Didier Berthet (11 June 1962 – 8 September 2023) was a French

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...

who was bishop of Saint-Dié from June 2016 until his death. Raised as a

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

, Berthet converted to the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

as a young adult after attending an event when

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 ...

was present in France in 1980. 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 va ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Nanterre The Roman Catholic Diocese of Nanterre (Latin: ''Dioecesis Nemptodurensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Nanterre'') is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic Church in France. Erected in 1966, the diocese was split off from the Diocese ...

in 1992 and in 2016 was named bishop of Saint-Dié.

Biography

Conversion and Training

Didier Barthet was born in

Boulogne-Billancourt Boulogne-Billancourt (; often colloquially called simply Boulogne, until 1924 Boulogne-sur-Seine, ) is a wealthy and prestigious Communes of France, commune in the Parisian area, located from its Kilometre zero, centre. It is a Subprefectures in ...

Hauts-de-Seine Hauts-de-Seine (; ) is a Departments of France, département in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region, Northern France. It covers Paris's western inner Banlieue, suburbs. It is bordered by Paris, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne to the e ...

to a Roman Catholic father and a Calvinist Protestant mother. He was

baptized Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...

in the

Reformed Church of France The Reformed Church of France (french: Église réformée de France, ERF) was the main Protestant denomination in France with a Calvinist orientation that could be traced back directly to John Calvin. In 2013, the Church merged with the Evangel ...

, receiving a

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

education. As a teenager, he attended the Saint Jean Hulst Catholic College in

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...

(1975–1980). At the end of high school, wishing to become a

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

, he reflected on what the Church is and came to the idea that the

is apostolic, heir to the faith and succession of the

apostles An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...

. In 1980, while

was in France, he took part in a meeting with young people and discovered "the mystery of the Church around

he Pope He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

as a successor of

Saint Peter Saint Peter; he, שמעון בר יונה, Šimʿōn bar Yōnāh; ar, سِمعَان بُطرُس, translit=Simʿa̅n Buṭrus; grc-gre, Πέτρος, Petros; cop, Ⲡⲉⲧⲣⲟⲥ, Petros; lat, Petrus; ar, شمعون الصفـا, Sham'un ...

and his person being the guarantor of a Church that comes from the origins of a universal Church". While studying at

Sciences Po , motto_lang = fr , mottoeng = Roots of the Future , type = Public university, Public research university''Grande école'' , established = , founder = Émile Boutmy , a ...

(1980–1983), he finally converted to Catholicism in 1983. He then entered the French seminary of Rome (1987–1993) and the Gregorian University of Rome (1987–1993), where he obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Theology (1991) and a Bachelor's degree in

Canon Law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

(1993).

Major departments

Roman Catholic Diocese of Nanterre

Ordained priest on 27 June 1992, for the

diocese of Nanterre The Roman Catholic Diocese of Nanterre (Latin: ''Dioecesis Nemptodurensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Nanterre'') is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic Church in France. Erected in 1966, the diocese was split off from the Diocese o ...

, Father Berthet worked in the cities of

Rueil-Malmaison Rueil-Malmaison () is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine department, Île-de-France region. It is located from the centre of Paris. In 2017, it had a population of 78,152. It is one of the wealthiest suburbs of Par ...

, Antony,

Nanterre Nanterre (, ) is the prefecture of the Hauts-de-Seine department in the western suburbs of Paris. It is located some northwest of the centre of Paris. In 2018, the commune had a population of 96,807. The eastern part of Nanterre, bordering t ...

and

Issy-les-Moulineaux Issy-les-Moulineaux () is a commune in the southwestern suburban area of Paris, France, lying on the left bank of the river Seine. Its citizens are called ''Isséens'' in French. It is one of Paris' entrances and is located from Notre-Dame Cath ...

. In Rueil-Malmaison (1993–1998), he was curate of the parish of Saint-Pierre and Saint-Paul, responsible for the chaplaincy of public education, and parish priest of St. Joseph of Buzenval. In Antony (1998–2006), he was parish priest of Saint-Saturnin (1998–2005); in charge of the accompaniment of seminarians (2001–2003); Episcopal Vicar of the South Sector of Nanterre (2003–2006), Member of the Episcopal Council and parish priest of Sainte-Maxime (2005–2006). Berthet became chancellor of the diocese of Nanterre, a member of the Episcopal Council and the animator team of the Seminary Saint-Sulpice in Issy-les-Moulineaux (2006-2007), before becoming its superior (2007–2016).

Bishop of Saint Die

Named

bishop of Saint-Dié A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

on 15 June 2016 by

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. ...

, his episcopal consecration took place on 4 September 2016, by the Archbishop of Besancon Jean-Luc Bouilleret, assisted by the Bishop Emeritus of Saint Die Jean-Paul Mathieu (whom he succeeded) and the Bishop of Nanterre

Michel Aupetit Michel Aupetit (born 23 March 1951) is a French prelate of the Catholic Church who was Archbishop of Paris from 2018 to 2021, when he resigned following reports of a relationship with a woman in 2012. He was previously the Bishop of Nanterre b ...

(his former supervisor). It is also engaged in ecumenical dialogue with the

Eastern Orthodox Churches The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops via ...

Death

Didier Berthet died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

in Portieux on 8 September 2023, at the age of 61.Évêque des Vosges, Mgr Didier Berthet est décédé
''

La Croix La Croix primarily refers to: * ''La Croix'' (newspaper), a French Catholic newspaper * La Croix Sparkling Water, a beverage distributed by the National Beverage Corporation La Croix or Lacroix may also refer to: Places * Lacroix-Barrez, a muni ...

References

External links

* http://www.eglise.catholique.fr/personne/mgr-didier-berthet/ * http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bberthetd.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Berthet, Didier 1962 births 2023 deaths 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in France Bishops of Saint-Dié Bishops appointed by Pope Francis Converts to Roman Catholicism from Calvinism Sciences Po alumni Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Deaths from cancer in France