Conference Presentations by Jessica M Wärnberg
Sixteenth Century Society Conference 2016: 'Between autonomy and rebellion: pragmatism and obedie... more Sixteenth Century Society Conference 2016: 'Between autonomy and rebellion: pragmatism and obedience in the Italian missions of Nicolás Bobadilla'
SCSC , 2016Jessica M Dalton
Jessica M Dalton
In the aftermath of the Protestant Reformation, Jesuits in Italy played a crucial role in the Catholic Church’s efforts to win back souls lost to heterodox religious movements and decades of pastoral negligence. Nonetheless, across the Italian peninsula, Jesuit missionaries frequently wrote to their superiors in Rome asking for resolutions to problems that arose when they sought to apply orthodox ideals to the complex lives of the individuals whom they sought to convert.
Whilst some literature on early Jesuit correspondence emphasises the centralised organisation of the Society, other scholars have underlined the difficulty of using Jesuit letters to discern specific, homogenous missionary policies. This paper will focus on the Italian ministry of Nicolás Bobadilla S.J. to explore the tension between the Society’s hierarchical organisation under an authoritative Superior General and the pragmatism of Jesuits trying to convert religious dissenters on the ground.
A founding member of the Society, Bobadilla was recommended by his Jesuit superiors to carry out missions for the papacy, Italian bishops and as a commissary of the Roman Inquisition. Even so, historians have often portrayed Bobadilla as a rebel, highlighting his open disagreements with Ignatius Loyola and his treacherous alliance with Pope Paul IV. This paper will ask whether autonomy was an important characteristic of Bobadilla’s missionary approach and assess the extent to which this was tolerated by the authorities under which he worked. When did autonomy become rebellion? And what does the level of autonomy accepted by Bobadilla’s superiors, within and outside of the Society, tell us about their praxis and priorities?
RSA, 2019
From Polanco’s Chronicon to 21st-century scholarship on the Jesuits’ pastoral, spiritual and inst... more From Polanco’s Chronicon to 21st-century scholarship on the Jesuits’ pastoral, spiritual and institutional mission, texts by and about Jesuits have suggested that their approach to sacramental confession distinguished them from other religious orders, in the eyes of the laity and the ecclesiastical hierarchy. Recent histories have even stated that the particular spirituality and praxis of Jesuit confessors compelled popes to single the Society out for remarkable privileges that allowed them to absolve heretics in sacramental confession. Nonetheless, a study of privileges granted to missionaries in Savoy-Piedmont challenges this explanation, indicating that, in the late sixteenth century, popes granted even greater powers of absolution to the Capuchins, who had never previously heard confessions let alone developed their own approach to the sacrament. This paper will argue that popes empowered both orders for pragmatic reasons, using a comparative study to reassess the impact of the Jesuits’ particular focus on confession on their role in the mission field and the Church at large.
Talks by Jessica M Wärnberg
BSR, 2016
In the early decades of the sixteenth century the Catholic Church faced one of the greatest crise... more In the early decades of the sixteenth century the Catholic Church faced one of the greatest crises in its history: the Protestant Reformation. As the schisms instigated by Martin Luther’s religious revolution crystallised, the fear of Protestant ideas creeping across the Alps became heightened amongst Church authorities and lay Catholics on the Italian peninsula.
In the heartland of Catholic orthodoxy, an inquisition was established to find and correct religious dissenters. But the papal inquisitors were by no means the only protagonists in the desperate struggle to retain religious orthodoxy and social stability on Italian soil. The Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits, played a crucial role, converting and reconciling heretics across the peninsula. Empowered by grave papal privileges, the Jesuits took the battle against heresy into the absolute secrecy of sacramental confession, where they counselled and absolved religious rebels away from the prying eyes of the papal inquisitors.
Lauded as good shepherds and lambasted as crypto-inquisitors, the Jesuits played an extraordinary part in the battle for Italy’s soul. This paper will focus on the careers of the Society’s most sought-after missionaries, illuminating the work of men who traversed the peninsula, negotiating ever-fluctuating power dynamics across a patchwork of jurisdictions to engage directly with religious dissenters and confront the complex problem of heresy: a transgression that could be both a sin against God and a treacherous crime.
