André Armand Vingt-Trois (; born 7 November 1942) is a French cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Paris from 2005 to 2017, having previously served as Archbishop of Tours from 1999 to 2005. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 2007.

Early life and ordination

André Vingt-Trois was born in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

, to Armand Vingt-Trois and Paulette ('' née'' Vuillamy). His surname, which is

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

for " twenty-three", is probably from an ancestor who, as a child or baby, was abandoned and found on the 23rd day of the month. Vingt-Trois completed his

secondary studies Secondary may refer to: Science and nature * Secondary emission, of particles ** Secondary electrons, electrons generated as ionization products * The secondary winding, or the electrical or electronic circuit connected to the secondary winding i ...

at the Lycée Henri IV and entered the

Seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

of Saint-Sulpice at Issy-les-Moulineaux in 1962. He then attended the Institut Catholique de Paris, from where he obtained his licentiate in moral theology. From 1964 to 1965, Vingt-Trois performed his

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job ( volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft ( conscription). Some nations (e.g., Mexico) requ ...

in Germany. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform var ...

to the diaconate by Bishop

Daniel Pezeril Daniel Pézeril (5 October 1911 in La Serena, Chile – 22 April 1998 in Paris) was the Roman Catholic auxiliary bishop of Paris in the time of Cardinal François Marty. Before this he had been Curé of Saint-Séverin, a parish known for its l ...

in October 1968 and to the priesthood by Cardinal François Marty on 28 June 1969.

Pastoral work

During his priestly ministry, he worked especially in parochial

catechetics Catechesis (; from Greek: , "instruction by word of mouth", generally "instruction") is basic Christian religious education of children and adults, often from a catechism book. It started as education of converts to Christianity, but as the ...

and the formation of the

laity In religious organizations, the laity () consists of all members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-ordained members of religious orders, e.g. a nun or a lay brother. In both religious and wider secular usage, a laype ...

. From 1974 to 1981, Vingt-Trois was

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pr ...

at the Parisian parish of Sainte-Jeanne de Chantal. He then served as director of his ''alma mater'' of the Seminary of Saint-Sulpice until 1988, also teaching moral and sacramental

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

there. Vingt-Trois participated in different pastoral movements, including the Centre de préparation au mariage and the sessions of permanent formation of the clergy. He was later named

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...

of Paris, and was charged with the diocesan formation (the

cathedral school Cathedral schools began in the Early Middle Ages as centers of advanced education, some of them ultimately evolving into medieval universities. Throughout the Middle Ages and beyond, they were complemented by the monastic schools. Some of these ...

and diocesan seminary), of the means of communications (Radio Notre-Dame, Paris Notre-Dame, Centre d'Information), of the familial pastoral, of the chaplains of public education, and of catechetics.

Episcopate

On 25 June 1988, Vingt-Trois was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Paris and

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox a ...

of Thibilis by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

. He received his episcopal consecration on the following 14 October in Notre-Dame Cathedral from Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, with Bishops Pézeril and Gabriel Vanel serving as co-consecrators. Vingt-Trois was appointed Archbishop of Tours on 21 April 1999, and Archbishop of Paris on 11 February 2005. He was installed in Paris on the following 5 March and additionally appointed

Ordinary Ordinary or The Ordinary often refer to: Music * ''Ordinary'' (EP) (2015), by South Korean group Beast * ''Ordinary'' (Every Little Thing album) (2011) * "Ordinary" (Two Door Cinema Club song) (2016) * "Ordinary" (Wayne Brady song) (2008) * ...

of French Catholics of the Eastern Rites on 14 March. On 5 November 2007, he was elected President of the

French Episcopal Conference The Bishops' Conference of France (french: Conférence des évêques de France) (CEF) is the national episcopal conference of the bishops of the Catholic Church in France. Presidents Presidents of the Assembly of Cardinals and Archbishops of Fr ...

for a term of three years.

Cardinalate

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

created him

Cardinal-Priest A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

of S. Luigi dei Francesi in the consistory of 23 November 2007. Vingt-Trois is no longer eligible to participate in

papal conclave A papal conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a bishop of Rome, also known as the pope. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church. C ...

s, having reached the age of 80 on 7 November 2022. He has been a member of the Congregation for Bishops and the Pontifical Council for the Family since 12 June 2008 and of the Congregation for the Clergy since 2 February 2010. On 7 March 2012 he was appointed a member of the

Congregation for the Oriental Churches The Dicastery for the Eastern Churches (also called Dicastery for the Oriental Churches), previously named Congregation for the Oriental Churches or Congregation for the Eastern Churches ( la, Congregatio pro Ecclesiis Orientalibus), is a dicast ...

. In October 2012, after being appointed a synod father by Pope Francis, he took part in the 13th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which concerned itself with the new evangelization for the transmission of the Christian faith. He was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2013 papal conclave that selected

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

. Francis accepted his resignation as Archbishop of Paris on 7 December 2017.

Opposition to same-sex marriage

The cardinal has been a vocal opponent of efforts to introduce same-sex marriage in France. In 2013, he warned that it could incite violence and split society in France: "This is the way a violent society develops. Society has lost its capacity of integration and especially its ability to blend differences in a common project." He insisted that as long as the government is not listening to French citizens, this could lead to more violence.

References