Désiré-Joseph Mercier

Désiré Félicien François Joseph Mercier (21 November 1851 – 23 January 1926) was a Belgian Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Mechelen from 1906 until his death in 1926. A Thomist scholar, he had several of his works translated into other European languages. He was known for his book, ''Les origines de la psychologie contemporaine'' (1897). He was elevated to the cardinalate in 1907.

Mercier is noted for his staunch resistance to the German occupation of Belgium during World War I. After the invasion, he distributed a strong pastoral letter, ''Patriotism and Endurance'', to be read in all his churches, urging the people to keep up their spirits. He served as a model of resistance.

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