Papers by Jessica M Wärnberg
English Historical Review, 2024
From the first history of the Society of Jesus, written in the late sixteenth century, to modern ... more From the first history of the Society of Jesus, written in the late sixteenth century, to modern scholarship on the order, texts by and about Jesuits have suggested that their approach to sacramental confession distinguished them from other religious groups in the eyes of the laity and ecclesiastical hierarchy. Recent histories have suggested that the particular spirituality, approach and talent of the Society’s confessors compelled popes to single out the Jesuits for privileges, empowering the Society as a papal task force in the fight against heresy. Focusing on the privilege of absolving heretics in confession, this article challenges this notion, arguing that popes empowered religious orders, including the Jesuits, for pragmatic reasons, not because of their particular charism or way of proceeding. The article compares the status and character of religious orders that emerged in the same period as the Jesuits to show that it was the Society’s scale, availability and orthodoxy that compelled popes to grant them the privilege of absolving heretics, allowing them to reconcile heretics autonomously where papal inquisitors could not. Using records from the Jesuit archive and the archive of the Roman Inquisition, the article confirms this conclusion with a case-study of privileges granted to Jesuit and Capuchin missionaries in Savoy–Piedmont at the turn of the seventeenth century. There, popes empowered both orders alike depending on practical need and availability, and despite the fact that the Capuchins had initially refused to administer the sacrament of confession.
History Today, 2021
The notion that the popes of Rome held supreme power over all Catholics could unnerve the steelie... more The notion that the popes of Rome held supreme power over all Catholics could unnerve the steeliest monarchs of early modern Europe. Even Queen Elizabeth I, Gloriana herself, feared that loyalty to the pope was a natural precursor to treachery and political insurgency. The numerous Catholics executed during Elizabeth's reign are a gory testament to the belief that papal power had escaped the realm of religion and entered the world of politics, crossing borders and turning once faithful subjects against their rulers.
Still, a study of popes’ attempts to use their spiritual powers in the political sphere suggests that this fear was often a fallacy. Whether offering eternal salvation to win over wily monarchs like King John III of Sweden or threatening damnation to secure the help of the Venetian navy against the Turks, popes manifestly failed, time and again. This article reveals some of the most fascinating cas
History Today, 2020
With the aim of converting souls rather than punishing them, the Jesuits were vital collaborators... more With the aim of converting souls rather than punishing them, the Jesuits were vital collaborators in the Roman Inquisition.
Archivum Historicum Societatis Jesu, 2019
This article uses an unpublished collection of letters and documents held at the ARSI to trace th... more This article uses an unpublished collection of letters and documents held at the ARSI to trace the development of the friendship between Antonio Possevino SJ and Philippe de Canaye, the French ambassador to Venice and a recent Catholic convert. These documents show that Canaye and Possevino used the conversion of Canaye’s Protestant family to forge a relationship of obligation between the French ambassador and popes Clement VIII and Paul V. These popes granted private absolutions and various other favours to the Canaye household whilst Canaye used his position and network to help to promote the Catholic cause in Venice and France. This friendship was dramatically ruptured when Paul V placed an interdict on the Republic of Venice, sparking a diplomatic crisis and a fiery debate over the nature and extent of papal authority. Possevino and the pope thought that Canaye would prove a valuable ally but in the event the ambassador sided enthusiastically with the Venetians. This has led some historians to suggest that Canaye was false in his friendship with Possevino and Rome. However, this article uses the ARSI documents along with Canaye’s edited letters to argue that Canaye sided with Venice because did not believe that papal authority could infringe on temporal sovereignty in civil matters and, crucially, that this position was entirely consistent with Canaye’s dealings with Rome from the start. By considering the nature of Canaye’s relationship with Possevino and the papacy from its beginnings, this article illustrates that, at the turn of the seventeenth century, the religious and political significance of conversion to Catholicism varied radically for both converts and their convertors and that this variation could shock even worldly and experienced missionaries such as Possevino and even the pope himself.
