Johannes Parenti

Johannes Parenti or Johannes Parens (* in Carmignano , Tuscany ; † June 28, 1250 ) was the successor of St. Francis (depending on the method of counting) the second general minister of the Franciscan order from 1227 to 1232. His predecessor was Francis of Assisi until his death, who, however, had appointed Elias of Cortona as deputy in 1221 , his successor was also Elias of Cortona . Like Francis and Elias of Cortona , Johannes Parenti was a layman , so he was not ordained a priest . Before entering the order he had been a judge in Città di Castello . Before he was elected Minister General, he had probably lived in the Florence Convention and served as Minister Provincial in Spain. Nothing is known about his fate after he was voted out of office or about the circumstances surrounding his death.

Dispute over office and poverty dispute

Johannes worked with all his might for adherence to the strict rule and adherence to the founder's ideal of poverty . He belonged to the more radical tendency of the brothers, who fell into disputes after the death of Francis of Assisi . Many Friars Minor , who, because of the strong growth of the Order throughout Europe (there were now around 5000 Friars), no longer got to know the founder personally, saw the radical poverty of Francis as impractical. They wanted to bring the brothers' way of life into line with that of the Benedictines and achieve a minimum of property and security. (See also poverty dispute .)

In the first Pentecost chapter after the death of Francis on May 31, 1227, the more radical wing of the order pushed through the election of Johannes Parenti against Elias of Cortona . In the same chapter Parenti protested violently against the weakening of the rule, he called it clearly understandable and entirely followable.

At the next Pentecost chapter in 1230, Elias of Cortona, who belonged to the other party, tried to overthrow Parenti by force. But the attempted coup failed. As acting general minister, Parenti had stripped himself naked in front of the assembled capitulars to express his attachment to the principle of absolute poverty.

In order to resolve the dispute, a delegation of brothers was called to Pope Gregory IX after the Pentecostal chapter . sent to achieve a clear definition of the points in dispute. Gregory IX. responded with the bull Quo elongati , stating that there were some ambiguous and difficult to understand passages in the bulled rule in 1223 , but that the real problem was the will of Siena , which Francis had written in April 1226 shortly before his death and in to which he radically stated his ideal in view of the increasing conflicts during his lifetime. Gregory IX. decided that the will was not binding. The radical wing under Johannes Parenti suffered a heavy defeat.

At the Pentecost chapter in 1232 (according to other sources perhaps not until 1233), Johannes Parenti was defeated by Elias of Cortona in the election under tumultuous circumstances. The followers of Elias of Cortona carried him to the chapter house, broke open the door and finally put him in the place of the future general minister of the order. So they forcibly elected him - without any actual election - as the new Minister General.

Administration

The Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi, built under Johannes Parenti

During the term of office of Johannes Parenti, the canonization of Francis fell on July 19, 1228, as well as the construction of the Church of San Francesco in Assisi , promoted by the Pope and Elias of Cortona , to which the bones of Francis were solemnly transferred at the Pentecost chapter in 1230.

Typical for the administration of Parenti should have been the saying:

“ The building of the order will be built from two walls: through good change and through science. The brethren had already built the wall of science so high above the heavens and heavenly things that they even asked whether there was a God. - But they let the wall of good conduct be low. "

This shows that, in addition to the poverty struggle , Parenti also saw the brothers 'increasing scholarship and their involvement in theology (for example at the University of Paris ) as a threat to the brothers' way of life. Francis had already pointed out this danger in his letter to Brother Antonius .

Works

Johannes Parenti may have written the book Sacrum Commercium Beati Francisci cum Domina Paupertate ( The Covenant of Blessed Francis with the Lady Poverty ), an allegorical tale that glorifies the early days of the order and poverty. However, other researchers attribute the work to John of Parma .

literature

• Jordan by Giano O.Min .: Chronicle of the beginning of the Friars Minor especially in Germany (Chronica Fratris Jordani). Introduced, critically edited according to the previously known manuscripts, and with a translation into German based on their continuations and edited by Johannes Schlageter OFM (Sources for Franciscan History 1), Norderstedt 2012.
• Johannes Schneider (Ed.), Thomas Eccleston: The treatise on the arrival of the Friars Minor in England. In: Dieter Berg / Leonhard Lehmann (Ed.): Franziskus sources. The writings of St. Francis, descriptions of life, chronicles and testimonies about him and his order (= testimonies of the 13th and 14th centuries to the Franciscan movement, vol. 1). Kevelaer 2014 (2nd edition), pp. 1012-1082.
• Helmut Feld: Francis of Assisi and his movement. Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 1994.

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b} Thomas von Eccleston: The Arrival of the Friars Minor in England, 1258/1259 . Edited by Lothar Hardick 1988. The author also belongs to the stricter direction.
2. ↑ Jordan by Giano O.Min .: Chronicle of the beginning of the Friars Minor especially in Germany (Chronica Fratris Jordani). Introduced, critically edited according to the previously known manuscripts, and with a translation into German based on their continuations and edited by Johannes Schlageter OFM (Sources for Franciscan History 1), Norderstedt 2012
3. ↑ Thomas von Eccleston: The Arrival of the Friars Minor in England, 1258/1259 . Edited by Lothar Hardick 1988, quoted from Helmut Feld: Franziskus und seine Bewegungs. Scientific Book Society Darmstadt 1994
4. ↑ Helmut Feld: Francis and his movement. Scientific Book Society Darmstadt 1994