Benno Gut OSB (1 April 1897 – 8 December 1970) was a Benedictine monk of the Archabbey of Maria Einsiedeln, Switzerland, and a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship in the Roman Curia from 1969 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1967.


Benno Gut

Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship
ChurchRoman Catholic Church
Appointed8 May 1969
Term ended8 December 1970
Other post(s)Cardinal-Deacon of San Giorgio in Velabro (1967–70)
Previous post(s)
Orders
Ordination10 July 1921
Consecration18 June 1967
by Eugène-Gabriel-Gervais-Laurent Tisserant
Created cardinal26 June 1967
by Pope Paul VI
RankCardinal-deacon
Personal details
Born
Walter Gut

1 April 1897
Died8 December 1970(1970-12-08) (aged 73)
Rome, Italy
BuriedArchabbey of Maria Einsiedeln
Alma materUniversity of Basel
Pontificio Sant'Anselmo
Pontifical Biblical Institute
MottoGaudete in Domino semper
Coat of armsBenno Gut's coat of arms

Biography

edit

Walter Gut was born in Reiden, Switzerland, entered the Order of Saint Benedict at the Archabbey of Maria Einsiedeln, made his monastic profession as a monk on 6 January 1918, and was given the name of "Benno". He began his studies at the College of Maria Einsideln, at the musical conservatory of Basel, University of Basel, at the Benedictine Pontificio Sant'Anselmo in Rome, and at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. Ordained to the priesthood on 10 July 1921, Gut finished his studies in 1923 and then did pastoral work at Einsiedeln Abbey until 1930.[1]

Gut taught at his alma mater of "Pontificio Sant'Anselmo" from 1930 to 1939, at which time he returned to Switzerland and became a professor at the Einsiedeln Abbey College. On 15 April 1947 he was elected abbot of the Archabbey of Maria Einsiedeln, receiving the traditional episcopal benediction of new abbots from Archbishop Filippo Bernardini on the following 5 May. On 24 September 1959, Gut was elected as the fourth Abbot Primate of the Benedictine Confederation. From 1962 to 1965 he attended the Second Vatican Council.[2]

On 10 June 1967 Gut was appointed Titular Archbishop of Thuccabora by Pope Paul VI. He received his episcopal consecration eight days later, on 18 June, from Cardinal Eugène Cardinal Tisserant, with Bishops Joseph Hasler and Johannes Vonderach serving as co-consecrators, at the Archabbey of Maria Einsiedeln.[3]

Pope Paul VI created him Cardinal Deacon of San Giorgio al Velabro in the consistory of 26 June the same year in advance of naming him prefect of Congregation of Rites on the following 29 June. Along with prefect of rites, Gut also assumed in 1968 the position of president of the consilium for liturgical reform, of which the Benedictine abbot was an advocate. He later resigned as abbot primate of the Benedictine Confederation on 8 September 1967. With the dissolution of the Congregation of Rites, the cardinal became prefect of the newly established Congregation for Divine Worship on 7 May 1969.[4]

Gut died in Rome at the age of 73. He is buried in Archabbey of Maria Einsiedeln.[5][6]

References

edit
  1. ^ Holzherr, Georg (17 December 1970). "Kardinal Benno Gut zum Gedenken". Schweizer Kirchenzeitung (in German). 138: 725–726.
  2. ^ Engelbert, Pius (2015). Sant'Anselmo in Rome. Collegeville: Liturgical Press. p. 296. ISBN 9780814637135.
  3. ^ Bischof, Franz Xaver (2002). Die Bischöfe der deutschsprachigen Länder 1945-2001 (in German). Berlin: Duncker & Humblot. p. 591. ISBN 9783428106844.
  4. ^ "Roman Catholics: Changing the Old Guard". Time. New York. 19 January 1968. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  5. ^ "Benno Gut". www.benediktinerlexikon.de (in German). Biographia Benedictina (Benedictine Biography). Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  6. ^ "P. Benno (Walter) Gut von Reiden". www.klosterarchiv.ch (in German). Einsiedeln. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
edit
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
Ignazio Staub
Abbot of Einsiedeln Abbey
1947–1959
Succeeded by
Rainmund Tschudy
Preceded by Abbot Primate of the Benedictine Confederation
1959–1967
Succeeded by
Preceded by Prefect of the Congregation of Rites
1967–1969
Succeeded byas Prefect of the Congregation
for the Causes of Saints
Succeeded by
Himself
as Prefect of the Congregation
for Divine Worship
Preceded by
Himself
as Prefect of the Congregation of Rites
Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship
1969–1970
Succeeded by
Preceded by President of the Council for the Implementation of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy
1968–1969
Succeeded by
merged with Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship