Pierre Widmer (1912–1999) was a French

Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...

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 ...

, editor of the journal '' Christ Seul''.

Early life

Born in

Brognard Brognard () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France. Population See also * Communes of the Doubs department The following is a list of the 571 communes of the Doubs department of Fra ...

, France, in the department of

Doubs Doubs (, ; ; frp, Dubs) is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Eastern France. Named after the river Doubs, it had a population of 543,974 in 2019.Montbéliard, Pierre Widmer was raised in a Mennonite family. Widmer attended the Mennonite church at Montbéliard as a young man and was baptised there. He attended the École Normale in Besançon, where he developed a love for

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

. In 1936, Widmer married Hélène Sommer, the daughter of Pierre Sommer, a man of great enthusiasm for the Mennonite church. He was the best known itinerant French Mennonite preacher, responsible for the first French Mennonite conferences, founder and editor of the journal ''Christ Seul'' (Christ Alone). In Widmer's youth, the Mennonites were a small community in France (about 4,000 people) living in isolated rural communities in

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

, Lorraine and the

Pays de Montbéliard In France, a ''pays'' () is an area whose inhabitants share common geographical, economic, cultural, or social interests, who have a right to enter into communal planning contracts under a law known as the Loi Pasqua or LOADT (''Loi d'Orientation ...

. They were the descendants of the

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

Anabaptist Anabaptism (from New Latin language, Neo-Latin , from the Greek language, Greek : 're-' and 'baptism', german: Täufer, earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re- ...

communities which fled to France during the 16th century

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

War service

Unlike

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n Mennonites, who emigrated in the 18th century, French Mennonites had largely abandoned the principle of non-resistance or pacifism. It was not unusual then that Widmer enrolled in the ''Ecole des Sous-Officiers'', a military academy at

Saint Maixent Saint-Maixent () is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays de la Loire in north-western France. See also *Communes of the Sarthe department The following is a list of the 354 communes of the Sarthe department of France. T ...

. Afterwards, he became a

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

teacher near Montbéliard but remained in the Army reserves. When France declared war on Germany in September 1939, Widmer was recalled up to the Army. He was serving on the front along the

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when Germany invaded France in June 1940. His unit was beaten back to the

Vosges mountains The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...

. Widmer was taken prisoner by the Germans at

Masevaux Masevaux (; ; gsw-FR, Màsmìnschter) is a former commune in the Haut-Rhin department in north-eastern France. Demographic evolution History On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune Masevaux-Niederbruck.Haut Rhin.

POW

Widmer spent five years in three different German prison camps for French officers. During that time, he was apparently treated well since French officers enjoyed better conditions than captured enlisted men. However, the experience of the war and captivity deeply marked Widmer. He devoted himself to caring for the spiritual needs of his comrades, serving as a de facto camp

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

. In this role, he came to meet and appreciate the convictions of

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

, Reformed, Darbyist,

Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

and even

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prisoners. Widmer also became convinced of the futility of war, even a patriotic or " just war". This change in his position about violence is clear in the poems that Widmer wrote during captivity, published in 1987 as ''Ombres et Lumières'' or "Shadows and Light". Upon his release from the prison camp at the end of the war, Widmer was awarded the ''

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

'' and a ''Citation à l'Armée pour Actes de Bravoure''.

Post-war Mennonite tensions

When Widmer returned to his home in Montbéliard in May 1945 at the end of the war, he found a French Mennonite community in upheaval. The experience of the war had exacerbated tensions between Alsatian and French-speaking Mennonite communities. The fighting had destroyed many Mennonite farms. The Mennonite community was increasingly aged and isolated. Widmer was regarded by many Mennonites with great respect because of having endured the long captivity, for his relative youth (33 years), and because he was the natural successor of church leader Pierre Sommer, his father-in-law. Widmer is elected ''Ancien'' or elder of the Montbéliard church in 1945. When Widmer took the floor at the Synode of Mennonite churches in May 1946, he called for greater unity among the Mennonite communities and a greater focus on activities for youth. His proposals were not unanimously appreciated. The Alsatian Mennonites decided at their conference at Pfastatt a few weeks later to turn down Widmer's proposal for a single French Mennonite association of churches. Fearing a loss of tradition, Hans Nussbaumer, elder of the Mennonite church at Altkirch, spoke out against Widmer's activities with youth. But the Synode did appoint Widmer to replace the aging Pierre Sommer as editor of ''Christ Seul'', a position he would hold for 38 years. Widmer also won approval for his offer to become a full-time itinerant pastor in 1948.

