Coelestis Pastor
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Miguel de Molinos (baptised 29 June 1628 – 29 December 1696) was a Spanish mystic, the chief representative of the religious revival known as Quietism.


Biography

He was born in 1628 near Muniesa (
Teruel Teruel () is a city in Aragon, located in eastern Spain, and is also the capital of Teruel (province), Teruel Province. It had a population of 35,900 as of 2022, making it the least populated provincial capital in Spain. It is noted for its har ...
), in
Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces of Spain, ...
, a village around south of
Zaragoza Zaragoza (), traditionally known in English as Saragossa ( ), is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the ...
. His birthdate is unknown, but church records indicate he was baptised on 29 June 1628. He moved to
Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
in his youth and undertook religious education with the
Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
s there at the College of St Paul.Robert P Baird, 'Introduction: Part One', in Miguel de Molinos, ''The Spiritual Guide'', ed and trans by Robert P Baird, (New York: Paulist Press, 2010), pp1-20. He was ordained in 1652, and seemingly took his doctorate shortly thereafter at Coimbra.Daniel-Rops. "Quietism, A Heresy of Divine Love", ''Thought'', Fordham University Press, Winter 1957-58
/ref> He held a benefice in the church of Santo Tomas and was confessor to a community of nuns. On 4 June 1662, Molinos was admitted to the local chapter of the School of Christ, a religious brotherhood that would play an important role in his later life in Rome. He seems in these early years in Valencia to have held a number of secondary roles in the chapter's leadership, at least one of which earned him a place on the chapter's governing body. In July 1663, Molinos was chosen to travel to Rome as procurator of the cause of the beatification of the Venerable Francisco Jerónimo Simón (d. 1612), a secular cleric and beneficer of the parish of St Andrews in Valencia. He left Spain in late 1663; he would not return. There is almost no specific evidence of Molinos's activities in Rome in 1663–1675. It is known that Molinos was affiliated with the Roman chapter of the School of Christ (and, by 1671 at the latest, had become its leader). He also became well known as a spiritual director – and it was in this role that he gained prominence as the leading advocate of the teaching and practice that would come to be known as Quietism. He was a regular correspondent with Princess Borghese, and counted as an admirer, Cardinal Benedetto Odescalchi, who in 1676 became
Pope Innocent XI Pope Innocent XI (; ; 16 May 1611 – 12 August 1689), born Benedetto Odescalchi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 21 September 1676 until his death on 12 August 1689. Political and religious tensions with ...
. He also paid frequent visits to the house of the exiled
Christina, Queen of Sweden Christina (; 18 December O.S. 8 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">O.S. 8 December1626 – 19 April 1689), a member of the House of Vasa, was Monarchy of Sweden, Queen of Sweden from ...
. He was also in these years working on the case of the Venerable Simón; by 1675, however, Molinos had to admit to his superiors in Valencia that the
Congregation of Rites The Sacred Congregation of Rites was a congregation of the Roman Curia, erected on 22 January 1588 by Pope Sixtus V by ''Immensa Aeterni Dei''; it was divided into two separate congregations by Pope Paul VI on 8 May 1969. The Congregation was cha ...
had refused to reconsider the case. Molinos's royal commission and line of credit were revoked, and he was deprived of his official position in the Valencian delegation in Rome. In the same year, 1675, Molinos published his most famous work, the ''Spiritual Guide''. The initial Spanish edition was quickly followed by an Italian translation entitled ''Guida spirituale, che disinvolge l'anima e la conduce per l'interior camino all' acquisito della perfetta contemplazione e del ricco tesoro della pace interiore'' (Spiritual Guide, which releases the soul and conducts it through the interior path to acquire the perfect contemplation and rich treasure of interior peace). The work was published with the usual approval from the ecclesiastical authorities – the book received the imprimatur from the Dominican Raimondo Capizucchi, the pope's own theologian, and the book opened with approbations by clergy of the Trinitarian, Franciscan, Carmelite, Capuchin and Jesuit orders. This was followed soon after in 1675 by a brief ''Trattato della cotidiana communione'' (''Brief Treatise on Daily Communion''), in which Molinos argued that those who wished to receive the Eucharist daily should not be denied by their confessor, so long as they were in a state of grace. Again, this work was approved by the censors of several orders.


