Pope Paul V

Pope Paul V
Bishop of Rome
Portrait of Pope Paul VbyCaravaggio (1605–1606,Galleria Borghese)
Church	Catholic Church
Papacy began	16 May 1605
Papacy ended	28 January 1621
Predecessor	Leo XI
Successor	Gregory XV
Previous post(s)	Cardinal-PriestofSant'Eusebio(1596–1605) Cardinal Vicar of Rome(1603–1605) Bishop of Jesi(1597–1599) Cardinal-Priest ofSan Crisogono(1602–1605) Cardinal-Priest of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (1599–1602)
Orders
Ordination	20 October 1577
Consecration	27 May 1597 byClement VIII
Created cardinal	5 June 1596 byClement VIII
Personal details
Born	Camillo Borghese 17 September 1550 Rome,Papal States
Died	28 January 1621(1621-01-28)(aged 70) Rome, Papal States
Motto	Absit nisi in te gloriari(Far, but in your glory)
Coat of arms
Other popes named Paul

Pope Paul V(Latin:Paulus V;Italian:Paolo V) (17 September 1550 – 28 January 1621), bornCamillo Borghese,was head of theCatholic Churchand ruler of thePapal Statesfrom 16 May 1605 to his death, in January 1621. In 1611, he honoredGalileo Galileias a member of the papalAccademia dei Linceiand supported his discoveries.In 1616, Pope Paul V instructed CardinalRobert Bellarmineto inform Galileo that theCopernican theorycould not be taught as fact, but Bellarmine's certificate allowed Galileo to continue his studies in search for evidence and use thegeocentric modelas a theoretical device. That same year Paul V assured Galileo that he was safe from persecution so long as he, the Pope, should live. Bellarmine's certificate was used by Galileo for his defense at thetrial of 1633.

Trained in jurisprudence, Borghese was made Cardinal-Priest ofSant'Eusebioand theCardinal Vicarof Rome byPope Clement VIII.He was elected as Pope in 1605, following the death ofPope Leo XI.Pope Paul V was known for being stern and unyielding, defending the privileges of the Church. He met with Galileo Galilei in 1616 and was involved in the controversy overheliocentrism.He canonized and beatified several individuals during his papacy and created 60 cardinals in ten consistories.

His insistence on ecclesiastical jurisdiction led to conflicts with secular governments, notably withVenice,which resulted in aninterdict on the cityin 1606. This disagreement was eventually mediated byFranceandSpainin 1607. Pope Paul V's diplomacy also strained relations withEngland,as his actions were perceived as undermining moderate Catholics in the country.

In Rome, he financed the completion ofSt. Peter's Basilica,improved theVatican Library,and restored the ancientRoman aqueductAqua Traiana.Pope Paul V established theBanco di Santo Spiritoin 1605 and is also known for fostering the rise of theBorghese familythroughnepotism.He died on 28 January 1621, after suffering from a series of strokes and was succeeded byPope Gregory XV.

Early life

Camillo Borghese was born inRomeon 17 September 1550 into theBorghese familyofSienawhich had recently established itself in Rome. He was the eldest of seven sons of the lawyer and Sienese patrician Marcantonio Borghese and his wife Flaminia Astalli, a Roman noblewoman. Camillo was carefully trained in jurisprudence atPerugiaandPadua,and became a canonist of marked ability.

Cardinal

In June 1596 Camillo was made the Cardinal-Priest ofSant'Eusebioand theCardinal Vicarof RomebyPope Clement VIII,and had as his secretaryNiccolò Alamanni.He then opted for other titular churches likeSan CrisogonoandSanti Giovanni e Paolo.

Clement VIII also bestowed upon himepiscopal consecrationin 1597 after his appointment asBishop of Jesi;the co-consecrators were Cardinal Silvio Savelli (formerLatin Patriarch of Constantinople) and CardinalFrancesco Cornaro(former Bishop of Treviso).Bishop Borghese retained the diocese of Iesi until 1599. He held aloof from all parties and factions, devoting all his spare time to his law-books.

Papacy

Election

Main article:May 1605 papal conclave

WhenPope Leo XIdied, 1605, Cardinal Borghese became pope over a number of candidates includingCaesar BaroniusandRobert Bellarmine;his neutrality in the factional times made him an ideal compromise candidate.

