Christ's Faithful People
Christ's Faithful People
1623 - 1644 AD
Urban VIII in the conclave of 1623, his comparative youth, his vigor, his talent, his goodness, all seemed to indicate a long and successful pontificate. Urban's pontificate was indeed long, but it was scarcely successful.
Maffeo Barberini was born at Florence in 1568 of wealthy parents. Educated by the Jesuits, he dabbled in literature, but for a profession turned to law. After taking his degree at Pisa, Maffeo joined the pope's legal staff and rose to be archbishop of Nazareth, cardinal and bishop of Spoleto. He twice served as nuncio to France, did much there for reform, and won the friendship of Henry IV.
Urban VIII faced a difficult situation. The Thirty Years' War was going full blast when he was elected, and it was still dragging on at his death. Urban has been criticized for not giving sufficient support to the Catholic-Hapsburg side, but it must be remembered that the situation was not simple. At that, Urban did give support to the Hapsburgs, though he probably could have given more. To have excommunicated Louis XIII or his powerful minister, Richelieu, might have had dangerous results. Still, whatever Urban's responsibility or lack of it, the fact remains that at the outset of his pontificate the tide of the Catholic Counterreformation slapped menacingly at Protestant bastions. At his death that tide had receded.
Urban had small success in other fields also. He started and lost a war with the Farnese family over the territory of Castro, a proceeding which did not enhance the papacy's prestige. He is connected with the famous condemnation of Galileo. The imprudent astronomer had been lured by his enemies on to the field of theology and as a result had been condemned by a commission of the Holy Office. He gave in, however, and suffered small inconvenience in a sort of house arrest. The affair was unfortunate; for though papal infallibility was not involved, papal prestige was. And the more the Copernican theory was accepted, the more the condemnation of Galileo gave a pretext to rationalist calumnies that the Church is opposed to science.
Urban "reformed" the breviary, a reform that brought anguished cries from many quarters. Even his magnificent baroque building program under the directing genius of Bernini is somewhat overshadowed by Pasquino's cruel pun. Urban had taken bronze from the Pantheon to make cannons and to build the baldachin of St. Peter's. And to this day his name is "immortalized" in Pasquino's words "What the barbarians spared the Barberini destroyed."
Urban, however, was a good pope and did accomplish something. He condemned Jansen's dangerous book, "Augustinus." He encouraged foreign missions. He favored the beautiful forty hours' devotion. He severely curtailed unofficial canonizations. He missed the chance of becoming a great leader in the field of religious orders for women when he discouraged Mary Ward and her English ladies.
Urban VIII died on July 29, 1644.
