Johannes Willebrands
Johannes Willebrands | |
|---|---|
| Cardinal Archbishop Emeritus of Utrecht Primate Emeritus of the Netherlands | |
 The cardinal seen in 1982. | |
| Church | Roman Catholic Church |
| Archdiocese | Utrecht |
| Province | Utrecht |
| See | Utrecht |
| Appointed | 6 December 1975 |
| Installed | 21 January 1976 |
| Term ended | 3 December 1983 |
| Predecessor | Bernardus Johannes Alfrink |
| Successor | Adrianus Johannes Simonis |
| Other post(s) | Cardinal-Priest of San Sebastiano alle Catacombe(1975-2006) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 26 May 1934 |
| Consecration | 4 June 1964 byPope Paul VI |
| Created cardinal | 28 April 1969 by Pope Paul VI |
| Rank | Cardinal-Deacon(1969-75) Cardinal-Priest(1975-2006) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Johannes Gerardus Maria Willebrands 4 September 1909 |
| Died | 1 August 2006(aged 96) Saint Nicolaasstichting,Denekamp,Netherlands |
| Parents | Herman Petrus Willebrands Afra Kok |
| Previous post(s) | Secretary of the Secretariat for Christian Unity(1960-69) Titular Bishop of Mauriana(1964-69) President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity(1969-89) Cardinal-Deacon of Santi Cosma e Damiano(1969-75) Military Vicar of the Netherlands(1975-82) President of the Dutch Episcopal Conference(1976-83) Camerlengo of the College of Cardinals(1988-95) |
| Alma mater | Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas |
| Motto | Veritatem in caritate |
| Coat of arms |  |
Johannes Gerardus Maria Willebrands(4 September 1909 inBovenkarspel,North Holland– 1 August 2006)[1]was a DutchCardinal of the Roman Catholic Church.He served as President of thePontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unityfrom 1969 to 1989, andArchbishop of Utrechtfrom 1975 to 1983. Elevated to thecardinalatein 1969, Willebrands was central to the increasedecumenismof the Church in the second half of the 20th century, and was consideredpapabileat the twoconclavesheld in 1978.
Biography[edit]
Youth and ordination[edit]
Johannes Willebrands was born inBovenkarspel,as the eldest of the nine children of Herman and Afra (née Kok) Willebrands. His father worked as a paymaster at the local vegetable market, and one of his brothers went on to become aRedemptoristmissionaryinSurinam.Willebrands studied at theMajor Seminary, Warmond,nearLeiden,where he wasordainedto the priesthood on 26 May 1934. In 1937 he received aDoctorate in Philosophyat thePontifical AthenaeumAngelicumin Rome with a thesis entitledJohn Henry Cardinal NewmanZijn denkleer en haar toepassing op de kennis van God door het geweten.
Early involvement in ecumenism[edit]
Willebrands returned to theNetherlandsin 1937 and acted as chaplain of the Church of Begijnhof inAmsterdam.In 1940 he began teaching philosophy at his alma mater of the Warmond seminary. Five years later, he became the seminary'srector.Willebrands demonstrated a very active interest in the cause of Christian unity as president of theSt Willibrord Association,which promotedecumenismin the Netherlands; in 1951, he organized the Catholic Conference on Ecumenical Questions, which was in contact with theWorld Council of Churches.
Bishop of Mauriana[edit]
He was namedTitular BishopofMaurianaon 4 June 1964. Willebrands received hisepiscopal consecrationon the following 28 June fromPope Paul VI,with Archbishops Diego Venini andEttore Cunialserving asco-consecrators,inSt. Peter's Basilica.On 7 December 1965, he read out the declaration by which the Catholic and Orthodox churches "cancelled out of the memory of men" their mutualexcommunicationfollowing theGreat Schism of1054.
| Styles of Johannes Willebrands | |
|---|---|
| |
| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
| See | Utrecht |
Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity[edit]
On 28 June 1960,Pope John XXIIInominated him Secretary of the newly establishedSecretariat for Promoting Christian Unity(later elevated to apontifical council), under the direction ofAugustin Bea.Aided byfluencyin six languages, Willebrands was involved in building bridges to theAnglicanchurch, and theRussian Orthodoxchurch.
