His Eminence Georges Grente | |
|---|---|
| Cardinal-Bishop of Le Mans | |
 | |
| Church | Roman Catholic Church |
| Archdiocese | Archdiocese of Tours |
| Province | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tours |
| Metropolis | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tours |
| Diocese | Le Mans |
| Installed | 30 January 1918 |
| Term ended | 5 May 1959 |
| Predecessor | Raymond-Marie-Turiaf de La Porte |
| Successor | Paul-Léon-Jean Chevalier |
| Other posts | Cardinal Priest ofS. Bernardo alle Terme Assistant at the Pontifical Throne |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 29 June 1895 |
| Consecration | 17 April 1918 by CardinalLouis-Ernest Dubois, BishopsClaude Bardel andJoseph Guérard |
| Created cardinal | 12 January 1953 byPope Pius XII |
| Rank | Cardinal-priest |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Georges-François-Xavier-Marie Grente (1872-05-05)May 5, 1872 |
| Died | May 5, 1959(1959-05-05) (aged 87) |
| Buried | Cathedral of Le Mans |
| Nationality | French |
| Denomination | Roman Catholicism |
| Alma mater | University of Paris School of Law Major Seminary of Coutances Catholic Institute of Paris |
| Motto | Dux unitam exemplar |
| Coat of arms |  |
| Styles of Georges Grente | |
|---|---|
| |
| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
| See | Le Mans |
Georges-François-Xavier-Marie Grente (5 May 1872 – 5 May 1959) was a FrenchCardinal of theRoman Catholic Church. He served asArchbishop of Le Mans from 1918 until his death, and was elevated to thecardinalate in 1953 byPope Pius XII.
Georges Grente was born in Percy,Coutances, and studied at theUniversity of Paris School of Law,Major Seminary of Coutances, andCatholic Institute of Paris. He wasordained to thepriesthood on 29 June 1895, and then taught at theminor seminary inMortain until 1903.
Grente wasdirector of thediocesan College of Saint Louis from 1903 to 1916, whence he becamesuperior ofSt. Paul Institute inCherbourg. He was made anhonorarycanon of thecathedralchapter of Coutances in 1917.
On 30 January 1918, Grente was appointedBishop of Le Mans byPope Benedict XV. He received hisepiscopal consecration on the following 17 April from CardinalLouis-Ernest Dubois, with BishopsClaude Bardel andJoseph Guérard serving asco-consecrators. He was given the title ofAssistant at the Pontifical Throne on 18 January 1933, and personal title of "Archbishop" in March 1943. DuringWorld War II, Grente worked in theFrench resistance movement.[1]
Pope Pius XII created himCardinal-Priest ofS. Bernardo alle Terme in theconsistory of 12 January 1953. Despite speculation that his poor health would prevent him from participating,[2] Grente was one of thecardinal electors in the1958 papal conclave, which selectedPope John XXIII[citation needed]. A member of theAcadémie française, he was in close correspondence withCharles de Gaulle as well. It was in a letter to Grente that de Gaulle made his famous distinction betweenla France chrétienne andla république läique.
The Cardinal died inLe Mans, on his 87th birthday, and was buried in theCathedral of Le Mans (his heart however was interred in the church at Percy). He had served as theordinary of that city for over forty years. Academically eminent but pretentious in manner, Grente was satirized by his clergy. He was subject to an attack by the Canard Enchaîné on his ownership of brothels near the cathedral purchased unsuccessfully (given opposition by civil and military authorities) in view of their closure, renewed byJean Egen in 1973. In 1998, Grente was the posthumous object of an attempt atcharacter assassination byChristian Gury.
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Archbishop of Le Mans 1918–1959 | Succeeded by |
| Records | ||
| Preceded by | Oldest living Member of the Sacred College 4 December 1958 – 5 May 1959 | Succeeded by |
