Even more than before the fire, the restored Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris is a glamorous setting for festive ceremonies. The Parisian Cardinal Vingt-Trois has now also been laid to rest here.
Paris and France bid farewell to Cardinal André Vingt-Trois on Wednesday. The former Archbishop of Paris died on Friday at the age of 82 and was laid to rest after a solemn funeral mass in the crypt of Notre-Dame Cathedral. Vingt-Trois led the French capital’s bishopric from 2005 to 2017.
Vingt-Trois was one of the most prominent church representatives in France, was considered the foster son of his predecessor, Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger (1926-2007) and headed the French Bishops’ Conference from 2007 to 2013. He spent almost his entire career in the capital.
President Emmanuelm Macron paid tribute to Vingt-Trois as a “man of reconciliation” and “apostle of interreligious dialogue”. In a statement issued by the Élysée Palace at the weekend, it said that the cardinal had always dedicated his life to others. It continued: “As a man of faith, hope and charity, he stood up for the poorest and most isolated.”
Parish priest in the banlieue
Born in Paris on 7 November 1942, he was ordained a priest in 1969, worked in Parisian parishes and in the banlieue, was vicar general and auxiliary bishop. After six years as Archbishop of Tours, Pope John Paul II entrusted Vingt-Trois with the episcopal see of Paris in 2005, one of the most important in the Catholic world church. He became a cardinal in 2007.
Vingt-Trois was convinced that the Church should not remain on the sidelines in a French society characterised by secularism and increasing secularisation; it must try to convince non-believers and doubters in a dialogue.
Vingt-Trois repeatedly commented on political issues, such as embryo research, abortion and asylum policy. One of his specialisms was the topic of family. He spoke out on abortion, marriage, surrogate motherhood and euthanasia and wrote several books. Not only the abuse scandals in the French church, but also the Paris terrorist attacks of 13 November 2015 occurred during his time in office. Vingt-Trois called for more social integration in order to prevent radicalisation.
