John of Parma

John of Parma (* 1208 in Parma, † March 19, 1289 in Camerino ) was the eighth Minister General of the Franciscan Order.

Life

At 25, he joined under the Generalate of his brother Elias of Cortona in the Order. In the convents of Bologna and Naples, he taught theology and philosophy.

In 1245 he was called to Paris, where in the same year the great Franciscan theologian, Alexander of Hales had died.

1247 in Lyon chose him, the General Chapter of the Order to the Minister General. In 1248 he headed in Oxford a provincial chapter of the English Franciscans. In England he met with Henry III. together. On the chapter of Sens, he also met the French king, Louis IX.

1249 sent him the Pope Innocent IV as legate to Greece to Emperor John III. Dukas Vatatzes. 1254 John gave at the University of Paris in the dispute over the chairs of the mendicant orders. He was a follower of the Abbot Joachim of Fiore. Within the Order, he sought the original ideals of St.. Francis again to enforce. The papal declarations of the monastic rule he considered superfluous and let alone apply as a comment to rule the will of Francis. This brought him into conflict with the papal curia. 1257 forced him Alexander IV at the General Chapter in Rome to resign and to waive the re-election, which was desired by the majority of the delegates. John himself recommended Bonaventure of Bagnoregio, as his successor. Following are two of the closest followers of John of Parma, Gerhard and Leonhard, sentenced to life imprisonment. Then John was self-made process. In Città della Pieve he was interrogated by a commission under the chairmanship of Cardinal Giovanni Gaetani Orsini, later Pope Nicholas III. and the involvement of Bonaventure. Prior to the sentencing saved him the occurrence of Cardinal Otto bonus Fieschi, nephew of the former Pope Innocent IV, who even as Hadrian V. Pope was for a short time later. John was allowed to retire to the small convent at Greccio Rieti, where he 30 years led a contemplative life. At the age of 80, he wanted to still go on a mission trip to Asia. But he only came to Camerino, where he died on March 19, 1289.

1777 John was beatified by Parma.