Gérald Cyprien Lacroix (; born July 27, 1957) is a Canadian Catholic prelate who has served as Archbishop of Quebec and Primate of Canada since 2011. He was previously Auxiliary Bishop of Quebec from 2009 to 2011. A member of the

Council of Cardinals The Council of Cardinals (, , ; also called C9 because it contained nine cardinal members for a time) or Council of Cardinal Advisers is a group of cardinals of the Catholic Church appointed by Pope Francis to serve as his advisers. The counci ...

and the

Secular Institute Pius X The Secular Institute Pius X, or Pius X Secular Institute (ISPX), is a Catholic men's clerical secular institute of consecrated life of diocesan right headquartered in Charlesbourg, Quebec City, Canada. History It was established by Henri Ro ...

, he was made a

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

in 2014.

Early life

Lacroix was born on 27 July 1957 in

Saint-Hilaire-de-Dorset Saint-Hilaire-de-Dorset is a parish municipality in the Beauce-Sartigan Regional County Municipality in the Chaudière-Appalaches region of Quebec, Canada. The municipality is named after Hilary of Poitiers and the county of Dorset in England. ...

in the Archdiocese of Quebec and completed his secondary and higher education at

Trinity High School Trinity High School is the name of high schools: United Kingdom * Trinity High School, Renfrew, Renfrewshire, Scotland * Trinity High School, Rutherglen, Lanarkshire, Scotland * Trinity High School and Sixth Form Centre, in Redditch, England * Trin ...

Manchester, New Hampshire Manchester is the List of municipalities in New Hampshire, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Located on the banks of the Merrimack River, it had a population of 115,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Manches ...

, and

Saint Anselm College Saint Anselm College is a private Benedictine liberal arts college in Goffstown, New Hampshire, United States. Founded in 1889, it is named after Saint Anselm of Canterbury. As of 2024, the college's enrollment was 2,094 students. History ...

in the neighbouring town of Goffstown. He then studied for his theological training at

Université Laval (; English: ''Laval University)'' is a public research university in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The university traces its roots to the Séminaire de Québec, founded by François de Montmorency-Laval in 1663, making it the oldest institutio ...

, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

. He continued with a master's degree in

pastoral theology Pastoral theology is the branch of practical theology concerned with the application of the study of religion in the context of regular church ministry. This approach to theology seeks to give practical expression to theology. Normally viewed as ...

. In 1975 he was accepted at the Pius X Secular Institute and took perpetual vows in 1982.

Priesthood

In 1982, Lacroix became Secretary General of the institute, and since 1985 has been Director of the General Council. From 1985 to 1987, he was appointed general manager of the institute's Christian formation and spiritual centre. He was ordained priest on 8 October 1988 by Archbishop Maurice Couture in the Parish of Notre-Dame-de-la-Récouvrance. From 1990 to 2000, Lacroix worked in Colombia, where he opened new houses of the institute. From 2001 to 2004, he was Director General of the institute, and re-elected for five years from 2005 to 2010.

Episcopacy

Lacroix was appointed

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 an ...

of Ilta and Auxiliary Bishop of Quebec on 7 April 2009, and received episcopal consecration on 24 May with

Marc Ouellet Marc Armand Ouellet (; born 8 June 1944) is a Canadian Catholic prelate who served as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America from 2010 to 2023. He is a member of the Sulpicians. Ouell ...

as principal consecrator, the principal co-consecrators being Maurice Couture and Gilles Lemay. On 22 February 2011, Lacroix was appointed Archbishop of Quebec and Primate of Canada, replacing

, who had been appointed

Prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect' ...

of the

Congregation for Bishops The Dicastery for Bishops, formerly named Congregation for Bishops (), is the department of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church that oversees the selection of most new bishops. Its proposals require papal approval to take effect, but are usu ...

on 30 June 2010. During the ''

sede vacante In the Catholic Church, ''sede vacante'' is the state during which a diocese or archdiocese is without a prelate installed in office, with the prelate's office being the cathedral. The term is used frequently in reference to a papal interre ...

period'' after the death of

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

, Lacroix was elected diocesan administrator by the College of Consultors. He is currently one of the co-chairmen of the Committee on Life and Family of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. After his appointment, Lacroix said that he would continue the work of Ouellet and re-evangelize the province. Lacroix noted that he favours a discussion-based approach. "I'm going to be different. One thing is certain: I will preach the Gospel. If people expect something else, they'll be disappointed", he said. Lacroix received an honorary doctorate in divinity from

at the college's 118th commencement exercises held on 21 May 2011. He was also the commencement speaker. Lacroix received the

pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : pallia) is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolitan bish ...

