Lefebvre, Marcel

Lefebvre, Marcel

▪ French archbishop
born Nov. 29, 1905, Tourcoing, Fr.
died March 25, 1991, Martigny, Switz.

      ultraconservative Roman Catholic archbishop who opposed the liberalizing changes begun by the Second Vatican Council (Vatican Council, Second) (1962–65) and who was excommunicated in 1988 for consecrating new traditionalist bishops without the approval of the Holy See in Rome. He created the bishops in order to perpetuate his crusade after his death.

      Lefebvre studied at the Sacred Heart College in Tourcoing and at the French Seminary in Rome and was ordained a priest in 1929. After a brief assignment in Lille, Fr., he served in missionary posts in Gabon (1932–46) and Senegal (1947–62), becoming archbishop of Dakar, Senegal, in 1948. As a member of the preparatory commission (1960–62) for the Second Vatican Council, he helped frame traditionalist proposals that the convening bishops in the subsequent council sessions strongly rejected. The bishops substituted more liberal reforms, such as saying mass in the vernacular rather than in Latin, reconciling Roman Catholicism with other religions, and promoting the collegiality of the pope and the bishops in leading the church. Lefebvre came to denigrate such reforms as “heretical,” “anti-Christ,” and “satanic.”

      From 1962 to 1968 Lefebvre was superior general of the Holy Ghost Fathers. In 1969 he founded the Priestly Confraternity of Saint Pius X in Fribourg, Switz. (the namesake, Pope Pius X, had been a staunch conservative), and in 1970 he established the society's seminary at Ecône, a villa near Riddes in Valais canton, Switz., to train priests according to his traditionalist model. Soon the Vatican and Lefebvre were to exchange vigorous criticisms, and in 1975 the Vatican withdrew approval of the order. In 1976 Pope Paul VI suspended Lefebvre, forbidding him to carry out priestly and episcopal functions. Lefebvre not only defied Rome in continuing his priesthood but set about establishing regional headquarters in various countries for his variety of Roman Catholicism. Several negotiating efforts to avoid a schism failed; and on June 30, 1988, upon consecrating four traditionalist bishops at Ecône in defiance of Pope John Paul II's orders, Lefebvre was excommunicated. His group, then numbering more than 60,000 followers, was deemed schismatic.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Lefebvre, Marcel — (1905–91)    Archbishop and Sect Founder.    Lefebvre was born near Lille, France, and was ordained into the Roman Catholic priesthood in 1929. He served as a missionary in Gabon, was consecrated a Bishop in 1947 and became Archbishop of Dakar in …   Who’s Who in Christianity

  • Lefebvre, Marcel — (1905 1991)    prelate    Born in Tourcoing, Marcel Lefebvre joined the Fathers of the Holy Spirit and for a long time was a missionary in Gabon before becoming the first archbishop of Dakar, Senegal (1948 62). Opposed to the ideas of the Second… …   France. A reference guide from Renaissance to the Present

  • Marcel Sembat — photographié par Pierre Petit Parlementaire français Date de naissance 19  …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Lefèbvre — Lefebvre, Lefèbvre oder Lefèvre ist der Familienname folgender Personen: André Lefèbvre (1894–1963), französischer Automobilingenieuer Eckard Lefèvre (* 1935), deutscher Altphilologe Fabien Lefèvre (* 1982), französischer Kanuslalomfahrer… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Marcel Lefebvre — Msg. Marcel Lefebvre Archbishop Bishop Emeritus of Tulle Portrait of Msg Lefebvre in the 1960s …   Wikipedia

  • Marcel Lefebvre — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Lefebvre. Marcel François Lefebvre Naissance 29 novembre 1905 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Marcel Lefebvre — Existen desacuerdos sobre la neutralidad en el punto de vista de la versión actual de este artículo o sección. En la página de discusión puedes consultar el debate al respecto. Marcel François Lefebvre C.S.Sp. Arzobispo O …   Wikipedia Español

  • Marcel-François Lefebvre — Marcel Lefebvre Pour les articles homonymes, voir Lefebvre. Archevêque de l Église catholique …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Marcel Lefebvre (scénariste) — Marcel Lefebvre (né le 26 octobre 1941 à Québec) est un créateur, réalisateur, producteur et metteur en scène québécois pour la radio, la télévision, le cinéma et la publicité. Bien connu dans tous les milieux québécois du spectacle où il a… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • LEFEBVRE (M.) — Mgr Marcel LEFEBVRE 1905 1991 Populaire défenseur de la messe en latin ou maurrassien impénitent, «Athanase du XXe siècle» ou «avocat obstiné d’une théologie attardée», Mgr Lefebvre a suscité toute une imagerie d’Épinal. Rend elle bien compte… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”