Quietist controversy

According to
Daniel-Rops Henri Jules Charles Petiot (19 January 1901 – 27 July 1965), known by the pen name Henri Daniel-Rops, was a French Catholic writer and historian. Biography Daniel-Rops was the son of a military officer. He was a student at the Faculties of L ...
, Molinos' recommended absolute passivity and contemplation in total repose of the spirit. Activity disrupts passive receptivity, therefore, even devotions are harmful, as they focus on something sensible, such as the Humanity of Christ. God allows sin in order to discipline and purify the soul, so it was wrong to resist temptation. Molinos's writings were extremely popular. By 1685 seven editions had been printed in Italy and three in Spain. Translations of the book were made into Latin (1687), French (1688), Dutch (1688), English (1688), and German (1699). His ideas might have been condemned sooner but for the esteem in which he was held by Innocent XI, Capizucchi, and some influential cardinals. Inigo Caracciolo, Archbishop of Naples, said that in convents of religious women, sisters rejected vocal prayer in preference to the prayer of quiet. Cardinal Albizzi of the Holy Office, also took a dim view. Rumors spread throughout Rome denouncing Molinos' alleged conduct with his female penitents. The first attack on Molinos's ''Guide'' (though without specifically mentioning the ''Guide'' or Molinos) appeared in 1678, written by Gottardo Bell’huomo. Molinos evidently felt that Bell’huomo's book could not be ignored, because shortly after he wrote (though never published) an apologia for his ''Guide'' entitled ''Defence of Contemplation'', aiming to defend the ''Guide'' against charges of theological innovation. Specifically, he marshalled a long list of past writers and saints (including
Francisco Suarez Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name ''Franciscus''. Meaning of the name Francisco In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed " Paco". San Francisco de Asís was known as ''Pater Comm ...
and
Jean-Joseph Surin Jean-Joseph Surin (; 9 February 1600 – 21 April 1665) was a French Jesuit mystic, preacher, devotional writer and exorcist. He is remembered for his participation in the Loudun possessions, exorcisms of Loudun in 1634–37. He was born and died ...
) in order to demonstrate that the ''Guide''’s principal thesis – that in order to pass to the state of contemplation one must leave behind meditative practices was a well-established part of church doctrine. (He was aware of the focus in the writings of
Ignatius of Loyola Ignatius of Loyola ( ; ; ; ; born Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola; – 31 July 1556), venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Basque Spaniard Catholic priest and theologian, who, with six companions, founded the religious order of the S ...
on meditation, and the likelihood that Jesuit writers would react poorly to any perceived attack on Ignatius’s thought. He was quick to emphasise that these are certainly an important stage of the spiritual life.) Instead of publishing the book, Molinos took up his case with the superior general of the Jesuits, Giovanni Paolo Oliva. In a series of letters from February 1680 onwards, Molinos sought to assure Oliva that he had nothing but praise and respect for the Jesuits and their spirituality. A second moment of suspicion against Molinos arose in 1681. In March 1680, the Jesuit preacher
Paolo Segneri Paolo Segneri (21 March 1624 – 9 December 1694) was an Italian Jesuit preacher, missionary, and ascetical writer. Life Segneri was born at Nettuno. He studied at the Roman College, and in 1637 entered the Society of Jesus, not without oppos ...
, a renowned doctor of ascetical theology, wrote to Oliva, proposing a book defending meditation against the Quietists’ teaching. Oliva encouraged him and forwarded copies of the letters he had recently sent to Molinos. Later in 1680, a book was published in
Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...
, titled ''Concordia tra la fatica e la quiete nell' orazione'' (''Agreement Between Effort and Quiet in Prayer''), with Oliva's name signed as imprimatur. The book attacked Molinos's views, though without mentioning his name. During 1680–1681, a series of responses appeared from both the Quietists and the Jesuits. The matter was referred to the
Inquisition The Inquisition was a Catholic Inquisitorial system#History, judicial procedure where the Ecclesiastical court, ecclesiastical judges could initiate, investigate and try cases in their jurisdiction. Popularly it became the name for various med ...
. In late 1681, it pronounced that the ''Guida spirituale'' was perfectly orthodox, censured Segneri, and placed his book on the
Index Index (: indexes or indices) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Index (''A Certain Magical Index''), a character in the light novel series ''A Certain Magical Index'' * The Index, an item on the Halo Array in the ...
(later in 1681, Bellhuomo's work was also placed on the Index). The apparent Quietist victory, however, was short-lived. Cardinal d'Estrées, French ambassador at Rome, acting on instructions from Paris, denounced him to the authorities. On 18 July 1685, Molinos was arrested by the pontifical guards and imprisoned in the
Castel Sant’Angelo Castel Sant'Angelo ( ), also known as Mausoleum of Hadrian (), is a towering rotunda (cylindrical building) in Parco Adriano, Rome, Italy. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family. ...
. At first his friends were confident of an acquittal, and it seems that many in Rome remained sympathetic to his beliefs, but matters gradually turned against him. In spring 1687, Molinos was brought before a tribunal of the
Holy Office of the Inquisition The Roman Inquisition, formally , was a system of partisan tribunals developed by the Holy See of the Catholic Church, during the second half of the 16th century, responsible for prosecuting individuals accused of a wide array of crimes according ...
and asked to explain his teaching, with 263 questionable propositions from his works at stake. Although initially defending them, by May 1687 his attitude had changed and he confessed his errors of conduct and teaching and waived his opportunity to present a defence. By July, the tribunal had isolated 68 objectionable propositions and had prepared articles of censure for each. On 23 August 1687, the entire case was read to the cardinal inquisitors, and on 2 September Molinos's sentence (life in prison) was announced. On 3 September Molinos made a public profession of his errors in the Dominican Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva. On 20 November
Pope Innocent XI Pope Innocent XI (; ; 16 May 1611 – 12 August 1689), born Benedetto Odescalchi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 21 September 1676 until his death on 12 August 1689. Political and religious tensions with ...
ratified his condemnation of the practices of the Quietists in the bull ''Coelestis Pastor'', condemning 68 propositions from the ''Guida spirituale'' and other unpublished writings of its author. Molinos died nine years later in the prison of the Holy Office on 29 December 1696.


