Fénelon, François de Salignac de la Mothe

Fénelon, François de Salignac de la Mothe (1651–1715), Abp. of Cambrai. From 1678 he was involved with those converted from Protestantism, and in 1689 he was appointed tutor to Louis XIV's grandson. He met Mme Guyon in 1688; he was impressed by her account of her spiritual experiences and especially by her doctrine of pure love and ‘passive prayer’. He long defended her and was therefore implicated when she was censured in 1694. In 1695 he became Abp. of Cambrai and signed the Articles of Issy condemning Quietism. In 1697, however, he published Explication des maximes des saints, defending the concept of disinterested love. It was attacked by J.-B. Bossuet and a bitter controversy followed. When 23 propositions from the work were condemned by Pope Innocent XII in 1699, Fénelon submitted. He was much sought after as a spiritual director and his spiritual writing remained influential in the 18th cent.