Editing Jansenism (section)

== The controversies between the Jansenists and the Molinists ==
Even before the promulgation of ''Cum occasione'', tensions between Jansenists and Jesuits defending [[Luis de Molina]]'s thesis, the [[Molinism|Molinists]], had begun. In August 1649, [[Antoine Singlin]], a priest near Port-Royal, preached on the occasion of the Feast of St. Augustine in Port-Royal. In his [[sermon]], he emphasised [[efficacious grace]], thus violating the order of his bishop who had forbidden the issue to be discussed. The ensuing controversy involved many Jansenists, in particular [[Henri Arnauld]], bishop of [[Angers]].<ref name="Chantin-1996" />{{Rp|page=19}}

After the promulgation of the bull, the Jesuits exploited what was for them a victory, and restarted hostilities. In 1654, the Jesuit [[François Annat]] published the ''Chicanes des jansénistes'' ('Deceits of the Jansenists'), in which he expressed the idea that the pope had in fact condemned Augustinian doctrine, and that the five propositions were indeed contained in ''Augustinus''. Antoine Arnaud immediately responded, analysing the propositions and trying to show that they were inaccurate summaries of Jansen's views.

[[Cardinal Mazarin]], in order to put an end to the hostilities, convoked the bishops in 1654 and then in 1655, demanding them to sign a declaration condemning the doctrine of Jansen. He recommended the signing of a similar declaration by all the clergy, but the bishops are quite reluctant, so Mazarin's demand remained unfulfilled in the majority of dioceses.<ref name="Chantin-1996" />{{Rp|page=20}}[[File:Antoine Arnauld.jpg|right|thumb|[[Antoine Arnauld]] (1612–1694) became the leader of the Jansenists following [[Duvergier de Hauranne, Jean|Vergier's]] death in 1643.]]The first consequence of this attempt was the scandal involving the Duke of Liancourt ({{Interlanguage link|Roger du Plessis-Liancourt|fr}}, Duke of La Roche-Guyon, known as the Duke of Liancourt). In January 1655, this ally of the Jansenists (his only granddaughter was a boarder at Port-Royal,)<ref name="Gazier-1923" />{{Rp|page=99|pages=}} was refused [[absolution]] by a vicar of the [[Saint-Sulpice, Paris|Saint-Sulpice]] parish in [[Paris]] because of his Jansenist connections. [[Antoine Arnauld]] responded to this by publishing two pamphlets, ''Lettre à une personne de condition'' ('Letter to a person of status', addressed to Liancourt) and ''Seconde lettre à un duc et pair'' ('Second letter to a duke and peer', addressed to the Duke of Luyne). He denounced the arbitrariness of the vicar's action and condemned the Jesuits, who were, according to him, adherents to a 'lax morality', in plotting against Augustine's doctrine of grace.<ref name="Cognet-1992">{{Cite book |last=Cognet |first=Louis |title=Préface |date=1992 |publisher=Bordas |location=Paris |pages=XX-XXI}}</ref> Arnauld declared that he assented to the papal condemnation in ''Cum occasione'', but remained silent on whether the condemned propositions could be attributed to Jansen. He openly disputed the concept of 'sufficient grace' defended by the Molinists.<ref name="Gazier-1923" />{{Rp|page=|pages=98–102}}

The clarity of Arnauld's explication ironically prompted his adversaries to ask the [[College of Sorbonne]] to examine his last letter. The professors who were responsible for examining the letter were all openly hostile to Augustinianism. They extracted two propositions from the letter which were then condemned. On 31 January 1656, shockingly, Arnauld was barred from the Sorbonne, despite sixty professors having come to his defence.<ref name="Gazier-1923" />{{Rp|page=|pages=98–102}} This event pushed Arnauld to retreat to Port-Royal, where he devoted himself to writing with a promising young theologian, [[Pierre Nicole]]. At the same time, [[Blaise Pascal]] undertook to defend him before public opinion, initiating the campaign of the ''[[Provinciales]]''.

Later that year, the French Assembly of the Bishops voted to condemn Arnauld's distinction regarding the pope's ability to bind the mind of believers in matters of doctrine (''de jure'') but not in matters of fact (''de facto''). They asked [[Pope Alexander VII]] to condemn Arnauld's proposition as heretical. Alexander VII responded, in the apostolic constitution ''[[Ad sanctam beati Petri sedem]]'' promulgated in 1656, that "We declare and define that the five propositions have been drawn from the book of [[Cornelius Jansen|Jansenius]] entitled [[Augustinus (Jansenist book)|Augustinus]], and that they have been condemned in the sense of the same [[Cornelius Jansen|Jansenius]] and we once more condemn them as such."<ref name="Catholic" />