CARRANZA, BARTOLOMEO. - Learned theologian, b. at Miranda (Navarre) in 1503, d. at Rome on 2 May 1576. A Dominican from 1520, he taught in the studium of the Order at Valladolid, where he had as an adversary his confrere Melchior Cano. Promoted master in theology in 1539, he took part as a theologian in the Council of Trent (1546-48; 1551-52) and was one of the principal supporters of the obligation of residence of bishops iure divino. He was prior at Valencia (1546-50) and provincial of the province of Spain (1550-54); in 1554 he accompanied the infante Philip to England, where with other Dominicans he worked for the Catholic restoration (1554-57). After having refused the episcopate of Cuzco (1540) and of the Canary Islands (1549), he had, through the insistences of Philip II, to accept the archbishopric of Toledo (1557).
In 1558 he published at Antwerp his Comentarios sobre el catecismo christiano. This work, certainly orthodox, drew upon him the suspicion of heresy on account of certain of his judgments too severe against the abuse of indulgences and his open condemnation of the morals of the clergy. On 22 Aug. 1559 he was imprisoned by order of the inquisitor Ferdinand Valdés, who had succeeded in wresting the authorization from the old and ailing Paul IV. The whole trial was a combination of usurpations by the Spanish government. In vain Pius IV and the Council of Trent attempted to transfer the trial to Rome; several times the special commissions instituted within the Council itself declared themselves in favor of C. The Spanish Inquisition, supported by Philip II, was unwilling to yield; it fought to defend its prestige, while Philip II was moved by particular political and economic interests: he was interested in reserving for himself the revenues of the archbishopric of Toledo and in asserting his authority more strongly so as to make the bishops ever more submissive. Pius V succeeded in having C. come to Rome (28 May 1567), took direct charge of the trial and recognized the innocence of the accused; but the hostility of the Spaniards still prevented a favorable solution. The trial was concluded only under Gregory XIII (14 Apr. 1576). C. was not condemned of heresy; but, given the delicacy of the moment, he had to retract certain suspect propositions and was suspended for two years from the exercise of the episcopal ministry. The humiliation was too great for him who had always fought for the integrity of the Catholic faith. He accepted the sentence, but a few days later he died, forgiving all his adversaries. He was buried in the church of the Minerva and the Pontiff himself wished to dictate his epitaph. He wrote, besides the aforementioned Comentarios, Summa Conciliorum (Venice 1546); Controversiae quattuor (ibid. 1546); Controversia de necessaria residentia personali episcoporum etc. (ibid. 1547; Lyon 1550; Antwerp 1554; Venice 1562).
Bibliography13 works
Alfonso D'Amato