He was instrumental in persuading the Orthodox churches to attend the sessions of theSecond Vatican Councilas observers while it met from 1962 to 1965.[2][3]During the work of the Second Vatican Council, he prepared the documents relating to scripture and tradition, ecumenism, religious freedom, and relations with non-Christian religions. Willebrands was raised to the rank ofMonsignorin 1963. On 12 April 1969,Pope Paul VInamed Willebrands as President of the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity, succeeding Cardinal Bea after his death.
After his resignation as archbishop of Utrecht, Willebrands continued as president for Promoting Christian Unity. Willebrands acted as President Delegate at the Second Extraordinary Assembly of World Synod of Bishops, held from 24 November to 8 December 1985, and became President emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity on 12 December 1989, when was succeeded as president byEdward Idris Cassidy.
Archbishop of Utrecht[edit]
On 6 December 1975, he was appointedArchbishop of Utrechtand thus de factoPrimateof the Netherlands, continuing at the same time to serve as President of the Secretariat. It was hoped that would be able to use his diplomatic talents to reconcile the conservative and liberal wings of theCatholic Church in the Netherlands,[4]but the qualities of patience, reticence and reservation that made him such a success in ecumenical circles did not endear him to his Dutch flock. He resigned as Archbishop on 3 December 1983.
Cardinal elector[edit]
He was createdCardinal-DeaconofSanti Cosma e Damianoby Paul VI in theconsistoryof 28 April 1969, and later becameCardinal-PriestofS. Sebastiano alle Catacombeon 6 December 1975.
Cardinal Willebrands was one of thecardinal electorswho participated at theconclavesofAugustandOctober 1978,which selectedPope John Paul IandPope John Paul II,respectively. During the latter conclave, the highlypapabileDutch prelate willingly withdrew his candidacy in order for Karol Wojtyła to be elected pope.[5]
He becameCamerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinalsin 1988, and served until 1995, after which the post was abolished.[6]
Retirement and death[edit]
Cardinal Willebrands moved to theFranciscanconventofSaint NicolaasstichtingatDenekampin 1997, where he died nine years later, at age 96. At the time of his death, he was the oldest living member of theCollege of Cardinals.
References[edit]
- ^Cardinal J. Willebrands, 96, Who United Faiths, Dies
- ^Chiron, Yves,Paul VI: Le pape écartelé,Perrin, Paris, 1993ISBN2-262-00952-Xp. 186 and 246
- ^Interview with Paul-Joseph Schmitt, Archbishop of Metz, in Le Lorrain, 9 March 1963[dubious–discuss]
- ^Time Magazine.Paul's Flying Dutchman5 January 1976
- ^Time Magazine.A "Foreign" Pope30 October 1978
- ^Salvador Miranda."Cardinals camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals".Retrieved25 May2009.
Further reading[edit]
- De Mey, Peter (2012). Denaux, Adelbert; De Mey, Peter (eds.)."Johannes Willebrands and the Catholic Conference for Ecumenical Questions (1952-1963)".Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium.253: The Ecumenical Legacy of Johannes Cardinal Willebrands (1909-2006). Leuven: Peeters Publishers: 49–77 – via Academia.edu.
External links[edit]
- "Cardinal Willebrands".The Daily Telegraph.3 August 2006.
- "Cardinal Johannes Willebrands".The Independent.4 August 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 6 August 2006.
- "Cardinal Johannes Willebrands".The Guardian.3 August 2006.
- Obituary,The Times,7 August 2006
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1909 births
- 2006 deaths
- People from Stede Broec
- Dutch cardinals
- 20th-century Dutch Roman Catholic theologians
- Archbishops of Utrecht
- 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the Netherlands
- Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau
- Participants in the Second Vatican Council
- Cardinals created by Pope Paul VI
- Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas alumni
- Dutch Roman Catholic archbishops