Pope Paul III
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Pope Paul III (
He came to the papal throne in an era following the
Paul III was a significant patron of artists including
Biography
Early career and family
Born in 1468 at
Alessandro was given a humanist education at the
As a young cleric, Alessandro lived a notably dissolute life, taking a mistress, Silvia Ruffini. Between about 1500 and 1510 she gave birth to at least four children: Costanza,[1] Pier Luigi (who was later created Duke of Parma),[5] Paolo, and Ranuccio. In July 1505, Pope Julius II legitimated the two eldest sons so that they could inherit the Farnese family estates.[6] On 23 June 1513, Pope Leo X published a second legitimation of Pier Luigi, and also legitimated Ranuccio (the second son Paolo had already died).[7]
On 28 March 1509 Alessandro was named Bishop of Parma - although he was not ordained a priest until 26 June 1519 and not consecrated a bishop until 2 July 1519. As Bishop of Parma, he came under the influence of his vicar-general,
Pontificate
Papal election
On the death of Clement VII in 1534, he was elected as Pope Paul III on 13 October 1534.[9] Farnese, who did not fall within any of the factions, was considered a very good choice by the cardinals since his state of health denoted a short papacy which would give those cardinals time to select a proper candidate for a future conclave. On 3 November, Paul III was formally crowned by the protodeacon Innocenzo Cybo.
The elevation to the cardinalate of his grandsons,
Politics and religion
The fourth pope during the period of the
In 1536, Paul III invited a committee of nine eminent prelates, distinguished by learning and piety alike, to report on the reformation and rebuilding of the Church. In 1537 they produced the celebrated Consilium de emendenda ecclesia,[10] exposing gross abuses in the Roman Curia, the church administration, and public worship; and proffering bold proposals aimed at abolishing such abuses. The report was widely printed, and the Pope was in earnest when he took up the problem of reform. He clearly perceived that Emperor Charles V would not rest until the problems were grappled with in earnest.
But to the Protestants the report seemed far from thorough; Martin Luther had his edition (1538) prefaced with a vignette showing the cardinals cleaning the Augean stable of the Roman Church with foxtails instead of brooms. In the end, no results followed from the committee's recommendations.
As a consequence of the extensive campaign against "idolatry" in England, culminating with the dismantling of the shrine of St. Thomas Becket at Canterbury, the Pope excommunicated Henry VIII on 17 December 1538 and issued an interdict.[11]
In 1534 a decision by Paul III favoured the activity of merchants of all nationalities and religions from the
Around this time, family complications arose. In order to vest his grandson
In 1540, the Church officially recognized the new society forming about
On another side, the Emperor was insisting that Rome should forward his designs towards a peaceable recovery of the German Protestants. Accordingly, the Pope despatched
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/29/Titian_-_Ranuccio_Farnese_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg/220px-Titian_-_Ranuccio_Farnese_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg)
Yet, even after the Regensburg Conference had proved fruitless, the Emperor insisted on a still larger council, with the final result being the Council of Trent, which was finally convoked on 15 March 1545, under the bull Laetare Hierusalem.
Meanwhile, after the peace of
In Germany the campaign began in the west, where
Although the Emperor had subdued the German Protestant armies, he had failed to support the Pope's territorial ambitions for his son Pier Luigi, and relations between them cooled. The situation came to a total rupture when the imperial vice-regent, Ferrante Gonzaga, forcibly expelled Pier Luigi.
In 1547 the Pope's son was assassinated at Piacenza, and Paul III placed some of the blame on the emperor. In the same year, however, and after the death of Francis I of France (1515–47) deprived the Pope of a potential ally, the stress of circumstances compelled him to accept the ecclesiastical measures in the Emperor's Interim.
With reference to the assassinated prince's inheritance, the restitution of which Paul III demanded ostensibly in the name of the Church, the Pope's design was thwarted by the Emperor, who refused to surrender Piacenza, and by Pier Luigi's heir in Parma, Ottavio Farnese.
In consequence of a violent altercation on this account with Cardinal Farnese, Paul III, at the age of eighty-one years, became so overwrought that an attack of sickness ensued from which he died, 10 November 1549.
