Francis Borgia, Grandee of Spain, Jesuit, Saint

$20.95

Fr. de Dalmases's own words tell the story of this book best: "Why this new life of St. Francis Borgia? Having published my biography of St. Ignatius, it seemed natural to follow up with that of his second successor as head of the Society of Jesus. . . . With these two saints, so different in temperament but united by ties of mutual admiration and by the same ideal of working for the glory of God, an era in the history of the Society [of Jesus] comes to an end. It is the age of the Society's foundation, consolidation, and expansion throughout the world.

 "But my chief reason for writing this book is my conviction that Francis Borgia is a little-known and poorly understood saint. . . . He was viceroy of Catalonia, duke of Gandía, grandee of Spain, and a key person in Charles V's court. After renouncing the world Francis entered the Society of Jesus and became the order's third general. However, there are many elements that warrant clarification. For example: his policies as a superior in the Society, commissary general in Spain, and general of the order. Even during his lifetime it was whispered that, because his character had been molded in so different a milieu, Borgia had never succeeded in assimilating the Society's spirit. . . . My plan has been to deal with problems by going to the sources. I wanted to come to my own conclusions. I have no wish to deal in either panegyrics or polemics. My aim has been merely to set forth the facts concisely and clearly."

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