ricerche di Storia Sociale e Religiosa
- Volume:
- 85–86
- Language:
- Abstract:
This article explores the moral and religious dilemma experienced by the Venetian bishop and nobleman Gregorio Barbarigo between the end of 1663 and the early months of 1664. The problem concerned his proposed transfer from Bergamo, where he had been bishop since 1657, to Padua. Barbarigo did not welcome the idea, despite the fact that it would offer him the possibility of enjoying a much more conspicuous benefice, as well as a promotion in terms of career, since the diocese of Padua was objectively more consonant with the status of cardinal. His reluctance stemmed from reasons of inner consistency with a line of conduct guided by the notion that investiture as bishop had a theological-spiritual foundation, and not merely juridical-canonical. He thus believed in the sacred nature of episcopal duties, including loyalty to the first seat of residence. In this instance, Barbarigo's interior quandary was resolved largely through the intervention of his spiritual guide, the Milanese Jesuit Giovanni Maria Visconti, who led him through a process of profound introspection, conducted within the framework of a practice of spiritual discernment based on the Ignatian method of 'election'. In this way Barbarigo was directed firstly to clarify his reservations about the proposed transfer, and subsequently to appraise the expediency of expounding them to the Pope, either confidentially or openly. The Pope, on his part, by proceeding swiftly to the appointment, gave Barbarigo neither the time nor the means of clearly manifesting his objections. In this way, albeit without undermining the meaning of pregnancy of the cardinal's hesitations regarding the prospected transfer, the Pope effectively overcame them in practical terms.
- Who (Jesuits):
- What (Subjects):
- Where (Locations):
- When (Centuries):
- Page Range:
- 73–114
- ISSN:
- 0392-1581