Paul III proved unable to suppress the
Slavery and Sublimis Deus
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Aprova%C3%A7%C3%A3o_da_Companhia_de_Jesus_pelo_Papa_Paulo_III_%28c._1640%29_-_Domingos_da_Cunha%2C_o_Cabrinha_%28S%C3%A9_Nova%2C_Coimbra%29.png/210px-Aprova%C3%A7%C3%A3o_da_Companhia_de_Jesus_pelo_Papa_Paulo_III_%28c._1640%29_-_Domingos_da_Cunha%2C_o_Cabrinha_%28S%C3%A9_Nova%2C_Coimbra%29.png)
In May–June 1537 Paul issued the bull Sublimis Deus (also known as Unigenitus and Veritas ipsa), described by Prein (2008) as the "Magna Carta" for the human rights of the indigenous peoples of the Americas in its declaration that "the Indians were human beings and they were not to be robbed of their freedom or possessions". The subsequent implementing document Pastorale officium declared automatic excommunication for anyone who failed to abide by the new ruling.[14]
However, it met with strong opposition from the Council of The West Indies and the Crown, which declared that it violated their patronato rights, and the Pope annulled the orders the following year with the document Non Indecens Videtur.[15] Stogre (1992) notes that Sublimis Deus is not present in Denzinger, the authoritative compendium of official Catholic teachings, and Davis (1988) asserts it was annulled due to a dispute with the Spanish crown.[16] However, the original bull continued to circulate and be quoted by las Casas and others who supported Indian rights.[17]
According to Falkowski (2002) Sublimis Deus had the effect of revoking the bull of Alexander VI,
In 1545, Paul repealed an ancient law that allowed slaves to claim their freedom under the Emperor's statue on Rome's Capitoline Hill, in view of the number of homeless people and tramps in the city.[23] The decree included those who had become Christians after their enslavement and those born to Christian slaves. The right of inhabitants of Rome to publicly buy and sell slaves of both sexes was affirmed.[24] Stogre (1992) asserts that the lifting of restrictions was due to a shortage of slaves in Rome.[25] In 1548, Paul authorized the purchase and possession of Muslim slaves in the Papal states.[26]
Also in 1537, Paul issued the bull, Altitudo divini consilii. The bull discusses evangelization and conversion, including the proper way to apply the sacraments, in particular baptism.[27] This was especially important in the early days of colonial rule, when hundreds and sometimes thousands of indigenous people were baptized every day.[27] One interesting aspect of this bull is its discussion of how to deal with local practices, for example, polygamy. After their conversion, polygamous men had to marry their first wife, but if they could not remember which wife was the first, they then "could choose among the wives the one they preferred."[28]
Patron of the arts
Arguably the most significant artistic work produced during Paul's reign was the
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Rafael_-_Alessandro_Farnese.jpg/220px-Rafael_-_Alessandro_Farnese.jpg)
As a cardinal, Alessandro had begun construction of the Palazzo Farnese in central Rome, and its planned size and magnificence increased upon his election to the papacy. The palace was initially designed by the architect Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, received further architectural refinement from Michelangelo, and was completed by Giacomo della Porta. Like other Farnese family buildings, the imposing palace proclaims the family's power and wealth, similarly to Alessandro's Villa Farnese at Caprarola. In 1546, after the death of Sangallo, Paul appointed the elderly Michelangelo to take supervision of the building of St. Peter's Basilica. Paul also commissioned Michelangelo to paint the 'Crucifixion of St. Peter' and the 'Conversion of St. Paul' (1542–50), his last frescoes, in the Pauline Chapel of the Vatican.
Paul III's artistic and architectural commissions were numerous and varied. The
Other activities
Society of Jesus and religious orders
On 27 September 1540, Paul III formally approved the establishment of the
Similarly, in 1540, Paul III approved the Rule of the Somaschi Fathers and on 9 June 1544 approved the Rule for the Ursulines in the bull Regimini Universalis.
Consistories
Throughout his papacy, Paul III elevated 71 cardinals in twelve consistories. Six of those whom he named, and later revealed publicly, were nominated "in pectore". Among those whom he named were his three immediate successors, Giovanni Maria Ciocchi del Monte (the future Pope Julius III), Marcello Cervini (the future Pope Marcellus II), and Gian Pietro Carafa (the future Pope Paul IV). Among those whom he named were the likes of Reginald Pole, Rodrigo Luis de Borja y de Castre-Pinós (the great-great-grandson of Pope Alexander VI), Ippolito II d'Este (the grandson of Pope Alexander VI), and Enrique de Borja y Aragón (the great-grandson of Pope Alexander VI). Paul III also named John Fisher as a cardinal, however, King Henry VIII had him executed after warning the pope not to nominate him.
In 1535, Paul III intended to nominate Desiderius Erasmus to the cardinalate, however, he declined on the grounds of ill health and his age. In preparations for the 1542 consistory, Paul III intended to nominate Giovanni Guidiccioni, however, the latter died before the consistory took place. In that 1542 consistory, according to Conradus Eubel, the pope is said to have reserved an undefined number of other cardinals in pectore.[32]
Canonizations
During his papacy, Paul III canonized only two saints: Ginés de la Jara (1541) and Abraham of Smolensk (1549).
Death
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/db/S._Peter%2C_Rome%2C_Italy._%282830835909%29.jpg/220px-S._Peter%2C_Rome%2C_Italy._%282830835909%29.jpg)
On 3 November 1549, Paul III celebrated the anniversary of his papal coronation. However, the pope was severely depressed by the deceit of his own family and the fall of Parma to Emperor Charles V, and it is known that he had a very heated argument with his cardinal nephew,
Paul III died on 10 November 1549 from a catarrh. It is said that he repented of his nepotism on his deathbed.[citation needed]
Paul III's bronze tomb, executed by Guglielmo della Porta, is located in Saint Peter's Basilica.
