Bonner, Edmund

BONNER, EDMUND. - Bishop of London, whose origin is obscure and whose date of birth is uncertain (late 15th century), perhaps as a result of the slanders concerning the illegitimacy of his descent circulated by his political enemies, which gained a certain credence. He received his doctorate in civil and canon law and in theology at the University of Oxford, was ordained a priest in 1519, and then entered the service of Cardinal Wolsey, who, appreciating his open intellect and his ability in affairs, entrusted him with various important assignments. After the cardinal's death, he was appointed — probably on Cromwell's recommendation — chaplain to Henry VIII, whose confidant he became, and he was one of the most active negotiators in the matter of the divorce and in the reforms of the Anglican Church. He was entrusted with various missions to the courts of Rome, Vienna, Paris and Copenhagen, and with the delicate one to Pope Clement VII — then passing through Marseille — to inform him that Henry VIII did not accept the papal sentence against his divorce and was appealing to a general Council (Nov. 1533). B. was consecrated bishop of Hereford in 1538 and transferred to the see of London in 1540. He was one of the signatories of the famous declaration against the Pope and wrote a preface to Gardiner's treatise De vera oboedientia, in which the thesis of the monarch's spiritual supremacy over the English Church was defended. But when, during the minority of Edward VI, the radical reforms in a Protestant direction, desired by Cranmer, began, B., who, together with Gardiner, opposed them, was charged and deprived of his see (10 Oct. 1549). He was not released until 1553, by Queen Mary, and recovered his see, accepting reunion with Rome. But when Elizabeth became queen (1558), he refused to submit to her religious reforms and was imprisoned, where he died in 1569. His principal writings are: Letters and papers (1536); Responsum et exortatio in laudem sacerdotii (1553); Visites (1554).

Carmine Starace