FORTALEZA, ARCHDIOCESE OF
In the State of Ceará (Brazil). It is the metropolitan see of the ecclesiastical province of the aforementioned State, a province that comprises the three suffragan dioceses of Crato, Sobral, and Limoeiro, and whose extent coincides with that of the State itself.
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FORTEZZA (Fortitude). — The term *fortitudo* (fortitude) is used in various senses.
1. In the strict sense, it is one of the four cardinal virtues, defined by St. Thomas Aquinas as “a virtue that removes the impediments and difficulties that deter the will from doing what is in accordance with reason” (*Sum. Theol.*, II-II, q. 123, a. 1).
In a broader sense, the term *fortitudo* signifies the steadfastness of soul in the performance of one’s duty. Understood thus, it is less a special virtue than the indispensable condition for the exercise of all virtues. St. Thomas himself describes it as “the condition of every virtue, because it implies, in an absolute sense, the firm determination of the will” (*ibid.*, I-II, q. 61, a. 3). This virtue must not be confused with rashness, still less with ferocity, as sometimes occurs in ordinary usage. Clearly, the object of a virtue can only be something honest. Consequently, those who face even the gravest dangers for dishonest motives—such as duellists, robbers, and the like—cannot be called strong; rather, they are reckless, ferocious, and so forth.
According to the Angelic Doctor (*ibid.*, II-II, q. 123, a. 3), the material object of the virtue of fortitude is fear and daring, inasmuch as it controls and overcomes the former and moderates the latter. Its formal object may be considered the special goodness that accompanies duty despite danger. Fortitude thus stands between the two extremes of daring and fear; its object is the good, and it necessarily entails the performance of one’s duty, especially when that duty involves sacrifice, dangers to be overcome, and difficulties to be surmounted.
2. **Infused Virtue.** — This is the supernatural strength that enables man to perform acts of fortitude meritorious of eternal life. Its material object is the same as that of the natural moral virtue of fortitude. Its formal object, however, is no longer the natural goodness inherent in this virtue, but rather the moral goodness of a resolute fidelity to God. Whereas the former is guided by natural prudence, the latter is directed according to the dictates of supernatural prudence. It is the virtue of martyrs and of all who suffer persecution for the faith. The fortitude of martyrs, in particular,
**Fortitude.** Panel from the first bronze door of the Baptistery, work of Andrea Pisano (1316) — Florence.
The artist was certainly inspired by the passage in Prov. 31:10-31: *Mulierem fortem quis inveniet?* which extols the virtues of the wise woman. Notable is the initial *Fortem*, which stands in contrast to the deceit, beauty, and vanity of the worldly woman! The holy woman scorns profane love and clings to divine love, suppresses the demands of the body, and fills the spirit with the sublime sweetness of prayer.