Louis Billot
Encyclopedia
Louis Billot was a French
Jesuit priest and theologian
. Raised to the cardinalate in 1911, he resigned from it in 1927, the only cleric to have done so in the twentieth century.
in Metz
, Bordeaux
, and Blois
. Ordained
a priest
on May 22, 1869, he entered the Society of Jesus
six months later, on November 25, in Angers
. Billot did pastoral
work in Paris
from 1875 to 1878, and then in Laval
until 1879.
He taught at the Catholic University of Angers
from 1879 to 1882, and made his final vows
as a Jesuit on February 2, 1883, whilst teaching at the Jesuit Scholasticate of Ile-de-Jersey
. In 1885, Billot became a professor
of dogmatic theology
at the Pontifical Gregorian University
in Rome
. In addition his academic post, he was named a consultor
to the Holy Office
on June 19, 1909.
A keen proponent of Thomistic
scholasticism
, Billot became a leading figure in metaphysical
and speculative theology
. His strong influence on Catholic theology was created by his numerous published works and his many students. He was instrumental in drafting the 1907 encyclical
Pascendi Dominici Gregis
of Pope Pius X
. He was a close friend of Fr. Henri Le Floch
, rector
of the French Seminary in Rome.
Pius X created him Cardinal Deacon
of S. Maria in via Lata
in the consistory
of November 27, 1911. Billot was one of the cardinal electors
in the conclave of 1914
, and later participated
in that of 1922
as well. He was also one of the three Cardinal
-President
s of the Pontifical Academy "S. Tommaso" in Rome, together with Benedetto Lorenzelli
and Michele Lega
. He was appointed a member of the Pontifical Biblical Commission
on February 6, 1923.
Billot's support for the deeply conservative
movement Action Française
eventually created tension between him and the Vatican
. After Pope Pius XI
issued his condemnation of the movement, which he believed used Catholicism for its own political ends, Billot expressed strong disagreement, saying that the political activities of monarchist
Catholics ought not to be censured by Rome. After a stormy meeting with Pope Pius XI he submitted his resignation from the cardinalate on September 13, 1927, and the Pope accepted it eight days later, on September 21. Billot's forfeiture was made public to his former colleagues in the College of Cardinals
at the consistory of the following December 19. He was the only cardinal to resign that rank during the twentieth century.
Billot died as a simple priest at the Jesuit Novitiate
of Galloro, near Ariccia
, at the age of 85. He is buried in the Jesuit chapel
of the Campo Verano cemetery. His legacy as the foremost Thomistic theologian of modern times continues to this day.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Jesuit priest and theologian
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
. Raised to the cardinalate in 1911, he resigned from it in 1927, the only cleric to have done so in the twentieth century.
Biography
Louis Billot was born in and studied at the seminariesSeminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
in Metz
Metz
Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...
, Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, and Blois
Blois
Blois is the capital of Loir-et-Cher department in central France, situated on the banks of the lower river Loire between Orléans and Tours.-History:...
. Ordained
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
a priest
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
on May 22, 1869, he entered the Society of Jesus
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
six months later, on November 25, in Angers
Angers
Angers is the main city in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France about south-west of Paris. Angers is located in the French region known by its pre-revolutionary, provincial name, Anjou, and its inhabitants are called Angevins....
. Billot did pastoral
Parish (Catholic Church)
In the Roman Catholic Church, a parish is the lowest ecclesiastical geographical subdivision: from ecclesiastical province to diocese to deanery to parish.-Requirements:A parish needs two things under common law to become a parish...
work in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
from 1875 to 1878, and then in Laval
Laval, Mayenne
Laval is a commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France.It lies on the threshold of Brittany and on the border between Normandy and Anjou. Its citizens are called Lavallois.-Geography:...
until 1879.
He taught at the Catholic University of Angers
Université Catholique de l'Ouest
The Catholic University of the West is a university located in Angers, France.- History :Early in the 11th century this school became famous under the direction of Marbodus, later Bishop of Rennes, and of Ulger, later Bishop of Angers, both pupils of the renowned canonist, Fulbert de Chartres...
from 1879 to 1882, and made his final vows
Religious vows
Religious vows are the public vows made by the members of religious communities pertaining to their conduct, practices and views.In the Buddhist tradition, in particular within the Mahayana and Vajrayana tradition, many different kinds of religious vows are taken by the lay community as well as by...
as a Jesuit on February 2, 1883, whilst teaching at the Jesuit Scholasticate of Ile-de-Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
. In 1885, Billot became a professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of dogmatic theology
Dogmatic theology
Dogmatic theology is that part of theology dealing with the theoretical truths of faith concerning God and his works, especially the official theology recognized by an organized Church body, such as the Roman Catholic Church, Dutch Reformed Church, etc...
at the Pontifical Gregorian University
Pontifical Gregorian University
The Pontifical Gregorian University is a pontifical university located in Rome, Italy.Heir of the Roman College founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola over 460 years ago, the Gregorian University was the first university founded by the Jesuits...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. In addition his academic post, he was named a consultor
Consultor
A consultor is one who gives counsel, i.e. a counselor.In the Catholic Church, it is a specific title for various advisory positions:*in the Roman Curia, a consultor is a specially appointed expert who may be called upon for advice desired by a department...
to the Holy Office
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , previously known as the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition , and after 1904 called the Supreme...
on June 19, 1909.
