Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, who was archbishop of Paris and president of the French Episcopal Conference, died this Thursday, July 18 at 82 years of age.
In a message addressed to the faithful, the current archbishop of Paris, Mons. Laurent Ulrich, express: “This afternoon, Cardinal André Vingt-Trois returned to God.”
Receive the main news of ACI Press by WhatsApp and Telegram
It is increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social networks. Subscribe to our free channels today:
He added that “for many of us, priests, deacons, faithful from Paris, was much more than our archbishop, but a pastor, a father, an example; for me, a brother in the ministry and in the episcopal service, and a friend.”
Mons. Ulrich recalled that Cardinal Vingt-Trois “lived all the missions that were entrusted to him (…) Despite the weight that these missions represented, in the simplicity of the first call he had received from the Lord to follow his steps.”
He also highlighted his attitude towards the disease: “In recent years, despite the difficulties of his health that he has supported with courage and patience, he has not stopped serving, differently as he himself said, through prayer and abandonment to the will of God.”
“For a few weeks, and especially in recent days, it has gradually entered the silence of the mystery of God, and has been in this confident prayer and in this abandonment that has been able to fall asleep quietly this afternoon,” added the prelate.
Born on November 7, 1942 in the French capital, Vingt-Trois was ordered priest in 1969, after completing studies of moral theology at the Catholic Institute of Paris.
During his first years of ministry, he served as a parochial vicar and was spiritual director of the Saint-Sulpice Seminar in Issy-Le-Moulineaux, in addition to teaching classes of moral and sacramental theology.
Between 1981 and 1999 he held the position of Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Paris. He was ordained auxiliary bishop of this archdiocese by San Juan Paul II on June 25, 1988.
In 1999 he was appointed Archbishop of Tours, and in 2005, again by decision of San Juan Pablo II, he was appointed archbishop of Paris and ordinary for the Eastern Catholics residing in France without his own bishop.
Between 2007 and 2013, the purple presided over the French Episcopal Conference, and was created Cardinal by Benedict XVI at the Consistory of November 24, 2007. He participated in the 2013 conclave that chose Pope Francis.
After fulfilling the age limit, he withdrew from the pastoral government of the Archdiocese on December 7, 2017.
In his message this July 18, Mons. Ulrich encouraged the faithful to join in prayer for the soul of Cardinal Vingt-Trois: “Let’s ask the Lord with all our heart that welcomes our father, our brother, our friend, in the light of his merciful love.”
And he cited a few words of the purpurated deceased: “The empty sepulcher is the sign that Christ lives. The sepulcher is not the sign that we have lost it, it is the sign that we reunite us and attract us to communion with God.”
At 5 in the afternoon of this Friday, the Notre Dame de Paris and all the parishes of the Archdiocese once repressed once For each of his 82 years, as a sign of mourning. The Mass in his honor was held at 6:00 pm (local time) in the cathedral.
The Archdiocese of Paris has announced the opening of an online condolences book and has invited the faithful to present their respects to the cardinal in the cathedral during the days of mourning prior to their funerals, whose date will be announced soon.
Diego López Marina
I was born in 1991. I have a degree in Communication Sciences. Since 2015 I work as a digital journalist. I started my career in the newspaper El Comercio in Peru. In 2016, I began as editor in ACI Press and I perform as a web editor since 2018. From 2024, I write the Newsletter for Social Media. I specialize in Catholic news focused on the defense of life and family, international politics, technology, popular culture and the Vatican.