The Fifteenth General: Brother Jerome of Polizzi

40 He is elected for six years 41 He cannot visit the Provinces of Spain and France 42 He did not get on well with the Protector

(40) The fifteenth General was the Venerable Father Jerome of Polizzi from the Province of Sicily. He was elected on 17th May 1587 in the Capital assembled in Rome.

He made many ordinances and visited our Congregation with great fervour. He was learned in cases of conscience and a doctor of civil law. He was very zealous and upright in conscience.

In that Chapter four Friars were sent to Constantinople. In that city they established a house with a lot of support from the great lord. Not longer afterwards, they returned. Why? I don’t know.

(41) He finished his triennium in the year 1590 and on 10th June he convened the Fathers in Rome. He was elected Procurator at Court and provided for what was needed. He continued his Generalate because he was elected with the understanding that he should continue in the office for six years so that he would have time to visit the Provinces outside of Italy. However because of the French war there was no safe passage and he did not visit those Provinces. This brought great harm to the Provinces of Spain and France for not having seen the face of their Shepherd.

In his time Flanders was established and the number of small friaries increased.

(42) When the General Chapter met in Rome the Fathers reprimanded him very much because of all the ordinances he had made and all those he annulled. They got rid of him not because he had done anything wrong, because he was a very zealous man of good example, but because of those ordinances and because and the Protector did not understand each other very well.