from Pope Benedict on 29 June 2011, the

Feast of Saints Peter and Paul The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul or Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul is a liturgical feast in honor of the martyrdom in Rome of the apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul, which is observed on 29 June. The celebration is of ancient Chri ...

in Rome along with all other

metropolitan archbishop Metropolitan may refer to: Areas and governance (secular and ecclesiastical) * Metropolitan archdiocese, the jurisdiction of a metropolitan archbishop ** Metropolitan bishop or archbishop, leader of an ecclesiastical "mother see" * Metropolitan ar ...

s appointed since 2010. He was elevated to the

College of Cardinals The College of Cardinals (), also called the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. there are cardinals, of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Appointed by the pope, ...

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

at the

consistory Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church *Consistor ...

on 22 February 2014. In October 2016, Lacroix was appointed a member of the

Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments The Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments () is the dicastery (from , from δικαστής, 'judge, juror') of the Roman Curia that handles most affairs relating to liturgical practices of the Latin Church as distin ...

in addition to his other duties. On 7 March 2023, Lacroix was appointed to the Council of Cardinal Advisors. On 25 January 2024, Lacroix was named in a class action lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Quebec, alleging he touched a 17-year-old female in 1987 and 1988, allegations Lacroix has since denied. The unnamed woman has not made any report to the police or to the Church. On May 21, 2024, the

Holy See Press Office The Holy See Press Office (; ) is the press office of the Holy See. It publishes the official news of the activities of the Pope and of the various departments of the Roman Curia. All speeches, messages and documents, as well as the statements ...

confirmed it dismissed the anonymous complaint of abuse versus Lacroix after investigation by André Denis, retired Judge of

Superior Court of Quebec The Superior Court of Quebec () is a superior trial court in the Province of Quebec, in Canada. It consists of 157 judges who are appointed by the federal government. Appeals from this court are taken to the Quebec Court of Appeal. Jurisdicti ...

. He resumed his duties on July 22, 2024 and further announced he will preside at the

Solemn Mass Solemn Mass () is the full ceremonial form of a Mass, predominantly associated with the Tridentine Mass where it is celebrated by a priest with a deacon and a subdeacon, requiring most of the parts of the Mass to be sung, and the use of incense. ...

of the feast of

Saint Anne According to apocrypha, as well as Christianity, Christian and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary, the wife of Joachim and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the Bible's Gosp ...

in the

Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré The Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré () is a basilica set along the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada, east of Quebec City, and one of the six national shrines of Canada. It has been credited by the Catholic Church with many miracles of c ...

. He has been considered marginally

papabile ( , , ; plural: ; ) is an unofficial Italian term coined by Vaticanologists and used internationally in many languages to describe a Catholic man—in practice, always a cardinal—who is thought of as a likely or possible candidate to be ...

. He participated as a

cardinal elector A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. Ca ...

in the

2025 papal conclave A conclave was held on 7 and 8 May 2025 to elect a new pope to succeed Pope Francis, Francis, who had died on 21 April 2025. Of the 135 eligible Cardinal electors in the 2025 papal conclave, cardinal electors, all but two attended. Cardinal Piet ...

that elected

Pope Leo XIV Pope Leo XIV (born Robert Francis Prevost, September 14, 1955) has been head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State since May 2025. He is the first pope to have been born in the United States and North America, the fir ...

. Lacroix is the Grand Prior of the Canada-Québec Lieutenancy of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

References

External links

*
Gerald Lacroix

Vaillancourt, Philippe. "Roommates: Quebec cardinal, Anglican bishop shared same roof for a year", Catholic News Service, April 8, 2018
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lacroix, Gerald 1957 births 21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Canada Roman Catholic archbishops of Quebec Canadian cardinals Cardinals created by Pope Francis Living people Members of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments Members of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life Members of the Pontifical Council for Culture Members of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue People from Chaudière-Appalaches Saint Anselm College alumni Université Laval alumni Canadian Roman Catholic archbishops Bishops appointed by Pope Benedict XVI Grand Priors of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre Members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre

Early life

Priesthood

Episcopacy

See also

References

External links