FAURÈ, GIOVANNI BATTISTA. — Jesuit and theologian, born in Rome on 25 October 1702, died at Viterbo on 5 April 1779. He spent almost his entire life at the Collegio Romano, teaching philosophy, dogmatic and polemical theology, surrounded by the constant reputation of being an acute professor and a vigorous defender of the Faith against Jansenism and the Enlightenment, which were then rampant. At the suppression of the Society of Jesus (1773), he was confined, together with the superior general, Fr. L. Ricci, and several companions, in Castel S. Angelo, for fear of his pen in defence of the Order. Released by Pius VI in 1775, he withdrew to Viterbo.
An intelligent polemicist, he might have occupied first place among the theologians of his century, had his impulsive and irascible temperament not led him to wander into unpleasant and often exaggerated controversies, embittered also by the circumstance that his works were for the most part published anonymously. Thus it happened in the controversy against the Dominican D. Concina and in defence of Fr. B. Benzi, concerning the question of certain cases reserved in Venice: the Ritrattazione solenne di tutte le ingiurie... stampate in vari libri da fra D. Concina (Naples 1744), attributed to him, was placed on the Index on 17 June 1744. Also placed on the Index were: Commentarium in bullum Pauli III - Licet ab initio - datum a. 1542 (a. l. 1750), in which, under the pretext of writing the history of the tribunal of the Inquisition, he instead offered a harsh criticism of the manner in which the inquisitors acted—predominantly Dominicans, accused of partiality and prejudice in the condemnation of books (decree of 15 July 1757)—and Dissertatio dogmatica de praxi quesselliana (concerning the postponement of absolution), suspended in printing at p. 80 (decree of 23 September 1757), which appeared posthumously, completed by one of his confrères, in the In Arnaldi librum de frequenti communione (Rome 1791). Other works worthy of mention are: Selectae dissertationes polemicae (3 vols., Rome 1771), Selectae dissertationes de Sacramentis (3 vols., there 1771), Miscellanea dissertationem polemicarum (there 1772); Memorie apologetiche (2 vols., Viterbo 1774–79); S. Aurelii Augustini enchiridian de fide, spe et caritate, votis theologis illustratum (Rome 1755, subsequently republished, edited by Frs. C. Passaglia and A. Ballerini [there 1847], with the portion of the work that had been lost and was later recovered), in which F. appears as one of the most learned in the reading and understanding of the holy Doctor; Dubitationes theologicae de iudicio practico... super poenitentiis praecipue consuetudinarii aut recidivi dispositione... posthumous, edited by C. Passaglia and A. Ballerini (Lugano 1840; 4th ed., Leuven 1843), with a biography and bibliography of the author. He appears as a classic, moreover, in the two works concerning devotion to the Sacred Heart: Digiletti confidenziali critici (Venice 1772) and Saggi teologici (Lugano 1773).