Later reputation

For the last three centuries, Molinos has chiefly been known as the main proponent of the most fundamental mystical heresy in Catholicism, a heresy which has come to be the touchstone for doctrinal judgements about correct and incorrect claims for mystical contact with God. Most assessments of him have been accordingly negative. In the second half of the twentieth century, however, the assessment of Eulogio Pacho has been somewhat more circumspect, aware of the problematic bias in the various sources on Molinos. Bernard McGinn is not entirely forgiving of Molinos as a person, pointing out that it seems likely that he did, as he was accused, engage in sexual misconduct with some of his penitents during his work as a spiritual director. McGinn, however, is keen to point out how far the errors condemned in the bull ''Coelestis Pastor'' do not in fact exist in the Spiritual Guide. Rather, he argues, the imprecision and lack of qualifications in Molinos's work left him open to attack, and this was exacerbated by the fact that his book (with its various ambiguities) focused on certain issues (notably contemplation over meditation, interior quiet over vocal prayer, and passivity over pious action) which had become heated debates in the preceding century. Even today we do not know if the rumors of sexual misconduct were even made at his trial as the text of the record and the trial have yet to be released by the Vatican. His last words to a priest before entering his cell of imprisonment were: "Good-by, Father. We shall meet again on the day of judgement. Then it will be seen if the truth was on your side or mine.")
Henry Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include the poems "Paul Revere's Ride", ''The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to complet ...
wrote a sonnet about him.
William James William James (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) was an American philosopher and psychologist. The first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States, he is considered to be one of the leading thinkers of the late 19th c ...
, in ''
The Varieties of Religious Experience ''The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature'' is a book by Harvard University psychologist and philosopher William James. It comprises his edited Gifford Lectures on natural theology, which were delivered at the University of ...
'' said he was a 'spiritual genius'.