Questo contributo si base su una collezione di documenti inediti che si trova all’ARSI per studiare lo sviluppo dell’amicizia tra Antonio Possevino SJ e Philippe de Canaye, l’ambasciatore di Francia a Venezia e un convertito recente al cattolicesimo. Questi documenti mostrano che Canaye e Possevino hanno sfruttato la conversione dal Calvinismo della famiglia di Canaye per stabilire un rapporto di obbligo reciproco tra l’ambasciatore Francese e i papi Clemente VIII e Paolo V. Questi papi hanno conceduto assoluzioni extra-gudiziale e altre diversi favori alla famiglia di Canaye, mentre Canaye ha approfitato della sua posizione e rete politica per sostenere la causa Cattolica a Venezia e in Francia. Quest’amicizia si è rotta drammaticamente quando Paolo V ha posto un’interdetto sulla Repubblica di Venezia, scatenando una crisi diplomatica e una disputa impetuosa sulla natura e misura dell’auttorità papale. Possevino e il papa pensevano che Canaye sarebbe stato un’alleato prezioso nel conflitto con Venezia. Però, l’ambasciatore ha poi preso le parti dei Veneziani appassionatamente. Questo fatto ha portato gli storici a suggerire che l’amicizia di Canaye con Possevino e Roma è stata falso. Invece con i documenti dall’ARSI insieme alla corrispondenza pubblicata di Canaye questo articolo sostiene che Canaye ha preso le parti di Venezia proprio perche non credeva che l’auttorità dei papi potesse influenzare le questioni secolaree e, in più, che questa posizione è stata coerente con i suoi rapporti con Roma dall’inizio. Considerando il rapporto tra Possevino e il papato fin dall’inizio, questo articolo illustra che, al volgere del seicento, il significato religioso e politico della conversione al cattolicesimo è stato variegato e che questa varietà avrebbe potuto sconvolgere anche i missionari esperti e navigati come Possevino, e persino il papa lui stesso.
Papers of the British School at Rome, vol. 84, 2016, p.350, 2016
Book Reviews by Jessica M Wärnberg
Annali Recensioni / Reviews / Rezensionen Online, 2022
History: Reviews of New Books, Volume 49 Issue 3, 2021
Archivum Historicum Societatis Iesu, vol. LXXXVII, fasc. 174, 2018
Sixteenth Century Journal, 2018
Books by Jessica M Wärnberg
Icon; Pegasus; Mondadori, 2023
Uploads
Conference Presentations by Jessica M Wärnberg
SCSC , 2016Jessica M Dalton
Jessica M Dalton
In the aftermath of the Protestant Reformation, Jesuits in Italy played a crucial role in the Catholic Church’s efforts to win back souls lost to heterodox religious movements and decades of pastoral negligence. Nonetheless, across the Italian peninsula, Jesuit missionaries frequently wrote to their superiors in Rome asking for resolutions to problems that arose when they sought to apply orthodox ideals to the complex lives of the individuals whom they sought to convert.
Whilst some literature on early Jesuit correspondence emphasises the centralised organisation of the Society, other scholars have underlined the difficulty of using Jesuit letters to discern specific, homogenous missionary policies. This paper will focus on the Italian ministry of Nicolás Bobadilla S.J. to explore the tension between the Society’s hierarchical organisation under an authoritative Superior General and the pragmatism of Jesuits trying to convert religious dissenters on the ground.
A founding member of the Society, Bobadilla was recommended by his Jesuit superiors to carry out missions for the papacy, Italian bishops and as a commissary of the Roman Inquisition. Even so, historians have often portrayed Bobadilla as a rebel, highlighting his open disagreements with Ignatius Loyola and his treacherous alliance with Pope Paul IV. This paper will ask whether autonomy was an important characteristic of Bobadilla’s missionary approach and assess the extent to which this was tolerated by the authorities under which he worked. When did autonomy become rebellion? And what does the level of autonomy accepted by Bobadilla’s superiors, within and outside of the Society, tell us about their praxis and priorities?
