Gilbert Guillaume Marie-Jean Aubry (born 10 May 1942 in

Saint-Louis, Réunion Saint-Louis (; ) is the fifth-largest commune in the French overseas department of Réunion. It is located on the southwest part of the island of Réunion, adjacent to Saint-Pierre. Geography Climate Saint-Louis has a tropical savanna clima ...

) was a

Réunion Réunion (; ; ; known as before 1848) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France. Part of the Mascarene Islands, it is located approximately east of the isl ...

nais

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint-Denis-de-La Réunion, as well as a poet and a singer. Aubry served as the bishop of the

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, 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 Roman province, prov ...

, which is based in the city of

Saint-Denis, Réunion Saint-Denis (, ; ), unofficially Saint-Denis de La Réunion () for disambiguation, is the prefectures in France, prefecture (administrative capital) of the France, French overseas department and region of Réunion, in the Indian Ocean. It is lo ...

, from his episcopal consecration on 2 May 1976 until his retirement on 19 July 2023. A native of

, Aubry entered the seminary of

La Croix-Valmer La Croix-Valmer (; ) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Geography La Croix-Valmer is at the foot of the Massif des Maures hills in the Bay of Cavalaire-sur-Mer, halfway betwee ...

, before continuing 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 ...

, where he obtained a bachelor's degree in philosophy and another in theology. He was ordained as a

Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in common English usage ''priest'' refe ...

on 23 August 1970. before being appointed the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint-Denis-de-La Réunion, just five years later, on 20 November 1975, by

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

. His consecration as bishop took place on 2 May 1976, when he was just 34 years old, which made him the youngest French bishop at that time. His tenure was marked by two cases of pedophilia involving priests from the diocese, during which he testified. He was a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Conservation of the Church's Artistic and Historical Heritage, and also presided over the Episcopal Conference of the Indian Ocean. Pope Francis accepted his resignation on 19 July 2023https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/baubryg.html

Books

* ''Rivages d'alizé'', published en 1971, enhanced in 1975, re-released en 1980, UDIR. * ''Sois peuple - Mystique marronnage'', 1982, UDIR. * ''Pour Dieu et pour l'Homme... Réunionnais'', published in 1988, Océan Éditions. * ''Poétique Mascarine'', 1989, Éditions caribéennes. * ''Cœur brûlant'', 2000, Éditions Azalées. * ''Lumière sur Rivière Noire'', 2010, Éditions Azalées.

Discography

* ''Créolie : une âme pour mon île'', Auvidis, 1979.

References

1942 births Living people People from Saint-Louis, Réunion Bishops from Réunion Bishops appointed by Pope Paul VI 20th-century French Roman Catholic bishops 21st-century French Roman Catholic bishops {{africa-RC-bishop-stub Singers from Réunion

Books

Discography

See also

References