Fictional portrayals
The character of
See also
- Catholic Church in the Azores, diocese created by Pope Paul III in 1534
- Cardinals created by Paul III
Notes
- ^ a b Gamrath 2007, p. 25.
- ^ a b c "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Pope Paul III". www.newadvent.org.
- ^ Verellen Till R. Pope Paul III (Alessandro Farnese) Oxford Online
- ^ Ferdinand Gregorovius, History of the City of Rome in the Middle Ages (London: George Bell & Sons, 1900): VII, 1, 351.
- ^ a b Knecht 2014, p. 42.
- ^ Roberto Zapperi, La leggenda del papa Paolo III: arte e censura nella Roma pontificia (Torino: Bollati Boringhieri, 1998): 20.
- ^ Zapperi, 21.
- ^ a b "Pope Paul III", Reformation 500 Concordia University Archived 11 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ de Vitoria 1991, p. 333.
- ^ le Plat, J. (1782). Monumenta ad historiam Concilii Tridentini (in Latin). Leuven. pp. ii, 596–597.
- ^ Scarisbrick 2011, p. 361.
- ^ Jan W. Woś, La comunità greca di Ancona alla fine del secolo XVI, Tipografia Sonciniana, 1979
- ^ "Pope Paul III's Approval of the Society of Jesus (1540)". personal.ashland.edu. Archived from the original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ a b "The Encyclopedia Of Christianity", p. 212
- ^ Stogre, p. 115, fn. 133
- ^ Davis, p. 170, fn. 9
- ^ Lampe, p. 17
- ^ Thornberry 2002, p. 65, fn. 21
- ^ Panzer, 2008
- ^ Stogre, pp. 115–116
- ^ Stark 2003
- ^ Falola, p. 107; see also Maxwell, p. 73
- ^ Davis, p. 56
- ^ Noonan, p. 79; Stogre, p. 116
- ^ Stogre, p. 116
- ^ Clarence-Smith
- ^ a b Soormally 2018, p. 92.
- ^ Hamann 2020, p. 100.
- ^ "Home". www.vaticanstate.va. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
- ^ Verellen Till R., ibid.
- ^ "The Jesuits are approved – 1540". Christian History Institute. 1920. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
- ^ Salvador Miranda. "Paul III (1534–1549)". The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
- ^ John Paul Adams (25 April 2016). "Sede Vacante 1549–1550". CSUN. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
- ^ M. R. B. Shaw, introduction to Penguin Classics 1958 translation of The Charterhouse of Parma
References
- Clarence-Smith, William G., "Religions and the abolition of slavery – a comparative approach", at Global Economic History Network (GEHN) conference entitled 'Culture and economic performance', Washington DC, 7–10 September 2006.
- Davis, David Brion, The Problem of Slavery in Western Culture, Oxford University Press U.S., 1988, ISBN 0-19-505639-6
- The Encyclopedia Of Christianity, Volume 5, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2008, ISBN 0-8028-2417-X
- ISBN 0-313-33480-3
- Gamrath, Helge (2007). Farnese: Pomp, Power, and Politics in Renaissance Italy. L'Erma Di Bretschneider.
- Hamann, Byron Ellsworth (2020). Bad Christians, New Spains Muslims, Catholics, and Native Americans in a Mediterratlantic World. Routledge.
- Knecht, R.J. (2014). Catherine De'Medici. Taylor & Francis.
- Lampe, Armando, Christianity in the Caribbean: Essays on Church History, 2001, University of the West Indies Press, ISBN 976-640-029-6
- Maxwell, John Francis, Slavery and the Catholic Church: The History of Catholic Teaching Concerning the Moral Legitimacy of the Institution of Slavery, 1975, Chichester Barry-Rose, ISBN 0-85992-015-1
- Panzer, Father Joel S, The Popes and Slavery, The Church In History Centre, 22 April 2008, retrieved 9 August 2009
- Stark, Rodney, "The truth about the Catholic Church and slavery", Christianity Today, 7 January 2003
- Scarisbrick, J. J. (2011). Henry VIII. Yale University Press.
- Soormally, Mina García (2018). Idolatry and the Construction of the Spanish Empire. University Press of Colorado.
- Stogre, Michael, S.J, That the World May Believe: The Development of Papal Social Thought on Aboriginal Rights, Médiaspaul, 1992, ISBN 2-89039-549-9
- Thornberry, Patrick, Indigenous Peoples and Human Rights, Manchester University Press, 2002, ISBN 0-7190-3794-8
- de Vitoria, Francisco (1991). Pagden, Anthony; Lawrance, Jeremy (eds.). Vitoria: Political Writings. Cambridge University Press.
External links
Media related to Paulus III at Wikimedia Commons
Works by or about Paul III at Wikisource
Quotations related to Pope Paul III at Wikiquote
- Farnese family tree from about 1390 to 1766.
- Sublimus Dei – On the Enslavement and Evangelization of Indians in the New World – 1537
- New International Encyclopedia. 1905.
.
This article incorporates text from a publication in the
New Schaff–Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge(third ed.). London and New York: Funk and Wagnalls. p. 395.- Works by Pope Paul III at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)