Joël Mercier (born 5 January 1945) is a French prelate of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

who serves in the

Roman Curia The Roman Curia () comprises the administrative institutions of the Holy See and the central body through which the affairs of the Catholic Church are conducted. The Roman Curia is the institution of which the Roman Pontiff ordinarily makes use ...

as the Secretary of the

Congregation for the Clergy The Dicastery for the Clergy, formerly named Congregation for the Clergy (; formerly the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy and Sacred Congregation of the Council), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia responsible for overseeing matters regard ...

Biography

Mercier was born in

Chaudefonds-sur-Layon Chaudefonds-sur-Layon (, literally ''Chaudefonds on Layon'') is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department of western France. Geography The commune is traversed by the river Layon. See also *Communes of the Maine-et-Loire department The ...

, France, and ordained a priest of the

Diocese of Angers The Diocese of Angers (Latin: ''Dioecesis Andegavensis''; French: ''Diocèse d'Angers'') is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The episcopal see is located in Angers Cathedral in the city of Angers. The diocese extends ov ...

on 27 June 1970. He did his graduate studies in classics at the Sorbonne and in 1964 entered the seminary in his Angers, where he earned a B.A. in philosophy and a licentiate in theology at the

Catholic University of the West The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

. On 27 June 1970 he was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Angers. From 1971 to 1974 he completed his training at the

Pontifical Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...

in Rome where he obtained a license and then a doctorate in canon law. He then served as vicar at St. Joseph Parish in Angers until 1979. He was chaplain of the College and Catholic High School in Angers from 1979 to 1987, when Bishop

Jean Orchampt Jean Pierre Marie Orchampt (9 December 1923 – 21 August 2021) was a French prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Prior to his death, he was the oldest living bishop from France, at the age of 97. Orchampt was born in Vesoul and was ordained a ...

made him his private secretary. He held that post until 2001. While in that position, he served as a member of the ecclesiastical court "Pays de Loire" beginning in 1975 and as a member of the Theological Faculty of Angers beginning in 1980. In January 2002 he entered the service of the

as official 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 ...

. He was appointed

chaplain of His Holiness Chaplain of His Holiness is a title of distinction given by the Pope in recognition of a priest's service to the Church. They are addressed with the honorific of "Monsignor" and have certain privileges with respect to ecclesiastical dress and ve ...

on 31 October 2005. In 2007 he was named spiritual director of the French Seminary in Rome. On 8 January 2015,

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 ...

appointed him Secretary of the Congregation for the Clergy and named him titular Archbishop of Rota in Spain. He succeeds Archbishop Celso Morga Iruzubieta who was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Mérida–Badajoz in October 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mercier, Joel 1945 births People from Maine-et-Loire Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Living people Roman Catholic titular archbishops Officials of the Roman Curia Bishops appointed by Pope Francis French Roman Catholic titular archbishops 21st-century Roman Catholic titular archbishops