Fernand Franck (born 6 May 1934) is a

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

ish prelate 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 ...

. He was

Archbishop of Luxembourg The archbishop of Luxembourg is the Ordinary (Catholic Church), ordinary of the Roman Catholic Church, Roman Catholic archbishopric of Luxembourg. The position was created on 23 April 1988, when Luxembourg was promoted from a bishopric. The seat o ...

from 1990 to 2011.

Biography

He was born in

Esch-sur-Alzette Esch-sur-Alzette (, ; ; or ''Esch an der Alzig'') is a city in Luxembourg and the country's List of communes of Luxembourg by population, second-most populous commune, with a population of 36,625 inhabitants, . It lies in the south-west of the ...

on 6 May 1934 and attended primary and secondary school in Esch-sur-Alzette and seminary in Luxembourg and

Münster Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Ordained a priest in 1960, Franck's first assignment was as associate pastor at St. Joseph Parish in

Differdange Differdange (; or locally ; ) is a Communes of Luxembourg, commune with List of towns in Luxembourg, town status in south-western Luxembourg, west from the Luxembourg City, country's capital. It lies near the borders with Belgium and France an ...

, where he served until 1971. He then became pastor at St. Cuningundis Parish in Clausen, and also served as National Director for the Catholic Action of Children in Luxembourg and the Pontifical Mission Aid Society, both 1969–1977. From 1977, Franck was Secretary General of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith at the

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 ...

and served as Secretary General of the Society of St. Peter the Apostle in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

from 1988. His mission led him to visit many countries across every continent. In conjunction with these offices, he was also named Ecclesiastical Counsellor at the Embassy of Luxembourg at the Holy See (from 1981) and was a member of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications at the Vatican. Pope John Paul II appointed him Archbishop of Luxembourg on 21 December 1990 and he was ordained a bishop on 2 February 1991 at Notre-Dame Cathedral in

Luxembourg City Luxembourg (; ; ), also known as Luxembourg City ( or ; ; or ), is the capital city of Luxembourg and the Communes of Luxembourg, country's most populous commune. Standing at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers in southern Luxe ...

. His motto ''Ut unum sint,'' (, ( John 17:11)) has inspired his pastoral leadership and his constant dedication to both the local and central Church. He serves on different European Episcopal Commissions and is a member of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications since 1999. He is the Grand Prior of the Luxembourg Lieutenancy of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. Sacred Heart University, which operates an overseas campus in Luxembourg, recognised his outstanding leadership and his ongoing support of the laity in the Church by conferring on him an honorary doctorate in humane letters in 2003.

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

accepted his resignation as Archbishop of Luxembourg on 12 July 2011.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Church in Luxembourg biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Franck, Fernand 1934 births Living people 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Luxembourg 21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Luxembourg People from Esch-sur-Alzette Luxembourgian Roman Catholic archbishops Grand Priors of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre Members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre