MERCIER, Desire Joseph, Belgian car nal, archbishop of Malines and primate Belgium: b. 21 Nov. 1851 at Braine-l'AIle province of Brabant Educated at Lout: Paris and Leipzig, he was ordained priest 1874 and became professor of philosophy the University of Louvain. Here he oripsizea the Institute Superieure de Philosophie, based on the teaching of Saint Thomas Aquinas as'' founded under the auspices of Pope Leo XII] As a distinguished lecturer Professor — as- he then was — earned a high reptnat:. for literary and scientific abilities, united v zeal, leadership and exalted purpose. He wrote several volumes of note, e.g., Origines de la PsycholoFie Contemporame> (1897), 'Meta physique Generale> and which passed through numerous editions, as well as others of a less didactic character. He was also the founder of the Revue Neo-Scholastique when officiating as head of the school of neo scholastic philosophy. On 8 Feb. 1906 it was announced that *Dr. Mercier, president of the Institute of Advanced Philosophy at Louvain,' had been appointed archbishop of Malines. Though at first a general surprise, the appro priateness of selecting him to die episcopal bench soon became apparent. With energy and amiability he devoted himself to the adminis tration of his diocese, and on 15 April 1907 was created and proclaimed cardinal and pri mate of Belgium. The German conquest of Belgium in the early stages of the European War brought him into world-wide prominence by the fearless and determined attitude he adopted toward the ravagers of his country. In
the papal conclave of September 1914, after the death of Pope Pius X, a number of the assem bled cardinals decided to give Mercier their vote in the election for a new pope as a dem onstration of sympathy with Catholic Belgium. He was supported by the French and English cardinals, while the Germans and Austrians protested against what they called undue inter ference of politics in the highest spiritual func tions of the Church, and Cardinal Della Chiesa was ultimately elected. Cardinal Mercier ar rived in London 12 Sept. 1914, and on the following day (Sunday), aocompanied by the late Duke of Norfolk. was received in audience the king and queen. In the afternoon he witnessed a remarkable and enthusiastic dem onstration in Westminster, organized by Irish members of Parliament and attended by many thousands of people. He returned to Belgium the same night and exerted himself during the long period of the German occupation to ameli orate the sufferings of his compatriots. He came into frequent collision with the German authorities, notably von Bissing (q.v.). The cardinal's pastoral letters, collected and pub lished by Burns and Oates (London 1918), form a series of earnest exhortations to the practice of Christian fortitude and hope amid the horrors and afflictions of war.