St Charles Borromeo: The Saint who Dodged a Bullet

As a Church reformer and corruption-fighter, St Charles Borromeo made many enemies — including a priest who tried to assassinate him.

St Charles at a Glance
Name at birth: Carlo Borromeo
Born: October 2, 1538, in Arona, Duchy of Milan
Died: November, 3, 1584, aged 46, in Milan
Beatified: 1602
Canonised: 1610
Feast: November 4
Patronages: Cardinals, bishops, seminarians, spiritual directors, spiritual leaders, catechists, catechumens, stomach and intestinal disorders

Saint Charles Borromeo was the patron saint of Pope St John Paul II — and like the Polish pontiff in 1981, the 16th-century saint survived an assassination attempt.

On October 26, 1569, while kneeling at evening prayer in the cathedral of Milan, St Charles became the target of a bullet fired by Girolamo Donato Farina, a disgruntled priest opposed to the archbishop’s corruption-busting ways. The bullet only grazed its intended target and Borromeo lived. His survival was hailed as a miracle, as would be that of John Paul II almost 412 years later.

Although not physically harmed in the shooting, it had a lasting impact on Borromeo’s life. It fortified his commitment to bring about spiritual and ethical renewal at a time of the Counter-Reformation.

Carlo Borromeo was born on October 2, 1538, the second son of a wealthy aristocratic family in Arona, at Lake Maggiore, about 50km from Milan. His father, Gilbert, was the count of Arona; his mother, Margaret, a member of the Milan branch of the House of Medici. He had two uncles who were cardinals.

Charles received an excellent education from an early age. Recognising his intellectual abilities and spiritual inclination, his family sent him to study law at Pavia University when he was just 16 years old. He eventually earned a doctorate in canon and civil law.

Young Charles had long experienced a profound calling towards the priesthood, and was ready to renounce his claim to inheritance and accept ordination as a priest, despite opposition from some family members.

Made a cardinal at 22

Such opposition did not come from his uncle, Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Medici. When Medici was elected as Pope Pius IV on Christmas Day 1559, he summoned his nephew to Rome. Within five weeks and in keeping with the common practice of nepotism of the times — which Charles would come to oppose — the new pope made his 22-year-old nephew a cardinal and appointed him secretary of state. Such nepotism was widespread throughout the Renaissance, and in the cut-throat world of Italian Renaissance politics, drawing on family loyalty was considered necessary and even wise.

Borromeo stayed in Rome for four years, living in self-imposed austerity. Not a man of great humour, Borromeo was criticised for depriving Rome of its joy — and potential for corrupt dealings. He even ordered members of the Roman curia, the Church’s government in the Vatican, to wear sober black.

During that time, in 1562–63, the fervent reformer organised the third and final session of the Council of Trent, which sought to reform the Church as a response to the Protestant Reformation.

In 1562, Charles’ older brother, Count Federico, suddenly died. His family pressured Charles to seek laicisation — easy, since he had not been formally ordained to the priesthood — in order to marry and have children, but he decided to remain in the ecclesiastic state.

In 1560, Borromeo was appointed administrator of the archdiocese of Milan. Three years later he decided to be ordained a priest. Soon after, on December 7, 1563, he was consecrated as bishop in the Sistine Chapel. In May 1564, he was formally appointed archbishop of Milan.

Great reformer of Milan

At the time, the Catholic Church was facing significant challenges, including corruption within its ranks and failings in the pastoral care for the faithful. These were exacerbated in dioceses like Milan, which had had no resident archbishop in 80 years. Borromeo recognised these issues and became a fervent advocate for reform, including the notion that an archbishop of a diocese should actually reside there.

As archbishop, Borromeo focused on three main areas: fighting corruption among clergy and in religious orders, improving education and formation of priests, and revitalising religious devotion among the faithful. He encouraged regular confession and Communion as essential spiritual practices.

Believing that the abuses in the Church had their roots in the ignorance of clergy, rather than ill will, he established seminaries, colleges and communities for the formation of candidates for holy orders.

His times were marked by the plague and famines. Borromeo worked tirelessly to improve the living conditions of the people by tending to their physical needs, even during the Black Plague. During a famine, he fed up to 70000 people every day, using up his own wealth and even going into debt to provide for the hungry. His selfless acts of charity earned him the admiration of Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

Almost lethal opposition

In an age of political unrest and power struggles, Borromeo remained steadfast in his commitment to serve God and his people, and to reform the Church. That prompted hardened opposition from many Church leaders, including the pope, and especially from some religious orders, including that of the misnamed Brothers of Humility, the Humiliati, a penitential order which owned about 90 monasteries, despite having only 170 living members. Some of these Brothers conspired against Borromeo’s life, which is where the failed assassination in 1569 comes in.

Instead of succumbing to fear or intimidation, the archbishop stood firm in his convictions, refusing to compromise on matters that would bring about genuine change within the Church. That included demonstrations of mercy: when his would-be assassin Farina and the co-conspirators were sentenced to death, Borromeo appealed for clemency. The pope rejected these appeals and ordered the assassins’ execution.

While he faced much opposition from people within the Church, civic leaders throughout Europe valued Borromeo’s guidance, including the Catholic monarchs Henry III of France, Philip II of Spain, and Mary, Queen of Scots.

In his zeal to combat heresy and witchcraft, Borromeo was uncompromising. In 1583 he began an apostolic visitation of all cantons of Switzerland. During that visitation, 150 people were arrested for practising witchcraft. Twelve people were condemned by the civil authorities to be burned alive.

After a lengthy bout of illness, Charles Borromeo died on November 3, 1584, at the age of 46. Devotion to the archbishop of Milan began almost immediately. St Charles Borromeo was canonised by Pope Paul V in 1610. His feast day is on November 4, and he is the patron saint of bishops, catechists and seminarians. St Borromeo is entombed in Milan’s cathedral, the Duomo — against his wishes.

Almost 400 years after Borromeo’s death, another great reformer of the Church, Angelo Roncalli, chose November 4, the feast of St Charles, as the date for his papal coronation as Pope John XXIII.