Giovanni (John) Bellarini (1552 – 1630) was an Italian

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

who wrote influential commentaries on the

Council of Trent The Council of Trent (), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation at the time, it has been described as the "most ...

. He was a

Barnabite The Barnabites (), officially named as the Clerics Regular of Saint Paul (), are a religious order of clerics regular founded in 1530 in the Catholic Church. They are associated with the Angelic Sisters of Saint Paul and the members of the Bar ...

Life

He was born at Castelnuovo, Italy, in 1552, and was Visitor and twice Assistant General of his order. He taught theology at Padua and Rome, and was esteemed particularly by

Pope Gregory XV Pope Gregory XV (; ; 9 January 1554 – 8 July 1623), born Alessandro Ludovisi, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 February 1621 until his death in 1623. He is notable for founding the Congregation for the ...

. He died at Milan, 27 August 1630.

Works

Best known as a moral theologian, he left a number of theological treatises, including a commentary on the Council of Trent and the

Roman Catechism The Roman Catechism or Catechism of the Council of Trent is a compendium of Catholic doctrine commissioned during the Counter-Reformation by the Council of Trent, to expound doctrine and to improve the theological understanding of the clergy. I ...

, in two parts, forming two distinct volumes. The first, for the instruction of the faithful, is entitled "Doctrina d. Concilii Tridentini et Cathechismi Romani de Symbolo Apostolorum" (Brescia, 1603). The parts of this work relating to the decalogue have been published in French. The second work, designed for the conversion of heretics, and entitled "Doctrina Catholica ex Sacro Concilio Tridentino et Catechismo Romano" (Milan, 1620), passed through several editions. Bellarini composed a number of booklets in Italian for confessors and penitents, and a treatise on the doctrine of

Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas ( ; ; – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican Order, Dominican friar and Catholic priest, priest, the foremost Scholasticism, Scholastic thinker, as well as one of the most influential philosophers and theologians in the W ...

on physical predetermination and on the determination in general of all things and causes into active operation (Milan, 1606). He is also the author of a work on method (Milan, 1606), which was republished under a slightly different title, along with his "Mirror of Divine and Human Wisdom" (Milan, 1630).

References

1552 births 1630 deaths 16th-century Italian Roman Catholic theologians Barnabites {{Italy-theologian-stub