The Bishop's Burden : Reforming the Catholic Church in Early Modern Italy

In 1563, the Council of Trent published its Decrees, calling for significant reforms of the Catholic Church in response to criticism from both Protestants and Catholics alike. Bishops, according to the Decrees, would take the lead in implementing these reforms. They were tasked with creating a Church in which priests and laity were well educated, morally upright, and focused on worshipping God. Unfortunately for these bishops, the Decrees provided few practical suggestions for achieving the wide-ranging changes demanded. Reform was therefore an arduous and complex process, which many bishops struggled to accomplish or even refused to undertake fully. __The Bishop's Burden__ argues that reforming bishops were forced to be creative and resourceful to accomplish meaningful change, including creating strong diocesan governments, reforming clerical and lay behavior, educating priests and parishioners, and converting non-believers. The book explores this issue through a detailed case study of the episcopacy of Cardinal-Bishop Gregorio Barbarigo of Padua (bp. 1664-1697), asking how a dedicated bishop formulated a reform program that sought to achieve the Church's goals. Barbarigo, like other reforming bishops, borrowed strategies from a variety of sources in the absence of clear guidance from Rome. He looked to both pre- and post-Tridentine bishops, the Society of Jesus, the Venetian government, and the Propaganda Fide, which he selectively emulated to address the problems he discovered in Padua. The book is based primarily on the detailed records of Barbarigo's visitations of rural parishes and captures the rarely-heard voices of seventeenth-century Italian peasants. __The Bishop's Burden__ helps us understand not only the changes experienced by early modern Catholics, but also how even the most sophisticated plans of central authorities could be frustrated by practical realities, which in turn complicates our understanding of state-building and social control. Dedication Contents Note on Archival Sources Acknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction 1. The Reformer Enounters His Diocese 2. Restoring Power and Authority 3. Ensuring Pastoral Care 4. Educating the Clergy 5. Catholic Reform and Missions Conclusion Bibliography Index "This book examines the reform of the diocese of Padua, Italy, during the 17th century, focusing on Cardinal Bishop Gregorio Barbarigo to situate his work in the context of Catholic Renewal in Europe in general"-- Provided by publisher