See also

*
Inquisition The Inquisition was a Catholic Inquisitorial system#History, judicial procedure where the Ecclesiastical court, ecclesiastical judges could initiate, investigate and try cases in their jurisdiction. Popularly it became the name for various med ...
*
Quietism (Christian philosophy) Quietism is the name given (especially in Catholic theology) to a set of contemplative practices that rose in popularity in France, Italy, and Spain during the late 1670s and 1680s, particularly associated with the writings of the Spanish myst ...


Notes


References

*


Further reading


Spanish editions

*Miguel de Molinos, ''Guía Espiritual: Edición critica, introducción y notas'', edited with an introduction by José Ignacio Tellechea Idígoras, (Madrid: Fundación Universitaria Española, 1976). *Miguel de Molinos, ''Defensa de la contemplación'', edited with a preliminary study and notes by Eulogio Pacho, (Madrid: FUE/Univ. Pontificia de Salamanca, 1988) lso include Molinos's ''Scioglimento ad alcune obiettioni fatte contra il libro della Guida Spirituale''


English translations

* Miguel de Molinos, ''The Spiritual Guide'', ed and trans by Robert P Baird, (New York: Paulist Press, 2010) repared from the 1976 critical edition* ''The Unabridged Collected Works of Michael Molinos and Francois Fenelon'' (Kahley House, 2006) * ''The Spiritual Guide'' (SeedSowers, 1972)


Secondary literature

* Eulogio Pacho, 'Molinos (Miguel de)', in ''Dictionnaire de Spiritualité'', vol 10, (1980), ed by Marcel Villier et al., 17 vols, (Paris: Gabriel Beauchesne, 1937–1994). *
Christian Renoux Christian Renoux is a French historian and an activist for nonviolence. Education and teaching Born in 1960, he is alumnus of the École normale supérieure de Fontenay-Saint-Cloud (1982), agrégé in History (1984), alumnus of the École fran ...
, 'Quietism', in ''The Papacy: An Encyclopedia'', vol 3, edited by Philippe Levillain, 3 vols, (London: Routledge, 2002) * Ronald Knox, ''Enthusiasm'', (Oxford: OUP, 1950) * Paul Dudon, ''Le Quiétiste Espagnol: Michel Molinos (1628–1696)'', (Paris: Gabriel Beauchesne, 1921) * Carl Emil Scharling, ''Michael de Molinos'' (Ger. trans. from Danish; Gotha, 1855) * Heinrich Heppe, ''Geschichte der quietistischen Mystik'' (Berlin, 1875). * H. Delacroix, ''Études d'histoire et de psychologie du mysticisme'' (Paris, 1908). n Quietism* J. H. Shorthouse's romance, ''John Inglesant'' (1881). brilliant, but very fanciful, account of Molinos and his doctrines.* Santiago Asensio Merino, ''En el centro de la nada. Venturas de Miguel de Molinos''. Ed. LiberFactory. Madrid 2014. . iction


External links

*
Coelestis Pastor
at Papal Encyclicals Online {{DEFAULTSORT:Molinos, Miguel De Roman Catholic mystics Spanish Baroque writers Spanish Golden Age 1628 births 1696 deaths 17th-century Christian mystics Spanish people who died in prison custody Spanish prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment 17th-century Spanish Roman Catholic theologians