La figura episcopal i pública de Josep Climent a Barcelona (1766-1775)

Abstract

Monseñor Josep Climent Avent (1706-1781) was a man with a multifaceted personality. This study focuses on several aspects of his life as Barcelona’s pontificate (1766-1775). I) Pastoral work, of Tridentine and reformist inspiration: efforts to renovate sacred oratory and to purify worship of its folkloric elements; a service befitting of the “Enlightened” Spaniards of the 18th century. II) Activities in Barcelona’s day-to-day life: the creation of free schools for poor boys and girls; the placement of cemeteries outside city walls; social engagement and charity. III) Intellectual and cultural role: his fight against the Probabilism theory of the Jesuits, his support for the Jansenistic Church of Utrecht; his promotion of Thomism, biblical, philosophical and historical studies in addition to studies of the Spanish and Catalan languages, as well as his opposition to the rational thought of 18th century Enlightenment. IV) His resignation from the diocese of Barcelona given his opposition to Carlos III’s royal prerogative. V) His thought: marked by two basic tenants; Jansenistic (with its episcopal component - precisely because of its episcopalism distancing him further from royal prerogative practices of other Spanish pro Jansenistic bishops – and his moral rigor) and “Enlightenment”. In conclusion, Josep Climent can be considered a pro Jansenistic, pre-enlightenment, reformist bishop during the Enlightenment. He was also the Spanish pro Jansenistic bishop with most European projection.