Talks by Jessica M Wärnberg
In the heartland of Catholic orthodoxy, an inquisition was established to find and correct religious dissenters. But the papal inquisitors were by no means the only protagonists in the desperate struggle to retain religious orthodoxy and social stability on Italian soil. The Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits, played a crucial role, converting and reconciling heretics across the peninsula. Empowered by grave papal privileges, the Jesuits took the battle against heresy into the absolute secrecy of sacramental confession, where they counselled and absolved religious rebels away from the prying eyes of the papal inquisitors.
Lauded as good shepherds and lambasted as crypto-inquisitors, the Jesuits played an extraordinary part in the battle for Italy’s soul. This paper will focus on the careers of the Society’s most sought-after missionaries, illuminating the work of men who traversed the peninsula, negotiating ever-fluctuating power dynamics across a patchwork of jurisdictions to engage directly with religious dissenters and confront the complex problem of heresy: a transgression that could be both a sin against God and a treacherous crime.
Papers by Jessica M Wärnberg
Still, a study of popes’ attempts to use their spiritual powers in the political sphere suggests that this fear was often a fallacy. Whether offering eternal salvation to win over wily monarchs like King John III of Sweden or threatening damnation to secure the help of the Venetian navy against the Turks, popes manifestly failed, time and again. This article reveals some of the most fascinating cas
Questo contributo si base su una collezione di documenti inediti che si trova all’ARSI per studiare lo sviluppo dell’amicizia tra Antonio Possevino SJ e Philippe de Canaye, l’ambasciatore di Francia a Venezia e un convertito recente al cattolicesimo. Questi documenti mostrano che Canaye e Possevino hanno sfruttato la conversione dal Calvinismo della famiglia di Canaye per stabilire un rapporto di obbligo reciproco tra l’ambasciatore Francese e i papi Clemente VIII e Paolo V. Questi papi hanno conceduto assoluzioni extra-gudiziale e altre diversi favori alla famiglia di Canaye, mentre Canaye ha approfitato della sua posizione e rete politica per sostenere la causa Cattolica a Venezia e in Francia. Quest’amicizia si è rotta drammaticamente quando Paolo V ha posto un’interdetto sulla Repubblica di Venezia, scatenando una crisi diplomatica e una disputa impetuosa sulla natura e misura dell’auttorità papale. Possevino e il papa pensevano che Canaye sarebbe stato un’alleato prezioso nel conflitto con Venezia. Però, l’ambasciatore ha poi preso le parti dei Veneziani appassionatamente. Questo fatto ha portato gli storici a suggerire che l’amicizia di Canaye con Possevino e Roma è stata falso. Invece con i documenti dall’ARSI insieme alla corrispondenza pubblicata di Canaye questo articolo sostiene che Canaye ha preso le parti di Venezia proprio perche non credeva che l’auttorità dei papi potesse influenzare le questioni secolaree e, in più, che questa posizione è stata coerente con i suoi rapporti con Roma dall’inizio. Considerando il rapporto tra Possevino e il papato fin dall’inizio, questo articolo illustra che, al volgere del seicento, il significato religioso e politico della conversione al cattolicesimo è stato variegato e che questa varietà avrebbe potuto sconvolgere anche i missionari esperti e navigati come Possevino, e persino il papa lui stesso.
Book Reviews by Jessica M Wärnberg
Books by Jessica M Wärnberg
SCSC , 2016Jessica M Dalton
Jessica M Dalton
In the aftermath of the Protestant Reformation, Jesuits in Italy played a crucial role in the Catholic Church’s efforts to win back souls lost to heterodox religious movements and decades of pastoral negligence. Nonetheless, across the Italian peninsula, Jesuit missionaries frequently wrote to their superiors in Rome asking for resolutions to problems that arose when they sought to apply orthodox ideals to the complex lives of the individuals whom they sought to convert.
