Georges Paul Pontier (; born 1 May 1943) is a French 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 ...
who was
Archbishop of Marseille
The Archdiocese of Marseille (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Massiliensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Marseille'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France.Episcopal Conference of France from 2013 to 2019. He was named apostolic administrator of the
Archdiocese of Paris
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...
in December 2021.
Biography
Georges Pontier was born 1 May 1943 in Lavaur in the Tarn. After studying at the major seminary of
Albi
Albi (; ) is a commune in France, commune in southern France. It is the prefecture of the Tarn (department), Tarn Departments of France, department, on the river Tarn (river), Tarn, 85 km northeast of Toulouse. Its inhabitants are called ...
he completed his training at the
Pontifical Gregorian University
Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy.
The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...
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, ...
where he obtained a degree in theology, then a master's degree in Modern Literature at the
University of Toulouse
The University of Toulouse (, ) is a community of universities and establishments ( ComUE) based in Toulouse, France. Originally it was established in 1229, making it one of the earliest universities to emerge in Europe. Suppressed during the ...
. 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 ...
of the
Diocese of Albi
The Archdiocese of Albi(); () is a Latin archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is suffragan to the Archdiocese of Toulouse, and it comprises the department of Tarn.
In the 12th century, the spread of alternative beliefs in the regio ...
on 3 July 1966. He taught at the minor seminary of
Saint-Sulpice-la-Pointe
Saint-Sulpice-la-Pointe (, before 2013: ''Saint-Sulpice''; Languedocien: ''Sant Somplesi'') ...
and became its rector. He was curate and then archpriest of the Albi cathedral from 1985 to 1988.
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005.
In his you ...
appointed him
Bishop of Digne
The Diocese of Digne (Latin: ''Dioecesis Diniensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Digne'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in France. Erected in the 4th century as the Diocese of Digne, the diocese has bee ...
on 2 February 1988 and he was consecrated on 20 March. John Paul made him
Bishop of La Rochelle and Saintes
The Diocese of La Rochelle and Saintes (; ) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the département of Charente-Maritime and the French overseas collectivity of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. The bishop is a ...
on 5 August 1996.
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 ...
named him
Archbishop of Marseille
The Archdiocese of Marseille (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Massiliensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Marseille'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France.same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...
and the ordination of women, for example, his rapprochement with
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
made him the "bête noire" of the political right. He was particularly engaged by the social situation of the
Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
People, characters, figures, names
* Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas.
* Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun
* Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...
and the undocumented. In 2010 he arranged for retired priests to vacate six apartments in a Church-owned apartment building in the Saint-Pierre district of Marseille to allow for six Roma families to be housed there, provoking resistance from locals and their political representatives. And in 2017 he called on the French government to devise better solutions for the Roma who are being "shuffled from one place to another".
In the Bishops Conference of France (CEF) he was vice president from 2001 to 2007, headed its Studies and Projects Committee from 2008 to 2013, and president from 2013 to 2019. In October 2015, as president of the CEF, he attended the Synod of Bishops on the Family.
He declined to endorse the "proclamation of freedom of expression" that
Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders (RWB; ; RSF) is an international non-profit and non-governmental organisation, non-governmental organization headquartered in Paris, which focuses on safeguarding the right to freedom of information. It describes its a ...
invited all religious leaders to sign following the ''Charlie Hebdo'' shooting in January 2015. In a letter to the bishops of France, he said the statement itself seemed to doubt the commitment of religious leaders to freedom of expression and singled them out when all leaders of civic society should share this commitment.
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, submitted as required when Pontier turned 75, on 8 August 2019. Auxiliary Bishop
Jean-Marc Aveline
Jean-Marc Noël Aveline (; born 26 December 1958) is a French Catholic prelate who has served as Archbishop of Marseille since 2019. He was previously an auxiliary bishop there from 2013 to 2019. Pope Francis made him a cardinal in 2022.
Aveli ...
was appointed to succeed him.
On 11 January 2021, Pope Francis named him Apostolic Administrator of the
Archdiocese of Avignon
The Archdiocese of Avignon (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Avenionensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse d'Avignon'') is a Latin archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The diocese exercises jurisdiction over the territory embraced by the departmen ...
.
On 2 December 2021, Pope Francis named him Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Paris after the resignation of
Archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...