Pierre Girard (cardinal)
Pierre Girard[1] was born in the commune of Saint-Symphorien-sur-Coise, in the Department of Rhone, once in the ancient County of Forez.
[6] On 8 June 1381, Girard was named papal Nuncio to France (Apostolicae Sedis in lingua gallicana nuncio) by Pope Clement VII "for certain difficult business for the Pope and the Holy Roman Church", and was particularly ordered to investigate the situation in the diocese of Nantes, where the diocese was being administered by procurators appointed by the bishop on the alleged grounds that he was aged and "lacking in discretion".
[13] Pierre Girard was created a cardinal by Pope Clement VII on 17 October 1390, and assigned the titular church of San Pietro in Vincoli on 21 December 1390.
They argued that the moment had arrived to heal the schism, and they requested the King to intervene with the Cardinals to postpone the election of a new pope.
[18] On 2 February 1395 a meeting of the French clergy was convened in the royal palace in Paris in the name of King Charles VI, for the purpose of tendering advice to the King as to the means to end the Great Western Schism, which had been going on for nearly seventeen years, with no signs of resolution.
The three royal dukes, Berri, Bourbon and Anjou, who had in fact inspired the meeting, were sent to lead a delegation to discuss the matter with Benedict XIII in Avignon.
Cardinal Girard pronounced in favor of the "Way of Cession", stating that Clement VII on several occasions had promised that he would resign the papacy to save the Church.
[21] Cardinal Girard was already working with the French Court and Benedict XIII to maintain cordial relations.
On 25 May 1385, in his capacity as Major Penitentiary, he granted faculties to the Bishop of Paris to dispense four couples who wished to marry from the impediment of close relationship to the fourth degree of kinhood.
Evidently Benedict XIII did not want to be seen to be too closely linked to the French monarchy, and his fertile mind as a former professor of Canon Law saw in the Major Penitentiary a way to do what was necessary without attracting public criticism of being a tool of the King of France.
[22] On 1 September 1398 at Villeneuve eighteen cardinals, among them Pierre Girard, published the retraction of their obedience to Benedict XIII.
[23] In 1407 Cardinal Girard returned to his birthplace in Saint-Symphorien,[24] where he built a church and established in it a College of Canons.
[29] Cardinal Pierre Girard composed his Testament at Bologna in the house of the Servants of Mary on 7 November 1410, the first year of Pope John XXIII.
