Bérard de Got

Cardinal Bérard de Got
Cardinal-Bishop
Diocese	Albano
Predecessor	Bentivenga de Bentivengis
Successor	Gundisalvus de Hinojosa
Orders
Created Cardinal	18 September 1294 by Pope Celestine V
Personal details
Born	Villandraut, Guienne
Died	27 June 1297 France ?

Bérard de Got (Latin: Berardus de Goth, de Gouth) (born Villandraut in the Gironde, in the diocese of Bordeaux, ca. 1250; died 27 June 1297) was a French bishop and Roman Catholic Cardinal. He was the son of Bérard, Lord of Villandraut, and a brother of Bertrand de Got, who became Pope Clement V.

Bérard was Archdeacon of Auch at the time of his appointment as Archbishop of Lyon in 1289. Auch had three archdeacons, the archdeacon-major and the archdeacons-minor of Montalda (Montaldensis) and Bezaume (Bezalensis). Bérard was Archdeacon of Montalda.

Archdeacon Bérard de Got had been elected Archbishop of Bordeaux in a double election, which had to be referred to the Pope for judgment; on 23 July 1289, to resolve the impasse, the Pope appointed neither Archbishop-elect, but instead named a third person to the See of Bordeaux, Henri de Genies. When Archbishop Henri died in 1297, his successor was Bertrand de Got, the brother of Berard de Got. It would perhaps seem that Bérard had been passed over, but this was far from the case. Instead, Pope Nicholas IV in Consistory on 23 July 1289 (the same day on which his candidacy for Archbishop of Bordeaux was rejected), named him Archbishop of Lyon. Thus, Bérard became Primate of All Gaul, Duke of Lyon, and Peer of France.

Lyon was a serious problem for Archbishop Bérard. The diocese was saddled with considerable debt, due to the imprudent fiscal habits of several of his predecessors. Pope Nicholas was aware of the problem when he appointed Bérard, and he granted Bérard special license to appropriate the income of the first year of each of the benefices of his diocese for a period of five years in order to apply the money received to settle the debts. The Pope also wanted Archbishop Bérard to attack the abuse of a single person holding several benefices, out of greed and without papal dispensation. The Pope also demanded that those persons who held benefices should take up residence and be properly ordained. He granted the Archbishop the privilege of removing any person who had received benefices since the Council of Lyon (1274) who had not proceeded to the priesthood within a year of the Archbishop's arrival. Pope Nicholas also granted Archbishop Bérard the right to make his own Testament. Later in the same year, when the Pope was sending as Legates to France Cardinals Gerard Bianchi and Benedetto Caetani, he instructed them to settle the longstanding differences that existed at Lyon between the Archbishop and the Cathedral Chapter. But, having heard that royal officials were molesting ecclesiastical persons in the diocese of Lyon, and that some members of the Cathedral Chapter were threatening canonical censures against the Archbishop, the Pope granted the Archbishop immunity from such interferences. Two years later, the debts of the diocese of Lyon were such that Pope Nicholas allowed him to keep 3,000 livres tournois out of the annual collection of some 7,000 livres tournois which were earmarked to be sent to Rome, provided that the money be used to extinguish the debts. Politically, the situation in Lyon was improving. In March, 1292, the Archbishop finally came to an agreement with the Chapter and Provost over the exercise of judicial powers in the city of Lyon.

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