In character he was very stern and unyielding, a lawyer rather than diplomat, who defended the privileges of the Church to his utmost. His first act was to send home to theirseesthe bishops who were sojourning in Rome, for theCouncil of Trenthad insisted that every bishop reside in his diocese.

Papal styles of Pope Paul V
Reference style	His Holiness
Spoken style	Your Holiness
Religious style	Holy Father
Posthumous style	None

Theology

Paul met withGalileo Galileiin 1616 after Cardinal Bellarmine had, on his orders, warned Galileo not to hold or defend theheliocentricideas ofCopernicus.Whether there was also an order not to teach those ideas in any way has been a matter for controversy. A letter from Bellarmine to Galileo states only the injunction that the heliocentric ideas could not be defended or held; this letter was written expressly to enable Galileo to defend himself against rumors concerning what had happened in the meeting with Bellarmine.

In 1618, aDecreto de Nuestro Sanctissimo Padre el Papa Paulo V. en favor dela Immaculada Concepción dela Sanctissima Virgen Madre de Dios y Señora Nuestra(Decree of our most holy father Pope Paul V in favor of the Immaculate Conception of the blessed Virgin Mary,..) was published in Lima, Peru.

Canonisations and beatifications

Paul V canonisedCharles Borromeoon 1 November 1610andFrances of Romeon 29 May 1608. He also canonized Pompejanus in 1615 and canonized CardinalAlbert de Louvainon 9 August 1621.

He also beatified a number of individuals which includedIgnatius Loyola(27 July 1609),Philip Neri(11 May 1615),Teresa of Avila(24 April 1614),Aloysius Gonzaga(10 October 1605), andFrancis Xavier(25 October 1619).

Consistories

Main article:Cardinals created by Paul V

The pope created 60 cardinals in ten consistories held during his pontificate. He named his nephewScipione Borgheseas a cardinal (continuing the trend of nepotism) and also named Alessandro Ludovisi, who would become his immediate successor,Pope Gregory XV,as a cardinal.

Foreign relations

Mosaic depicting the arms ofPope Paulus V (Camillo Borghese)

Ecclesiastical jurisdiction

Main article:Venetian Interdict

Paul's insistence of ecclesiastical jurisdiction led to a number of quarrels between the Church and the secular governments of various states, notablyVenice,where patricians, such as Ermolao Barbaro (1548–1622) of the nobleBarbaro family,argued in favor of the exemption of the clergy from the jurisdiction of the civil courts. Venice passed two laws obnoxious to Paul, one forbidding the alienation of real estate in favour of the clergy, the second demanding approval of the civil power for the building of new churches.Two priests charged by the Venetian state with cruelty, wholesale poisoning, murder and licentiousness, were arrested by theVenetian Senateand put in dungeons for trial. Having been found guilty, they were committed to prison.

Paul V insisted that they be released to the Church. He demanded the release of the priests as not being amenable to the secular law. When this was refused, the Pope threatened aninterdicton account of the property laws and the imprisonment of ecclesiastics, which threat was presented to the Senate on Christmas 1605. The Venetian position was ably defended by a canon lawyer,Paolo Sarpi,who extended the matter to general principles defining separate secular and ecclesiastical spheres. In April 1606 the Popeexcommunicatedthe entire government of Venice and placed aninterdicton the city. Father Sarpi strongly advised the Venetian government to refuse to receive the Pope's interdict, and to reason with him while opposing force by force. The Venetian Senate willingly accepted this advice and Fra Paolo presented the case to Paul V, urging from history that the Pope's claim to intermeddle in civil matters was a usurpation; and that in these matters the Republic of Venice recognized no authority but that of God. The rest of the Catholic clergy sided with the city, with the exception of theJesuits,theTheatines,and theCapuchins.The dissenting clergy were forthwith expelled from Venetian territories.Massescontinued to be said in Venice, and the feast ofCorpus Christiwas celebrated with displays of public pomp and "magnificence", in defiance of the Pope. Within a year (March 1607) the disagreement was mediated byFranceandSpain.The Most Serene Republic refused to retract the laws, but asserted that Venice would conduct herself "with heraccustomed piety."The Jesuits, which Venice considered subversive Papal agents, remained banned. No more could be expected. Paul withdrew his censure.

