Abstract
The article summarizes Vincent de Paul’s efforts for church reform and questions whether he was part of Madame Acarie's influential salons that addressed this concern. He served on the queen's Council of Conscience, which sought to limit the distribution of Church offices to unqualified people seeking financial gain. On behalf of the queen, Vincent identified suitable priests to work in the diocese of Metz, where he gave a mission that helped restore the people's morals and religious practices. At the Holy See's request, he investigated violations of religious rules among nuns and helped reform religious orders of both men and women. As part of his general reform efforts, Vincent was part of the group that cleared the Illuminati of heresy. He also worked to end the practice of dueling among the nobility. He advocated religious tolerance for the Huguenots. Perhaps his biggest contribution to reform was his education of the clergy and his nurturing of their spirituality, which created priests and bishops who were better equipped and better motivated to serve the poor.
Recommended Citation
Rybolt, John E.
(2024)
"Vincent de Paul, a Reformer?,"
Vincentian Heritage Journal: Vol. 38:
Iss.
1, Article 15.
Available at:
https://via.library.depaul.edu/vhj/vol38/iss1/15