Jean Clément Marie Gérard Joseph Françoise Georges Laffitte (born 5 May 1952) is a French prelate of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. A bishop since 2009, he has had an academic career and served in several positions in the Roman Curia. He has been

Prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...

of the

Sovereign Military Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...

since 4 July 2015.

Biography

Laffitte was born on 5 May 1952 in

Oloron-Sainte-Marie Oloron-Sainte-Marie (; oc, Auloron e Senta Maria; eu, Oloroe-Donamaria) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine (before 2015: Aquitaine), southwestern France. History The town was founded by the ...

, France. He attended the Toulouse 1 University Capitole, graduating with a degree in

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

in 1973. He was also educated at the Universities of Cambridge in 1979 and Salamanca in 1980. In 1984 he entered the Pontifical French Seminary in Rome where he read philosophy and theology at the

Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school ( pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

, receiving the degrees of Bachelor of Theology and

Philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

in 1988. He was ordained as a priest on 2 July 1989 in the

diocese of Autun The Roman Catholic Diocese of Autun (–Chalon-sur-Saône–Mâcon–Cluny) (Latin: ''Dioecesis Augustodunensis (–Cabillonensis–Matisconensis–Cluniacensis)''; French: ''Diocèse d'Autun (–Chalon-sur-Saône–Mâcon–Cluny)''), more simpl ...

and is a member of the Community of Emmanuel. He pursued further studies at the

Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family The John Paul II Pontifical Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences is a Roman Catholic pontifical institute of theological studies on marriage and family with affiliated campuses around the world. History In 1981, Pope John P ...

and earned a doctorate in moral theology. From 1994 to 2009 he taught at the Institute as a professor of conjugal ethics, anthropology and spirituality. From 1999 to 2001, he served as its Vice-Dean. He has also taught at the Lateran University. Beginning in 2003 he was a consultor of the

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) is the oldest among the departments of the Roman Curia. Its seat is the Palace of the Holy Office in Rome. It was founded to defend the Catholic Church from Heresy in Christianity, heresy and is ...

. On 28 January 2005, he became Deputy Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Family, before being named Vice-President of the Pontifical Academy for Life on 24 January 2006. He was appointed Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Family and

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of Entrevaux on 22 October 2009. Laffitte was consecrated as a bishop on 12 December 2009 by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, SDB. His work as Secretary ended when that body ceased its operations on 1 September 2015 and its operations were merged into the new

Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life The Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life is a dicastery of the Roman Curia. Pope Francis announced its creation on 15 August 2016, effective 1 September 2016. It took over the functions and responsibilities of the Pontifical Council for the Lai ...

. On 7 April 2015

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

appointed him

of the

to succeed Angelo Acerbi.

Writings

* ''The Choice of the Family: A Call to Wholeness, Abundant Life, and Enduring Happiness'' (Image, 2015)

Notes

References

External links

The Order of Malta: Religious superior of the Order of Malta clergy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laffitte, Jean 1952 births Living people People from Oloron-Sainte-Marie Alumni of the University of Cambridge Toulouse 1 University Capitole alumni University of Salamanca alumni Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Pontifical Council for the Family French Roman Catholic titular bishops 21st-century French Roman Catholic bishops French expatriates in Spain French expatriates in the United Kingdom French expatriates in Italy