Lombard, Peter

Lombard, Peter (1554–1625), the major Irish figure in the Counter‐Reformation. An Old English native of Waterford, he studied at Louvain, graduating first in the school of arts (1575) and staying on to become professor of philosophy and theology. On university business in Rome in 1598–9, he doubled as Hugh O'Neill's agent and wrote De regno Hiberniae sanctorum insula commentarius (published posthumously 1633) to encourage papal support. Talent‐spotted by Pope Clement, he was made archbishop of Armagh instead of O'Neill's Ulster candidate. Lombard became one of the chief theologians in the curia, involved in the congregation on grace (1602–7), the condemnation of Copernicus's heliocentric theory (1616), and the approval of nativist conversion techniques in India (1623). Lombard's influential position‐papers argued for a recognition of James I to ease pressure on Irish and British Catholics. At first he favoured the appointment of vicars‐general rather than bishops in Ireland, to avoid affronting the civil authorities. Not surprisingly, the exiled Hugh O'Neill disagreed with him over invasion plans and ecclesiastical appointments.

Lombard left the day‐to‐day running of the Irish Catholic church to his one‐time secretary David Rothe, whom he instructed to hold synods of the clergy to remind them of their parochial duties, to reconcile seculars and regulars, and to stamp out popular superstitions. In 1621 he made preparations to return home, hoping to take up the vacant see of Waterford and Lismore rather than rough it in Armagh, but never went.

Hiram Morgan