Bernard César Augustin Barsi (4 August 1942 – 28 December 2022) was a French

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

who was the

archbishop of Monaco The Archdiocese of Monaco () is an exempt Latin ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Monaco. It is directly subject to the Holy See and not part of any ecclesiastical province. The archdiocese's mother church and t ...

from 2000 to 2020.

Biography

Barsi was born on 4 August 1942 in

Nice, France Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department in France. The Nice urban unit, agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million

. He was ordained a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

on 28 June 1969. After his ordination, he served as a vicar at the parish of Saint-Etienne de Tinée in Nice from 1969 until 1972. From 1972 to 1982 he worked in the

vocations A vocation () is an occupation to which a person is especially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. Though now often used in non-religious contexts, the meanings of the term originated in Christianity. A calling, in the reli ...

office of the diocese. He was appointed

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

of La Trinité parish, serving in that capacity from 1982 to 1991. He was made

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vica ...

of the diocese of Nice in 1991, and served in that position until 2000 with a brief interruption from 1997 to 1998, when he was administrator of the

Diocese of Rennes The Archdiocese of Rennes, Dol, and Saint-Malo (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Rhedonensis, Dolensis et Sancti Maclovii''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Rennes, Dol et Saint-Malo''; ) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The dioces ...

. Barsi was appointed the archbishop of Monaco on 16 May 2000. He was consecrated a bishop on 8 October of the same year. His principal consecrator was Jean Bonfils, S.M.A.,

Bishop of Nice The Diocese of Nice (Latin: ''Dioecesis Nicensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Nice'') is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the Department of Alpes-Maritimes. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Ma ...

, who was assisted by François Saint-Macary, the Archbishop of Rennes, and

Joseph-Marie Sardou Joseph-Marie Sardou, S.C.J. (25 October 1922 – 19 September 2009) was a French Roman Catholic archbishop. Ordained to the priesthood on 12 May 1949, Sardou was appointed Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Monaco, by Pope John Paul ...

, S.C.J., then the Archbishop Emeritus of Monaco. In 2003 he oversaw a

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...

investigation into abuse of

choirboy A choirboy is a boy member of a choir, also known as a treble. As a derisive slang term, it refers to a do-gooder or someone who is morally upright, in the same sense that "Boy Scout" (also derisively) refers to someone who is considered honor ...

s in the 1970s in Rome. The result was inconclusive. Barsi officiated at the funeral of

Prince Rainier III Rainier III (Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand Grimaldi; 31 May 1923 – 6 April 2005) was Prince of Monaco from 1949 to Funeral of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, his death in 2005. Rainier ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 year ...

in April 2005, and on 2 July 2011, he presided over the

wedding A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicity, ethnicities, Race (human categorization), races, religions, Religious denomination, denominations, Cou ...

Prince Albert II Albert II (Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre Grimaldi; born 14 March 1958) is Prince of Monaco, reigning since 2005. Born at the Prince's Palace of Monaco, Albert is the second child and only son of Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace. He attend ...

and

Charlene Wittstock Charlene ( ;Since her marriage, her name has been Gallicised by adding a grave accent to her name in French documents. born Charlene Lynette Wittstock, 25 January 1978) is Princess of Monaco as the wife of Prince Albert II. Before her marriag ...

. Barsi was the Grand Prior of the Monaco Lieutenancy of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

accepted his resignation on 21 January 2020. Barsi died of a heart attack on 28 December 2022, at the age of 80.

Honours

* : Officer of the

Order of Grimaldi The Order of Grimaldi (usually called but officially according to the Ordonnance) is an Order established in Monaco on 18 November 1954. Award It is awarded to people who have contributed to the prestige of the Principality with distinction. ...

(Nov. 2011)Sovereign Ordonnanc
n° 3.537 du 17 novembre 2011
portant promotions ou nominations dans l’Ordre de Grimaldi (French).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barsi, Bernard 1942 births 2022 deaths French Roman Catholic archbishops Archbishops of Monaco People from Nice Officers of the Order of Grimaldi Knights of the Legion of Honour Grand Priors of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre Members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre