Henri Schwery (14 June 1932 – 7 January 2021) was a Swiss prelate of the Catholic Church who was Bishop of Sion from 1977 to 1995. He was raised to the rank of cardinal in 1991.[1]
Henri Schwery | |
|---|---|
| Cardinal Bishop of Sion | |
| Church | Roman Catholic |
| Diocese | Sion |
| Appointed | 22 July 1977 |
| Term ended | 1 April 1995 |
| Predecessor | François-Nestor Adam |
| Successor | Norbert Brunner |
| Other post(s) | Cardinal Priest of Santi Protomartiri a Via Aurelia Antica (1991–2021) |
| Previous post(s) | President of the Swiss Bishops' Conference (1983–1988) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 7 July 1957 by François-Nestor Adam |
| Consecration | 17 September 1977 by François-Nestor Adam |
| Created cardinal | 28 June 1991 by Pope John Paul II |
| Rank | Cardinal priest |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Henri Schwery 14 June 1932 |
| Died | 7 January 2021 (aged 88) Home Le Carillon, Saint-Léonard, Switzerland |
| Nationality | Swiss |
| Motto | Spiritus Domini gaudium et spes ('The Spirit of the Lord, [our] joy and hope') |
| Styles of Henri Schwery | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
| See | Sion |
Early life and ordination
editBorn in St-Léonard, Valais, Schwery studied mathematics, theoretical physics, Catholic theology, and philosophy in Sion, Rome, and Fribourg. On 7 July 1957 he was ordained a priest.
Professor and bishop
editFrom 1961 to 1977, Schwery was part of the theological faculty of Sion, which he headed from 1972 to 1977.
Pope Paul VI appointed Schwery the Bishop of Sion on 22 July 1977.[2] On 17 September 1977, he was consecrated a bishop by his predecessor as Bishop of Sion, François-Nestor Adam.[3] He was president of the Swiss Bishops Conference from 1983 to 1988.[4]
In his diocese in June 1988, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre consecrated four bishops without papal approval. Schwery called for church unity in the face of that schism.[5]
Cardinal
editOn 28 June 1991, Pope John Paul II named Schwery a member of the College of Cardinals,[6] assigning him as a cardinal-priest to Santi Protomartiri a Via Aurelia Antica.[7] On 25 July 1991, Pope John Paul made him a member of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Congregation for the Clergy.[8]
During March of that year, he paid his respects when Lefebvre died, making a quiet visit to pray over his body alongside the Apostolic Nuncio to Switzerland Edoardo Rovida.[9]
Pope John Paul accepted his resignation as Bishop of Sion on 1 April 1995 when he was 62. He had submitted his resignation citing health problems.[10] Schwery was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2005 papal conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI.
He died at a retirement home in St-Léonard on 7 January 2021.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Pope Francis sends condolences for death of Cardinal Schwery – Vatican News". Vaticannews. 8 January 2021.
- ^ Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. LXIX. 1977. p. 680. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
- ^ Henri Cardinal Schwery on catholic-hierarchy.org [self-published]
- ^ Schwery, Card. Henri, Holy See Press Office. Retrieved 9 April 2007
- ^ a b "Décès du cardinal valaisan Henri Schwery". Tribune de Genève (in French). 7 January 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
- ^ "Cardinals Named by Pope". The New York Times. 30 May 1991. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
- ^ Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. LXXXIII. 1991. p. 630. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
- ^ Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. LXXXIII. 1991. pp. 785–6. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
- ^ "Funeral for excommunicated Archbishop Lefebvre". UPI. 2 April 1991. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
- ^ "Death of Valais cardinal Henri Schwery". France 24. 7 January 2021. Archived from the original on 7 January 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
External links
edit- "Schwery Card. Henri". Holy See Press Office. Archived from the original on 4 September 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2017.