Philosopher · Modern
Bl. Antonio Rosmini-Serbati
1797–1855 · Rosminian ontology; Catholic liberal reform
Beatified 2007. Forty propositions drawn from his posthumous works were condemned by the Holy Office in 1887 (Post Obitum); the CDF Note of 2001 declared that the condemnation's motives are now superseded, while the propositions remain censurable in the sense in which they were condemned.
An Italian priest, founder of the Institute of Charity, who built a vast philosophical system on the “idea of being” innately present to the mind, and wrote “The Five Wounds of the Holy Church” calling for reform of clerical formation, episcopal appointment and liturgical participation. A friend of Manzoni and adviser to Pius IX in 1848, he was first favored and then marginalized.
Why he matters: The most ambitious Catholic philosophical system of the nineteenth century and a prophet of reforms that Vatican II later embraced; his rehabilitation shows how the Church distinguishes a thinker's holiness from the hazards of his system.
Where to be careful
Forty propositions (chiefly on the “idea of being” and its relation to God, which seemed to lean toward ontologism and pantheism) were condemned in 1887. The 2001 CDF Note clarifies that his thought may be read in an orthodox sense, but readers should know where the Thomist objections lie.
Reading
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The Five Wounds of the Holy ChurchBl. Antonio Rosmini · The reform program that got him placed on the Index and later vindicated.
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A New Essay Concerning the Origin of IdeasBl. Antonio Rosmini · The foundation of his philosophy: the idea of being.
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Note on the Force of the Doctrinal Decrees concerning RosminiCongregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 2001 · Essential for reading him rightly.
Documented positions
Where this thinker stands on each dispute the test covers.