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Yves Congar | |
|---|---|
| Cardinal Deacon of theBasilica of San Sebastiano al Palatino | |
| Church | Latin Church |
| Appointed | 26 November 1994 |
| Term ended | 22 June 1995 |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 25 July 1930 by BishopLuigi Maglione |
| Created cardinal | 26 November 1994 |
| Rank | Cardinal Deacon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1904-04-13)13 April 1904 Sedan, Ardennes, France |
| Died | 22 June 1995(1995-06-22) (aged 91) Paris, France |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Coat of arms |  |
Yves Marie-Joseph CongarOP (French pronunciation:[ivmaʁiʒozɛfkɔ̃ɡaʁ]; 13 April 1904 – 22 June 1995)[1] was a FrenchDominicanfriar,priest, andtheologian. He is perhaps best known for his influence at theSecond Vatican Council and for reviving theological interest in theHoly Spirit for the life of individuals and of the church. He was created acardinal of theCatholic Church in 1994.
Congar was born inSedan in northeast France in 1904. His father Georges Congar was a bank manager. Congar's hometown was occupied by German military forces for much ofWorld War I, and his father was among the men deported toLithuania. Upon the urging of his mother, Lucie Congar née Desoye (called "Tere" by Yves throughout his life), Congar recorded theoccupation in an extensive series of illustrateddiaries which were later published.[2] They provide a unique historical insight into the war from a child's point of view.
Encouraged by a local priest Daniel Lallement, Congar entered the diocesanseminary. Moving to Paris in 1921, he hadJacques Maritain among his philosophy teachers and the Dominican theologianReginald Garrigou-Lagrange as aretreat master.
After a year ofcompulsory military service (1924–1925), which Congar spent in theRhineland, in 1925 he joined theDominican Order atAmiens, where he tookMarie-Joseph as hisname in religion. Towards the end of histheological studies from 1926 to 1931 atLe Saulchoir, the Dominican theologate which was then located in Kain-la-Tombe, Belgium, and focused on historical theology, Congar wasordained a priest on 25 July 1930 byLuigi Maglione,nuncio in Paris.[3] In 1931 Congar defended his doctoral dissertation written at Le Saulchoir, on the unity of the Church.
Congar was a faculty member at Le Saulchoir from 1931 to 1939, moving with the Institution in 1937 from Kain-la-Tombe toÉtiolles near Paris. In 1932 he began his teaching career as Professor of Fundamental Theology, conducting a course onecclesiology. Congar was influenced by the Dominicans Ambroise Gardeil andMarie-Dominique Chenu, by the writings ofJohann Adam Möhler, and by his ecumenical contacts withProtestant andEastern Orthodox theologians. Congar concluded that the mission of the church was impeded by what he and Chenu termed "baroque theology."[4]
In 1937 Congar founded theUnam Sanctam series, addressing historical themes inCatholic ecclesiology. These books called for a "return to the sources" to set theological foundations for ecumenism, and the series would eventually run to 77 volumes. He wrote for a wide variety of scholarly and popular journals, and published numerous books.
DuringWorld War II Congar wasdrafted into the French army as achaplain with the rank of lieutenant. He was captured and held from 1940 to 1945 as aprisoner of war by the Germans inColditz and Lübeck's Oflag, after repeated attempts to escape. Later he was made a Knight (Chevalier) of the FrenchLegion of Honour, and awarded theCroix de Guerre.[5] In addition he was awarded theMédaille des Évadés for his numerous escape attempts.[4]
After the war, Congar continued to teach at Le Saulchoir, which had been returned to France, and to write, eventually becoming one of the most influentialtheologians of the 20th century on the topic of theCatholic Church and ecumenism.[6]
Congar was an early advocate of theecumenical movement, encouraging openness to ideas stemming from theEastern Orthodox Church andProtestant Christianity.[7] He promoted the concept of a "collegial" papacy and criticised theRoman Curia,ultramontanism, and the clerical pomp that he observed at theVatican. He also promoted the role oflay people in the church. Congar worked closely with the founder of theYoung Christian Workers,Joseph Cardijn, for decades.
From 1947 to 1956 Congar's controversial writing was restricted by the Vatican. One of his most important booksTrue and False Reform in the Church (1950) and all of its translations were forbidden by Rome in 1952. Congar was prevented from teaching or publishing after 1954, during the pontificate ofPope Pius XII, following publication of an article in support of theworker-priest movement started byJacques Loew in France. He was subsequently assigned to minor posts in Jerusalem, Rome,Cambridge andStrasbourg. Eventually, in 1956,ArchbishopJean Julien Weber ofStrasbourg assisted Congar in returning to France.[8]
Congar's reputation recovered in 1960 whenPope John XXIII invited him to serve on the preparatory theological commission of theSecond Vatican Council. Although Congar had little influence on the preparatory schemas, as the council progressed his expertise was recognized and some would regard him as the single most formative influence on Vatican II. He was a member of several committees that drafted conciliar texts, an experience that he documented in great detail in his daily journal. The journal extended from mid-1960 to December 1965. Following his direction, his journal was not released until 2000, and was first published in 2002 asMon Journal du Concile I-II, présenté et annoté par Éric Mahieu (two volumes). A one-volume English translation appeared in 2012. Congar also wrote a diary during his years of trouble with the Holy Office entitled "Journal d'un théologien 1946-1956, édité et presenté par Étienne Fouilloux." An English translation appeared in 2015; there is a prior Spanish translation.
After the council, Congar said "respecting many questions, the council remained incomplete. It began a work which is not finished, whether it is a matter of collegiality, of the role of the laity, of missions and even of ecumenism." Congar's work focused increasingly on the theology of theHoly Spirit (seePneumatology), and his 3-volume work on the Spirit has become a classic.[9] He was also a member of the International Theological Commission from 1969 to 1985.
Congar continued to lecture and write, publishing on topics includingMary, theEucharist, lay ministry, and the Holy Spirit, as well as his diaries. His works includeThe Meaning of Tradition andAfter Nine Hundred Years which addresses theEast-West Schism.
In 1963, Congar was diagnosed with a "diffuse disease of the nervous system" which caused weakness and numbness in his extremities.[10] In 1985, the diagnosis was changed to a form ofsclerosis which increasingly affected his mobility and writing ability, and made his scholarly research difficult. He became a resident at theHôpital des Invalides in Paris from 1986.
In November 1994 he was named acardinal deacon by PopeJohn Paul II, shortly before his death on 22 June the following year.[11] His remains were buried inMontparnasse Cemetery.[12]
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