Yves Congar

His Eminence Yves Congar OP
Cardinal Deaconof theBasilica of San Sebastiano al Palatino
Congar in 1964
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:[ivmaʁiʒɔzɛfkɔ̃ɡaʁ];13 April 1904 – 22 June 1995)was a FrenchDominicanfriar,priest,andtheologian.He is perhaps best known for his influence at theSecond Vatican Counciland for reviving theological interest in theHoly Spiritfor the life of individuals and of the church. He was created acardinalof theCatholic Churchin 1994.

Early life

Congar was born inSedanin northeast France in 1904. His father Georges Congar was a bank manager. Congar's hometown was occupied by the Germans for much ofWorld War I,and his father was among the men deported by the Germans toLithuania.Upon the urging of his mother, Lucie Congar née Desoye (called "Tere" by Yves throughout his life), Congar recorded theoccupationin an extensive series of illustrateddiarieswhich were later published.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 Maritainamong his philosophy teachers and the Dominican theologianReginald Garrigou-Lagrangeas aretreatmaster.

Priest and prisoner-of-war

After a year ofcompulsory military service(1924–1925), which Congar spent in theRhineland,in 1925 he joined theDominican OrderatAmiens,where he tookMarie-Josephas hisname in religion.Towards the end of histheologicalstudies from 1926 to 1931 atLe Saulchoir,the Dominican theologate which was then located in Kain-la-Tombe, Belgium, and focused on historical theology, Congar wasordaineda priest on 25 July 1930 byLuigi Maglione,nuncioin Paris.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 toÉtiollesnear 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 withProtestantandEastern Orthodoxtheologians. Congar concluded that the mission of the church was impeded by what he and Chenu termed "baroque theology."

In 1937 Congar founded theUnam Sanctamseries, 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 IICongar wasdraftedinto the French army as achaplainwith the rank of lieutenant. He was captured and held from 1940 to 1945 as aprisoner of warby the Germans inColditzand 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.In addition he was awarded theMédaille des Évadésfor his numerous escape attempts.

Scholar and ecumenist

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 influentialtheologiansof the 20th century on the topic of theCatholic Church and ecumenism.

Congar was an early advocate of theecumenicalmovement, encouraging openness to ideas stemming from theEastern Orthodox ChurchandProtestant Christianity.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 peoplein 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 movementstarted byJacques Loewin France. He was subsequently assigned to minor posts in Jerusalem, Rome,CambridgeandStrasbourg.Eventually, in 1956,ArchbishopJean Julien WeberofStrasbourgassisted Congar in returning to France.

Congar's reputation recovered in 1960 whenPope John XXIIIinvited 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 thetheology of the Holy Spirit,and his 3-volume work on the Spirit has become a classic.He was also a member of the International Theological Commission from 1969 to 1985.

Congar continued to lecture and write, publishing work on wide-ranging topics includingMary,theEucharist,lay ministry and theHoly Spirit,as well as his diaries. His works includeThe Meaning of TraditionandAfter Nine Hundred Yearswhich 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.In 1985, the diagnosis was changed to a form ofsclerosiswhich increasingly affected his mobility and writing ability, and made his scholarly research difficult. He became a resident at theMilitary Hôpital des Invalidesin Paris from 1986.

Cardinal and death

In November 1994 he was named acardinal deaconby PopeJohn Paul II,shortly before his death on 22 June the following year.His remains were buried inMontparnasse Cemetery.

Media portrayal

• Yves Congar is one of the 14 main characters of the series14 - Diaries of the Great War.He is played by actor Antoine de Prekel.
• Featured in the documentary seriesThe First World War(2003), Part 2, "Under The Eagle" from the 37-minute mark to the 39-minute mark.

Selected works

• Chrétiens désunis: Principes d'un 'oecuménisme' catholique,(Paris: Cerf, 1937), translated asDivided Christendom: a Catholic Study of the Problem of Reunion,trans MA Bousfield, (London: Bles, 1939).
• Vraie et fausse réforme dans l’Eglise,(Paris: Editions du Cerf, 1950). A second edition was issued in 1968. Translated asTrue and False Reform in the Church,trans Paul Philibert, (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2011).
• Jalons pour une théologie du laicat,(1953)
• Leur résistance,195?
• La Tradition et les traditions: essai historique,(Paris, 1960), issued in translation inTradition and Traditions: An historical and a theological essay,trans Michael Naseby and Thomas Rainborough, (London, 1966).
• Aspects de l'oecuménisme,(Bruxelles/Paris, 1962)
• La Foi et la Théologie,(Tournai, 1962)
• The Mystery of the Temple, or the Manner of God's Presence to His Creatures from Genesis to the Apocalypse,trans Reginald Frederick Trevett, (London, 1962).
• Pour une Église Servante et Pauvre(Paris: Les Editions du Cerf, 1963)
• La Tradition et les traditions: essai théologique,(Paris, 1963), issued in translation inTradition and Traditions: An historical and a theological essay,trans Michael Naseby and Thomas Rainborough, (London, 1966)
• Report from Rome: on the First Session of the Vatican Council,translated by A. Mason, (London: Chapman, 1963)
• Report from Rome II: The Second Session of the Vatican Council,(London: Chapman, 1964)
• Lay People in the Church,translated byDonald Attwater,(London: Chapman, 1965)
• Dialogue Between Christians: Catholic Contributions to Ecumenism,trans Philip Loretz, (London: G Chapman, 1966).
• Je crois en l'Esprit Saint,3 vols, translated asI Believe in the Holy Spirit,3 vols (Paris:Cert, 1979)
• Mon Journal du Concile, (1946–1956),ed. with notes Éric Mahieu, (Paris: Cerf, 2002).
• My Journal of the Council,English translation by Mary John Ronayne and Mary Cecily Boulding, Adelaide: (ATF Theology, 2012)

Further reading

• Yves Congar: Apostle of Patience
• Elizabeth Teresa Groppe,Yves Congar's Theology of the Holy Spirit