Joseph Carrière

Joseph Carrière (b. 19 February1795, at La Panouze-de-Cernon, near Rodez, France; d. at Lyon, 23 April1864) was a French Sulpician moral theologian, and from 1850 the thirteenth superior of the Society of Saint-Sulpice. Carrière was the first writer of note to treat theology in its relations to the Napoleonic Code.

Life

He entered the seminary of Saint-Sulpice in 1812, and five years later, at the age of twenty-two, became a member of the society and was ordained priest. The following year he was called to Saint-Sulpice to teach the postgraduate course of moral theology.

In 1829 he came to America in the capacity of official visitor to the Sulpician houses, and was invited to take part in the First Provincial Council of Baltimore.

Conservative in temperament and by education, he was one of the first to combat the ideas of de Lamennais.

Works

Carrière's published writings are:

*"Dissertation sur la réhabilitation des marriages nuls" (1828-34);
*"Juris cultor theologus circa obligationes restitutionis", by I. Vogler, S.J., enlarged and adapted to the French Law (1833), and incorporated in Migne's "Theologiae Cursus Completus";
*"Praelectiones theologicae: De Matrimonio" (2 vols., Paris, 1837; Louvain, 1838); a compendium of this work (1837), which has had eight editions;
*"Praelectiones theologicae: De justitia et jure" (3 vols., Paris, 1839; Louvain, 1845), and a compendium (1840) which also reached its eighth edition;
*"Praelectiones theologicae: De Contractibus (3 vols., Paris, 1844-47; Louvain, 1846-48), of which the compendium (1848) has had four editions.

He was inclined to the opinion, generally held in France in his day, that the State had the power to create diriment impediments to marriage among Catholics; but he abandoned it as soon as it was disapproved at Rome.