The a Treatise on Perfection

Cardinal Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu, was born in 1585 in Paris, France to a noble and devout family. A brilliant scholar, the cardinal studied Sacred Scripture, theology, canon and civil law, as well as the writings of the Church Fathers. At the age of twenty-two, he was ordained as bishop of Luçon by Pope Paul V. Richelieu achieved a radical revitalization of his diocese, including the restoration of clerical discipline, the establishment of a seminary, the restoration of the cathedral and parish churches, and the nourishing of the faith life of both the laity and clergy through an extensive program of catechesis and pastoral visitations. In 1622, he was raised to the dignity of cardinal, and he became prime minister of France in 1624. As an ecclesiastical leader, the cardinal played a key role in implementing the decrees of the Council of Trent in France.