LUGO, FRANCISCO DE

Jesuit theologian and elder brother of Juan de Lugo; b. Madrid, 1580; d. Valladolid, Dec. 17, 1652. His father sent him to Salamanca to study law, but Francisco entered the novitiate of the Society of Jesus there in 1600. Though he soon made a reputation as a competent theologian, he requested assignment to the foreign missions and was sent to Mexico. Mission work was never to be his task, however, for his superiors, on learning of his academic achievements, appointed him to teach theology. While teaching he managed to write a commentary on the entire Summa of St. Thomas. He was then recalled to Spain, but the fleet in which he sailed was attacked by the Dutch and in the battle most of his commentary on the Summa was lost. After arriving in Spain he taught both philosophy and theology. His reputation as a theologian grew, and the Jesuit general summoned De Lugo to Rome to be his theologian and censor of books. He was twice rector of the college of Valladolid, where he died well known and respected by the theologians of his time. The confusion of his writings with those of his older brother has led to a certain amount of inaccuracy in theological scholarship. His published works are: the De Principiis moralibus actuum humanorum (Elvire 1642), Theologia scholastica (Lyons 1647), and De septem ecclesiae sacramentis (Venice 1652).

Bibliography: c. sommervogel, et al., Bibliothèque de la Compagnie de Jésus (Brussels-Paris 1890–1932) 5:175. h. hurter, Nomenclator literarius theologiae catholicae (3d ed., Innsbruck 1903–13) 3:911.

[g. v. kohls]