Palafox, Juan de

Palafox, Juan De, a Spanish prelate, noted as. a theological writer, was born in the kingdom of Aragon in 1600. The descendant of an illustrious family, and a distinguished scholar of the University of Salamanca, he was called by Philip IV to a place in the "commission of war," and afterwards to a like position in the "commission of the Indies." He embraced a little later the ecclesiastical profession. The king appointed him, in 1639, bishop of Puebla-de-los-Angelos, in Mexico, with extensive administrative powers. In the exercise of his functions Palafox had some disputes with the Jesuits; he submitted these differences to pope Innocent X, and went to Europe to sustain his cause. The king of Spain, satisfied with Palafox's conduct in America, gave him the bishopric of Osma. He died soon after (Sept. 13, 1659), leaving a high reputation for piety. Towards the end of the 17th century a procedure was instituted for his beatification; but the case was delayed for a long time, and, in spite of the efforts of the Spanish government, the court of Rome decided not to confer the honor on a declared enemy of the Jesuits. The works of Palafox were collected and published at Madrid in 1762, in fifteen volumes. Among them are, Le Pasteur de la Nuit de Noel (Pastor de Noche - buena) (Brussels, 1655): — The Shepherd of Christmas-eve, translated into French (Par. 1676): — Le Conquete de la Chine par les Tartares (The Conquest of China by the Tartars), published in Spanish and in French (ibid. 1678); and several mystical treatises, some of which have been translated into French by the abb. Le Roy. See Dinonart, Vie du venerable Don Jean de Palafox, Eveque d'Angelopolis (Col. 1767); Nicolini, History of the Jesuits, p. 309 sq; Hoefer, Nouv, Biog. Generale, s.v.