Whilst some literature on early Jesuit correspondence emphasises the centralised organisation of the Society, other scholars have underlined the difficulty of using Jesuit letters to discern specific, homogenous missionary policies. This paper will focus on the Italian ministry of Nicolás Bobadilla S.J. to explore the tension between the Society’s hierarchical organisation under an authoritative Superior General and the pragmatism of Jesuits trying to convert religious dissenters on the ground.
A founding member of the Society, Bobadilla was recommended by his Jesuit superiors to carry out missions for the papacy, Italian bishops and as a commissary of the Roman Inquisition. Even so, historians have often portrayed Bobadilla as a rebel, highlighting his open disagreements with Ignatius Loyola and his treacherous alliance with Pope Paul IV. This paper will ask whether autonomy was an important characteristic of Bobadilla’s missionary approach and assess the extent to which this was tolerated by the authorities under which he worked. When did autonomy become rebellion? And what does the level of autonomy accepted by Bobadilla’s superiors, within and outside of the Society, tell us about their praxis and priorities?
In the heartland of Catholic orthodoxy, an inquisition was established to find and correct religious dissenters. But the papal inquisitors were by no means the only protagonists in the desperate struggle to retain religious orthodoxy and social stability on Italian soil. The Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits, played a crucial role, converting and reconciling heretics across the peninsula. Empowered by grave papal privileges, the Jesuits took the battle against heresy into the absolute secrecy of sacramental confession, where they counselled and absolved religious rebels away from the prying eyes of the papal inquisitors.
Lauded as good shepherds and lambasted as crypto-inquisitors, the Jesuits played an extraordinary part in the battle for Italy’s soul. This paper will focus on the careers of the Society’s most sought-after missionaries, illuminating the work of men who traversed the peninsula, negotiating ever-fluctuating power dynamics across a patchwork of jurisdictions to engage directly with religious dissenters and confront the complex problem of heresy: a transgression that could be both a sin against God and a treacherous crime.
Still, a study of popes’ attempts to use their spiritual powers in the political sphere suggests that this fear was often a fallacy. Whether offering eternal salvation to win over wily monarchs like King John III of Sweden or threatening damnation to secure the help of the Venetian navy against the Turks, popes manifestly failed, time and again. This article reveals some of the most fascinating cas
Questo contributo si base su una collezione di documenti inediti che si trova all’ARSI per studiare lo sviluppo dell’amicizia tra Antonio Possevino SJ e Philippe de Canaye, l’ambasciatore di Francia a Venezia e un convertito recente al cattolicesimo. Questi documenti mostrano che Canaye e Possevino hanno sfruttato la conversione dal Calvinismo della famiglia di Canaye per stabilire un rapporto di obbligo reciproco tra l’ambasciatore Francese e i papi Clemente VIII e Paolo V. Questi papi hanno conceduto assoluzioni extra-gudiziale e altre diversi favori alla famiglia di Canaye, mentre Canaye ha approfitato della sua posizione e rete politica per sostenere la causa Cattolica a Venezia e in Francia. Quest’amicizia si è rotta drammaticamente quando Paolo V ha posto un’interdetto sulla Repubblica di Venezia, scatenando una crisi diplomatica e una disputa impetuosa sulla natura e misura dell’auttorità papale. Possevino e il papa pensevano che Canaye sarebbe stato un’alleato prezioso nel conflitto con Venezia. Però, l’ambasciatore ha poi preso le parti dei Veneziani appassionatamente. Questo fatto ha portato gli storici a suggerire che l’amicizia di Canaye con Possevino e Roma è stata falso. Invece con i documenti dall’ARSI insieme alla corrispondenza pubblicata di Canaye questo articolo sostiene che Canaye ha preso le parti di Venezia proprio perche non credeva che l’auttorità dei papi potesse influenzare le questioni secolaree e, in più, che questa posizione è stata coerente con i suoi rapporti con Roma dall’inizio. Considerando il rapporto tra Possevino e il papato fin dall’inizio, questo articolo illustra che, al volgere del seicento, il significato religioso e politico della conversione al cattolicesimo è stato variegato e che questa varietà avrebbe potuto sconvolgere anche i missionari esperti e navigati come Possevino, e persino il papa lui stesso.