Benedict XII
Jacques Fournier · 1334 – 1342
A reforming Avignon pope who built the Papal Palace and defined the doctrine of the Beatific Vision.
Jacques Fournier was a Cistercian monk and inquisitor who became pope at Avignon in 1334. He attempted to return the papacy to Rome but was blocked by the French king. He defined that the souls of the righteous enjoy the Beatific Vision immediately after death rather than waiting for the Last Judgment — settling a controversy his predecessor John XXII had stirred up. He began construction of the massive Palais des Papes in Avignon and worked to reform religious orders.
Why He Matters
Benedict XII settled the question of when the blessed see God — immediately after death, not at some distant future judgment. This teaching gives Catholics clarity about what awaits the faithful departed.