Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Illustrations
- Introduction
- 1 A Land in Turmoil
- 2 The Rival Kings
- 3 Priests and Witches in Catholic Kongo
- 4 The Crisis in Faith and Force
- 5 Saint Anthony Arrives
- 6 The Saint and the Kings
- 7 Saint Anthony in Sin and Glory
- 8 Facing the Fire
- 9 The War for Peace
- Appendix: A Recovery of the “Salve Antoniana”
- Index
6 - The Saint and the Kings
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 August 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Illustrations
- Introduction
- 1 A Land in Turmoil
- 2 The Rival Kings
- 3 Priests and Witches in Catholic Kongo
- 4 The Crisis in Faith and Force
- 5 Saint Anthony Arrives
- 6 The Saint and the Kings
- 7 Saint Anthony in Sin and Glory
- 8 Facing the Fire
- 9 The War for Peace
- Appendix: A Recovery of the “Salve Antoniana”
- Index
Summary
With saint anthony's incarnation safely out of the way for the time being, King Pedro breathed a bit more easily. He decided not to go to Mass that Sunday, although many people from the palace, the town, and the surrounding area did appear.
Father Bernardo decided it was time to put the weight of the Church against Saint Anthony. He preached a long sermon explaining that Saint Anthony had not appeared in the body of Dona Beatriz. He related his audience with her, his assessment of the answers she had given him, and his belief that the being who spoke through her was not Saint Anthony but the Devil himself, or at least one of his demons.
Then, having explained himself, he berated the audience. He knew that Dona Beatriz had won many supporters, and even those who did not openly support her were still not completely convinced that she was not speaking the truth. He wanted to take a strong offensive against those, like Miguel de Castro, who were still undecided.
It was their weakness in faith that had allowed this to happen, Father Bernardo told the crowd. Too many people had accepted her as a saint without proof or the Church's approval. He, like all the Capuchins, was anxious that the Church always be respected, and that people know unequivocally that it and its priests alone were qualified to make decisions about matters such as this.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Kongolese Saint AnthonyDona Beatriz Kimpa Vita and the Antonian Movement, 1684–1706, pp. 129 - 155Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1998