Links to the United States

Widmer was instrumental in renewing ties with American Mennonites, and in bringing an

ecclesiology In Christian theology, ecclesiology is the study of the Church, the origins of Christianity, its relationship to Jesus, its role in salvation, its polity, its discipline, its eschatology, and its leadership. In its early history, one of the ...

to French Mennonites that was regarded by many as being particularly American. Widmer represented French Mennonites at the Mennonite World Conference in

Goshen, Indiana Goshen ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. It is the smaller of the two principal cities of the Elkhart-Goshen Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in turn is part of the South Bend-Elkhart-Mishawaka ...

, in 1948. During his stay in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, Widmer was impressed by the level of organization in the American churches, including youth activities and Sunday schools. He was also deeply influenced by the American Mennonite commitment to

pacifism Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...

. American Mennonites such as Harold Bender, Guy Hershberger and Orie Miller wrote and spoke out on the topic of non-resistance and peacemaking. Bender's 1942 article "The Anabaptist Vision" posits that the Mennonites should return to the faith of the 16th century Anabaptists, characterized by non-conformity to the world, complete love and service to one's neighbors, and a rejection of all forms of violence. John H. Yoder, a disciple of Bender from Goshen, came to France to work with the Mennonite Central Committee in the 1950s. He and Widmer collaborated on many projects, including a translation into French of ''The Anabaptist Vision'', and the creation of a children's home at Valdoie, near Belfort. Widmer was also instrumental in creating American-style Sunday school classes for children at many French Mennonite churches. He organized the first summer camps for children at Laxou near Nancy. Widmer was the motor behind the creation of many French Mennonite associations. He was the co-founder and president of the ''Comité Missionaire Mennonite Française'' (French Mennonite Missions Committee) which supported missionaries abroad, co-founder and president of ''La Mission Mennonite Française'' (collaborated with the MCC to support evangelisation and relief efforts in post-war France), co-founder and first professor of the Mennonite Biblical Institute in

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, co-founder of the Evangelical seminary at

Vaux-sur-Seine Vaux-sur-Seine (, literally ''Vaux on Seine'') is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. Population See also *Communes of the Yvelines department An intentional community is a voluntary resident ...

, co-founder and president of the ''Entente Évangelique du Pays de Montbéliard'', among others. In 1962, Widmer's wife Hélène 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 ...

. Widmer remarried two years later to Christianne Buy, the widow of Robert Gaudry, the director of the children's home at Valdoie that Widmer had helped to create.

Later work

With the mouthpiece of the journal ''Christ Seul'', Widmer brought articles about peace and social justice into the homes of thousands of French Mennonites. Widmer published ''Pages Choisies de Pierre Sommer'' (selected writings of Pierre Sommer) upon his father-in-law's death in 1952, in which he emphasizes Sommer's commitment to peace. Widmer was part of a committee of French Mennonites which, with the help of General Neyhauser, unsuccessfully petitioned successive French governments from 1949 onward to allow the creation of civic service as an alternative to obligatory military service. He also fostered an opening of the French Mennonite church to other denominations. He was the elder member of the Mennonite committee to the Lutheran-Mennonite dialogues of 1981-84. He did not hesitate to propose joint activities with other churches, such as the creation of the Evangelical Seminary at Vaux-sur-Seine. But Widmer was also conscious of preserving a distinctive Mennonite identity, even as the church embraced fellow Christians. His book ''Ce que croient les Mennonites'' (What Mennonites Believe), published in 1981 during the Lutheran-Mennonite dialogues, is an affirmation of the core beliefs of the church, including a commitment to peace and service. Widmer also wrote ''Il y a des gens qui vous troublent'' (There are those that trouble you) in 1984 in which he defended traditional Mennonite beliefs against the influences of Pentecostal and charismatic movements.

Retirement

Widmer retired from his work at ''Christ Seul'' in 1984, turning his editors desk over to his son-in-law from his second marriage, Pierre Lugbull. In 1993 his second wife Christianne Buy died. As his health deteriorated, Widmer withdrew as ''Ancien'' from the Montbéliard church in 1997. He died in Montbéliard in 1999 at the age of 87.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Widmer, Pierre French Mennonites 1912 births 1999 deaths Mennonite ministers 20th-century Anabaptist ministers