ADAM. - A French Jansenist writer who concealed himself under the pseudonym of A. According to some (cf. Reusch, II, p. 890) he would be the Capuchin Osmont du Sollier. He is listed in the Index (29 Feb. 1752) for the work: *L'avocata du diable, ou mémoires historiques et critiques sur la vie et sur la légende du pape Grégoire VII, avec des mémoires du même goût sur la Bulle de canonisation de Vincent de Paul*, in 3 volumes.
He defends the conduct and opposition of the Jansenists against two decisions of the Church; the first by Benedict XIII, who prescribed (25 Sept. 1728) to the universal Church the Mass and office in honor of St. Gregory VII. In the 5th lesson of the Breviary there were (and still are) the words: «Contra Henrici imperatoris impios conatus, fortis per omnia athleta, impavidus permanens... ac eundem Henricum... fidelium communione regnoque privavit atque subditos populos fidei ei data privavit». In these passages the Jansenist and Gallican clergy saw an ultramontane attempt against governments, especially the French one, and prohibited, even resorting to the authority of the parliament, the recitation of that office. The mandates of some bishops against the order of Benedict XIII were condemned with various briefs; and every opposition, even lay, was condemned with a general brief of 19 Dec. 1729. The second issue arose from the bull of canonization of St. Vincent de Paul (16 June 1737). The incriminated passage was that in which it was said that Vincent was exalted by God with miracles at the same time as innovators were striving to spread their errors in France, to disturb the peace of the Church and to detach the faithful from unity with the Holy See by publishing false and fabricated miracles. The Jansenists saw in this a reproof of the miracles, which they proclaimed, that had occurred at the Pâris (v.). The author went so far as to call St. Vincent «an infamous informer and an execrable liar»; and the parliament defended the suppression of the bull, because with the example of Vincent it taught «immediate recourse to the Holy See, favoring impetuous movements... tending to resolve disputes within the Church by authority».