Jacques Maritain (1882-1973) was
converted to Catholicism in 1906 and was
an ardent advocate of Thomistic
philosophy, stressing its applicability to
modern problems. He taught in Canada at
the University of Toronto, and in America
at Columbia, Chicago, and Princeton
universities. As French ambassador to the
Vatican (1945-8), he later became a strong
opponent of the Vatican Council and the
neo-Modernist movement.