A keen proponent of Thomistic
Thomism
Thomism is the philosophical school that arose as a legacy of the work and thought of St. Thomas Aquinas, philosopher, theologian, and Doctor of the Church. In philosophy, his commentaries on Aristotle are his most lasting contribution...
scholasticism
Scholasticism
Scholasticism is a method of critical thought which dominated teaching by the academics of medieval universities in Europe from about 1100–1500, and a program of employing that method in articulating and defending orthodoxy in an increasingly pluralistic context...
, Billot became a leading figure in metaphysical
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
and speculative theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
. His strong influence on Catholic theology was created by his numerous published works and his many students. He was instrumental in drafting the 1907 encyclical
Encyclical
An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Catholic Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop...
Pascendi Dominici Gregis
Pascendi Dominici Gregis
Pascendi dominici gregis was a Papal encyclical letter promulgated by Pope Pius X on 8 September 1907.The pope condemned Modernism, and a whole range of other principles described as "evolutionary", which allowed change to Roman Catholic dogma...
of Pope Pius X
Pope Pius X
Pope Saint Pius X , born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, was the 257th Pope of the Catholic Church, serving from 1903 to 1914. He was the first pope since Pope Pius V to be canonized. Pius X rejected modernist interpretations of Catholic doctrine, promoting traditional devotional practices and orthodox...
. He was a close friend of Fr. Henri Le Floch
Henri Le Floch
Father Henri Le Floch was a Spiritan and the rector of the French Seminary in Rome in the early 20th century until the late 1920s....
, rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of the French Seminary in Rome.
Pius X created him Cardinal Deacon
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
of S. Maria in via Lata
Santa Maria in Via Lata
Santa Maria in Via Lata is a church on the Via del Corso , in Rome, Italy.-History:It is claimed that St. Paul spent two years here, in the crypt under the church, whilst under house arrest waiting for his trial. This conflicts with the tradition regarding San Paolo alla Regola...
in the consistory
Consistory
-Antiquity:Originally, the Latin word consistorium meant simply 'sitting together', just as the Greek synedrion ....
of November 27, 1911. Billot was one of the cardinal electors
Cardinal electors in Papal conclave, 1914
The following were the cardinal electors in the 1914 papal conclave. Arranged by region , and within each alphabetically...
in the conclave of 1914
Papal conclave, 1914
The Papal conclave of 1914 was held to choose a successor to Pope Pius X, who had died in the Vatican on 20 August 1914.-Political context:With Europe facing World War I, whoever was selected would face the difficulty of leading the Holy See through the war to end all wars, in which Catholic...
, and later participated
Cardinal electors in Papal conclave, 1922
The following were the cardinal electors in the 1922 papal conclave. Arranged by region , and within each alphabetically...
in that of 1922
Papal conclave, 1922
After a reign of just eight years, Pope Benedict XV died on 22 January 1922 of pneumonia. At his death there were 61 members of the College of Cardinals. However, later that same day, Enrique Almaraz y Santos, the Archbishop of Toledo, died, leaving a college of 60 cardinals to elect Pope...
as well. He was also one of the three Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
-President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
s of the Pontifical Academy "S. Tommaso" in Rome, together with Benedetto Lorenzelli
Benedetto Lorenzelli
Benedetto Lorenzelli was am Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Studies from 1914 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1907.-Biography:...
and Michele Lega
Michele Lega
Michele Lega S.T.D. J.U.D. was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Congregation for the Discipline of Sacraments....
. He was appointed a member of the Pontifical Biblical Commission
Pontifical Biblical Commission
The Pontifical Biblical Commission is an organism established within the Roman Curia to ensure the proper interpretation and defense of Sacred Scripture.-The Commission 1901-1971:...
on February 6, 1923.
Billot's support for the deeply conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
movement Action Française
Action Française
The Action Française , founded in 1898, is a French Monarchist counter-revolutionary movement and periodical founded by Maurice Pujo and Henri Vaugeois and whose principal ideologist was Charles Maurras...
eventually created tension between him and the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
. After Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
issued his condemnation of the movement, which he believed used Catholicism for its own political ends, Billot expressed strong disagreement, saying that the political activities of monarchist
Monarchism
Monarchism is the advocacy of the establishment, preservation, or restoration of a monarchy as a form of government in a nation. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government out of principle, independent from the person, the Monarch.In this system, the Monarch may be the...
Catholics ought not to be censured by Rome. After a stormy meeting with Pope Pius XI he submitted his resignation from the cardinalate on September 13, 1927, and the Pope accepted it eight days later, on September 21. Billot's forfeiture was made public to his former colleagues in the College of Cardinals
College of Cardinals
The College of Cardinals is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church.A function of the college is to advise the pope about church matters when he summons them to an ordinary consistory. It also convenes on the death or abdication of a pope as a papal conclave to elect a successor...
at the consistory of the following December 19. He was the only cardinal to resign that rank during the twentieth century.
Billot died as a simple priest at the Jesuit Novitiate
Novitiate
Novitiate, alt. noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a novice monastic or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether they are called to the religious life....
of Galloro, near Ariccia
Ariccia
Ariccia is a town and comune in the Province of Rome, central Italy. It is in the Alban Hills of the Lazio region and could be considered an extension of Rome's southeastern suburbs...
, at the age of 85. He is buried in the Jesuit chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
of the Campo Verano cemetery. His legacy as the foremost Thomistic theologian of modern times continues to this day.