Fernando Arturo de Meriño

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Fernando Antonio Arturo de Meriño y Ramírez (born January 9, 1833 in Antoncí, Santo Domingo , † August 20, 1906 in Santo Domingo) was a Dominican clergyman , politician , President of the Dominican Republic and Archbishop of Santo Domingo .

Life

Promotion to Apostolic Administrator and promotion by Santana

As a student, Meriño was an altar boy in the parish of San Carlos before entering the seminary in 1848 . After his ordination on April 24, 1856, he held his first Holy Mass on May 3, 1856 just a week later . As a priest he was first sent to the parish of Neyba , the capital of the province of Baoruco . He was captured during the revolution of 1857, but was released shortly afterwards on the orders of Pedro Santana . The still inexperienced priest found in this experienced politician, officer and multiple president an influential sponsor who, after the coup against President Buenaventura Báez in 1858, campaigned for Meriños to be sent as a priest to the community of San Cristóbal .

Shortly thereafter, the young pastor (Padrecito) began his political career when, with the support of Santana, he was elected Member of the Constituent Assembly of Moca , which adopted the progressive constitution that expressed the political opinion of the social forces of Cibao . Through the protection of Santana, he was also pastor of the cathedral of Santo Domingo in 1858 and head of the local seminary. The death of Archbishop Tomás de Portes and Pastor Gaspar Hernández led to his ascent within the clerical hierarchy. On February 25, 1859, at the age of only 26 and just three years after his ordination, he became administrator of the Roman Catholic Church of the Dominican Republic . Another two years later he was on March 28, 1861 by Pope Pius IX. reappointed Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Santo Domingo, which was vacant until 1862 , after Archbishop Antonio Cerezano Camarena died after only half a year in office.

At this time, however, there was a break with his sponsor Santana, since Meriño, contrary to Santana, opposed the annexation of the young republic by Spain . On February 27, 1861, he gave an energetic and moving speech entitled El egoísmo , in which he critically dealt with what he saw as the incorrect attitude of President Santana towards a Spanish occupation. After the completion of the annexation on March 18, 1861, he stepped from the pulpit with even greater clarity and severity against the Spanish occupying power, which, however, led Santana to expel him from the country in April 1862. In the following years he went into exile to Puerto Rico , Venezuela and finally to Cuba and continued to deal critically with the Spanish occupation forces in his writings and speeches.

Restoration of the republic and opposition to Báez

After the restoration of the republic (Restauracíon de la República) he returned in 1865 and was immediately elected President of the Constituent Assembly (Asamblea Constituyente). His advocacy of national sovereignty made him a publicly respected man. The election of Buenaventura Báez as President of the Republic on November 14, 1865, caused him consternation, especially since Báez appeared in the uniform of a field marshal of the Spanish army .

On December 8, 1865, Meriño gave another highly regarded critical speech, which among other things said:

“Deep and unfathomable mysteries of Divine Providence ...! While strangers from other beaches, strangers, determine the great events in your motherland, when it seems that you are aloof from the ordinary and that the supreme power entrusts itself to the victorious righteous hand of one of the leaders of independence, then extraordinary events take place in this land their place ... your star rises on the horizon of the republic and it is up to you to take the seat of the first office. Such unexpected events have overwhelmed those who did not expect them ...! "

Like other representatives of patriotism, he was not satisfied with Báez's opportunist leadership and his presence as president. In the same speech he therefore stated which government was the most suitable for the young republic:

“To rule a country you have to know it. A civil president should serve his interests with sincerity and accuracy. To do this, the law rules over all citizens, without concealing the criminality of crimes and without offending righteousness. In order to instill a deep respect for property, all amoral work with all its possible effects is rejected. Favoring the dissemination of science leads to the acquisition of a knowing people, and to know that five US dollars cannot offend law and order one should not accept the harmful influences of the enemies of order and prosperity. In order to lay the foundations for a solid basis of internal and external peace, one should encourage the expansion of trade, industry and all elements of public wealth creation. In short: one should endeavor to bring deep roots into the hearts of citizens through the morality of all institutions, so that progress is truthful and peace-loving and the laws and authorities are respected and freedom remains in order. "

