FRANCIS
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FRANCIS
and Bohemia, in the TjtoI and in Germany, he main-
tained and multiplied important foundations. The
province of Poland was entirely his work. At Rome
everything was transformed under his hands. He had
built S. Andrea and the church of the Roman college.
He assisted generously in the building of the Gesu, and
although the official founder of that church was Car-
dinal Farnese, and the Roman College has taken the
name of one of its greatest benefactors, Gregory XIII,
Borgia contributed more than anyone towards these
foundations. During the seven years of his govern-
ment, Borgia had introduced so many reforms into his
order as to deserve to be called its second founder.
Three saints of this epoch laboured incessantly to fur-
ther the renaissance of Catholicism. They were St.
Francis Borgia, St. Pius V, and St. Charles Borromeo.
The pontificate of Pius V and the generalship of Borgia began within an interval of a few months and ended at almost the same time. The saintly pope had entire confidence in the saintly general, who con- formed with intelligent devotion to every desire of the pontiff. It was he who inspired the pope with the idea of demanding from the Universities of Perugia and Bologna, and eventually from all the Catholic universities, a profession of the Catholic faith. It was also he who, in 1568, desired the pope to appoint a commission of cardinals charged with promoting the conversion of infidels and heretics, which was the germ of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, established later by Gregory XV, in 1622. A pesti- lential fever invaded Rome in 1566, and Borgia or- ganized methods of relief, established ambulances, and distributed forty of his religious to such purpose that the same fever having broken out two years later it was to Borgia that the pope at once confided the task of safeguarding the city.
Francis Borgia had always greatly loved the foreign missions. He reformed those of India and the Far East and created those of America. Within a few years, he had the glory of numbering among his sons sixty-six martyrs, the most illustrious of whom were the fifty-three missionaries of Brazil who with their superior, Ignacio Azevcdo, were massacred by Hugue- not corsairs. It remained for Francis to terminate his beautiful life with a splendid act of obedience to the pope and devotion to the Church.
On 7 June, 1571, Pius V requested him to accom- pany his nephew, Cardinal Bonelli, on an embassy to Spain and Portugal. Francis was then recovering from a severe illness; it was feared that he had not the strength to bear fatigue, and he himself felt that such a journey would cost him his life, but he gave it gener- ously. Spain welcomed him with transports. The old distrust of Philip II was forgotten. Barcelona and Valencia hastened to meet their former viceroy and saintly duke. The crowds in the streets cried: " Where is the saint? " They found him emaciated by pen- ance. Wherever he went, he reconciled differences and soothed discord. At Madrid, Philip II received him with open arms, the Inquisition approved and recommended his genuine works. The reparation was complete, and it seemed as though God wished by this journey to give Spain to understand for the last time this living sermon, the sight of a saint. Gandia ardently desired to behold its holy duke, but he would never consent to return thither. The em- bassy to Lisbon was no less consoling to Borgia, i^mong other happy results he prevailed upon the king, Don Sebastian, to ask in marriage the hand of Marguerite of Valois, the sister of Charles IX. This was the desire of St. Pius V, but this project, being formulated too late, was frustrated by the Queen of Navarre, who had meanwhile secured the hand of Mar- guerite for her son. An order from the pope ex- pressed his wish that the embassy should also reach the French court. The winter promised to be severe and was destined to prove fatal to Borgia. Still more
grievous to him was to be the spectacle of the devasta-
tion which heresy had caused in that country, and
which struck sorrow to the heart of the saint. At
Blois, Charles IX and Catherine de' Medici accorded
Borgia the reception due to a Spanish grandee, but to
the cardinal legate as well as to liim they gave only fair
words in which there was little sincerity. On 25 Feb-
ruary they left Blois. By the time they reached
Lyons, Borgia's lungs were already affected. Under
these conditions the passage of Mt. Cenis over snow-
covered roads was extremely painful. By exerting all
his strength the invalid reached Turin. On the way
the people came out of the villages crying: " We wish
to see the saint". Advised of his cousin's condition,
Alfonso of Este, Duke of Ferrara, sent to Alexandria
and had him brought to his ducal city, where he re-
mained from 19 April until 3 September. His re-
covery was despaired of and it was said that he would
not survive the autumn. Wishing to die either at
Loretto or at Rome, he departed in a litter on 3 Sep-
tember, spent eight days at Loretto, an<l then, despite
the sufferings caused by the slightest jolt, ordered his
bearers to push forward with the utmost speed for
Rome. It was expected that any instant might see the
end of this agony. They reached t he " Porta del Popolo"
on 28 September. The dying man halted his litter and
thanked God that he had been able to accomplish this
act of obedience. He was borne to his cell which was
soon invaded by cardinals and prelates. For two days
Francis Borgia, fully conscious, awaited death, re-
ceiving those who visited him and blessing through his
younger brotlier, Thomas Borgia, all his children and
grandchildren. Shortly after midnight on 30 Septem-
ber, his beautiful life came to a peaceful and painless
close. In the Catholic Church he had been one of the
most striking examples of the conversion of souls after
the Renaissance, and for the Society of Jesus he had
been the protector chosen by Providence to whom,
after St. Ignatius, it owes most.
In 1607 the Duke of Lerma, minister of Philip III and grandson of the holy religious, having seen his granddaughter miraculously cured through the inter- cession of Francis, caused the process for his canoniza- tion to be begun. The ordinary process, begun at once in several cities, was followed, in 1617, by the Apostolic process. In 1617 Madrid received the re- mains of the saint. In 1624 the Congregation of Rites announced that his beatification and canonization might be proceeded with. The beatification was cele- brated at Madrid with incomparable splendour. Ur- ban VIII having decreed, in 1631, that a Blessed might not be canonized without a new procedure, a new pro- cess was begvm. It was reserved for Clement X to sign the Bull of canonization of St. Francis Borgia, on 20 June, 1670. Spared from the decree of Joseph Bonaparte who, in 1809, ordered the confiscation of all shrines and precious objects, the silver shrine contain- ing the remains of the saint, after various vicissitudes, was removed, in 1901, to the church of the Society at Madrid, where it is honoured at the present time.
It is with good reason that Spain and the Church venerate in St. Francis Borgia a great man and a great saint. The highest nobles of Spain are proud of their descent from, or their connexion with him. By his penitent and apostolic life he repaired the sins of his family and rendered glorious a name, which but for him, would have remained a source of humiliation for the Church. His feast is celebrated 10 October.
Sources: ArchivesofOsuna (Madrid), of Simancas; National Archives of Paris; Archives of the Society of Jesus: 7?ffff.s/p du gcncralat de Laiftiez el de liorfjia, etc. Literature: Monumevta histnrica S.J. (Madrid): Mem. Borniana; Chronkon Poland; EpvitiiltB Afixtte; QuadrimeMresi ; Epislot(E Patris Nadcl, etc.; Epislofa; ct iri.^/rucliones S. Iffriatii; Orlandini and Sacchini, Historia Snciiiatis Jesu; Alcazar, Chrono-hi^toria de la provin- cia de Toledo; Lires of the saint by Vasquez (1586; manuscript, still unedited), Ribadeneyra (1592), Nierembero (1643). Bar- Toi,i (16S1), CiENFUEOos (1702); Acta SS., Oct.. V; Astrain. Historia de la Comparlia de Jesus en let Asistencia de Espana, I
