Désiré-Joseph Mercier
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Désiré-Félicien-François-Joseph Cardinal Mercier (1851-1926) was a Belgian prelate of the Roman Catholic church. He was born at Braine-l'Alleud, Belgium; was educated at Malines and at Paris, Leipzig and Rome; became a priest in 1874; then taught philosophy at the lesser seminary in Malines from 1877 to 1882, when he was appointed to the chair in Aquinas' philosophy founded at Rome by Leo XIII. In 1906 he was consecrated Archbishop of Malines and primate of Belgium, and in April, 1907, he was made Cardinal. He founded in 1894 and edited until 1906 the Revue Néoscholastique, and wrote in a scholastic manner on metaphysics, philosophy, and psychology, several of his works being translated into English, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish, etc. His most important book was Les origines de la psychologie contemporaine (1897). His position as Catholic primate of the country brought him into particular notice when Belgium was invaded in 1914 by the Germans. He was forbidden to leave the episcopal residence, and his Christmas pastoral letter, summing up Belgium's losses, praising England and blaming Germany, and advising his flock that they need not recognize German authority, was suppressed and the printer fined. For this letter consult the New York Times, January 22, 1915.
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Mercier, Désiré-Joseph |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Mercier, Desiré-Félicien-François-Joseph;Mercier, Desiré-Félicien-François-Joseph Cardinal |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Roman-Catholic Cardinal |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 21, 1851 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Braine-l'Alleud, Belgium |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 23, 1926 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Brussels |
- This article incorporates text from an edition of the New International Encyclopedia that is in the public domain.