For Meriño, this pattern of patriotic government was the fundamental element for a successful republic. Finally he stated in his speech:

“Good are the patriots, the principled men, the citizens, who all desire this and agree to give stability to power at all times in order to serve their progressive and liberal government as a true national government. On the other hand, they should refuse their support if private instead of public interests are sought first, if they accept and understand that despotism has left the justice of power, in short, if instead of an elected first man in the state determined to achieve a satisfied people is that a bloodthirsty tyrant is sitting on the presidential chair, a clumsy and harmful governor, or the daring speculator who accumulates considerable fortune and usurpatically uses the fortune that the people have entrusted to him for the achievement of peace, freedom and progress. "

This speech led to Meriño having to go into exile again at the instigation of Báez. From then on, his political fate was closely linked to the restoration movement around Gregorio Luperón , which sought to implement a progressive nation with republican ideals. At the beginning of the six-year war against the rule of Báez in 1868 he became a supporter of this patriotic movement and also made attempts to bind this group to the border in the south of the country. Soon after, however, he went into exile in Venezuela, where he settled in Barcelona , the capital of the province of Anzoátegui .

President from 1880 to 1882 and Archbishop of Santo Domingo

After the overthrow of President Báez in 1874, he returned in 1875 and became one of the most respected and respected figures in political life and society. In 1879 he became parish priest in Puerto Plata , where a provisional government was formed under President Luperón. He already played a key role in this, so that he was chosen as the presidential candidate for the elections in 1880. On September 10, 1880, Meriño succeeded Luperón as President of the Dominican Republic and held this office, which he took up on October 12, 1880, until September 1, 1882.

While vigorous and tough against all forms of insurrection and anarchy , his republican ideals government set the example of a government that promoted the advancement and development of the nation. As President, he maintained an intensive exchange of ideas and correspondence with the Puerto Rican writer and founder of the Escuela Normal, Eugenio María de Hostos . His later successor in office, Father Francesco Gregorio Billini , was different , who first subjected Hostos to censorship and fought him before he valued him.

Hostos was one of the most enthusiastic advocates who asked the Curia to grant him the archbishopric . On the other hand, he was against Meriño assuming the position of director of the professional institute (Instituto Profesional), since, in Hosto's opinion, the education of lay people should be taken over. Under his leadership, however, the institute gained reputation and recognition and expanded its activities comprehensively.

Between 1883 and 1885 he was again Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Santo Domingo. On July 3, 1885 Fernando Arturo de Meriño was in Rome by Pope Leo XIII. appointed Archbishop of Santo Domingo, which was welcomed nationwide with joy as he was the first native archbishop. As such, he succeeded Rocco Cocchia . He was ordained bishop by Cardinal Vicar Lucido Maria Parocchi on July 6, 1885. Co- consecrators were the Auxiliary Bishop in Rome, Archbishop Giulio Lenti , and the later Cardinal Curia Francesco di Paola Cassetta .

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Individual evidence

  1. ^ The Contest for Power, 1865-82
  2. ^ G. Pope Atkins, Larman Curtis Wilson: The Dominican Republic and the United States: From Imperialism to Transnationalism . In: The United States and the Americas . University of Georgia Press, Athens 1998, ISBN 0-8203-1931-7 , pp. 28 (English, limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed January 22, 2017]).
  3. Emelio Betances: The Catholic Church and Power Politics in Latin America: The Dominican Case in Comparative Perspective . In: Critical currents in Latin American perspective . Rowman & Littlefield, 2007, ISBN 978-0-7425-5505-1 , pp. 29 (English, limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed January 22, 2017]).
  4. Emelio Betances: The Catholic Church and Power Politics in Latin America: The Dominican Case in Comparative Perspective . In: Critical currents in Latin American perspective . Rowman & Littlefield, 2007, ISBN 978-0-7425-5505-1 , pp. 28 (English, limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed January 22, 2017]).
predecessor Office successor
Gregorio Luperón President of the Dominican Republic
1880 - 1882
Ulises Heureaux
Rocco Cocchia Archbishop of Santo Domingo
1885 - 1906
Adolfo Alejandro Nouel