The Venetian Republic rewarded Fra Paulo Sarpi, its successful canon lawyer, with the distinction of state counsellor in jurisprudence and the liberty of access to the state archives, which infuriated Pope Paul. In September 1607, after unsuccessfully attempting to lure Father Sarpi to Rome, the Pope responded by putting out a contract on his life.Father Sarpi was the target of at least two assassination plots in September and October. Stabbed three times with astiletto,Fra Sarpi somehow managed to recover, while the assassins found refuge in the Papal States.

Relations with England

Paul V's hard-edged Catholic diplomacy cut the ground from under moderateCatholicsinEngland.His letter of 9 July 1606 to congratulateJames Ion his accession to the throne was three years late and seemed to English eyes merely a preamble to what followed, and his reference to theGunpowder Plot,made against the life of the monarch and all the members ofParliamentthe previous November, was unfortunate for the Papal cause, for Papal agents were considered by the English to have been involved (the effigy of Pope Paul V is still burnt every year during theLewes Bonfirecelebrations). However, the Pope in that letter pleaded with James not to make the innocent Catholics suffer for the crime of a few, and Paul V also promised to exhort all the Catholics of the realm to be submissive and loyal to their sovereign—in all things not opposed to the honour of God. Theoath of allegianceJames demanded of his subjects, however contained clauses to which no 17th-century Catholic could in conscience subscribe: the oath of allegiance was solemnly condemned in a brief published a matter of weeks later (22 September 1606, extended 23 August 1607). This condemnation served only to divide English Catholics. The other irritant (to the papacy) in English relations was Cardinal Bellarmine's letter to the English archpriestGeorge Blackwell,reproaching him for having taken the oath of allegiance in apparent disregard of his duty to the Pope. The letter received enough circulation to be referred to in one of James's theological essays (1608), and Bellarmine was soon fencing in a pamphlet exchange with the king of England.

Facade of St. Peter's Basilica

Relations with Japan

Pope Paul V welcoming the embassy of the Japanese samuraiHasekura TsunenagainRomein 1615.
Japanese painting, 17th century.

In November 1615, Paul V welcomed the embassy of the Japanese samuraiHasekura TsunenagainRome.

Hasekura gave the Pope a letter (fromDate Masamune) which requested a trade treaty between Japan andNew Spain.The letter also asked for Christian missionaries to be sent to Japan. The Pope agreed to the dispatch of missionaries, but left the decision for trade to theKing of Spain.

Painting ofEmanuele Ne Vunda,ambassador fromAlvaro IIto Pope Paul V in 1604–1608, Sala dei Corazzieri,Qurinal Palace,Rome,1615–1616.

Constructions

In Rome, the pope financed the completion ofSt. Peter's Basilica,and improved theVatican Library,separating out theVatican Apostolic Archives.He restored theAqua Traiana,an ancientRoman aqueduct(named after himAcqua Paola), bringing water to therionilocated on right bank of theTiber(TrastevereandBorgo) using materials from his demolition of theForum of Nerva.He had always encouragedGuido Reni.Like many Popes of the time he was also allegedly guilty ofnepotism,and his nephewScipione Borghesewielded enormous power on his behalf, consolidating the rise of the Borghese family.

Paul V also established theBank of the Holy Spiritin 1605.

Death

Paul V died on 28 January 1621 of astrokein theQuirinal Palaceand was succeeded as pope byPope Gregory XV.The pope had been ill for more than three months following a series of strokes, and died six hours following his last stroke the morning of his death. He was interred in the basilica ofSanta Maria Maggiore.

See also

• Borghese
• Cardinals created by Paul V
• Flight of the Earls

Notes

This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Pope Paul V".Catholic Encyclopedia.New York: Robert Appleton Company.

References

• James I,De Triplici Nodo, Triplex Cuneus,(his anonymous pamphlet encouraging loyalty to the Crown, accompanied by letters from Paul V about the Catholic Church's opinion of the Oath of Allegiance, and James' responses to them).
• Stephen A. Coston,King James VI & I and Papal Opposition,1998.

External links

• "Paul. The name of five popes. Paul V".New International Encyclopedia.1905.