Julien Ries
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Julien Ries (19 April 1920 – 23 February 2013) was a Belgian religious historian,
titular archbishop 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 ...
and cardinal of the Catholic Church. Prior to his death, Ries was described as "the greatest living religious scholar".


Life

Born in Fouches, near
Arlon Arlon (; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Luxembourg (Belgium), province of Luxembourg in the Ardennes, Belgium. With a population of just over 28,000, it ...
, Belgium, he was
ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...
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 ...
for the Diocese of Namur on 12 August 1945. After graduating with a doctorate of Philosophy and receiving a licentiate in
philology Philology () is the study of language in Oral tradition, oral and writing, written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also de ...
and Oriental history from the
Catholic University of Leuven University of Leuven or University of Louvain (; ) may refer to: * Old University of Leuven (1425–1797) * State University of Leuven (1817–1835) * Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) * Katholieke Universiteit Leuven or KU Leuven (1968 ...
, Ries taught at the university from 1960 to 1968. After the university split in 1968, he taught at the French-speaking
Université catholique de Louvain UCLouvain (or Université catholique de Louvain , French for Catholic University of Louvain, officially in English the University of Louvain) is Belgium's largest French-speaking university and one of the oldest in Europe (originally establishe ...
, where he founded the ''Centre d'Histoire des Religions'' (which has recently been named after him). During that period, he was also a member of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue from 1979 to 1985. In 1990, Ries retired from active work. Among the non-specialists in the
anglophone The English-speaking world comprises the 88 countries and territories in which English is an official, administrative, or cultural language. In the early 2000s, between one and two billion people spoke English, making it the largest language ...
world he was most known for his series for young people ''Religions of Humanity'' which he edited with American
anthropologist An anthropologist is a scientist engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropologists study aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms, values ...
Lawrence E. Sullivan (Head of the ''Centre for the Study of World Religions'' at
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
from 1990 to 2003). Ries and Sullivan received the ''
Hans Christian Andersen Award The Hans Christian Andersen Awards are two literary awards given by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), recognising one living author and one living illustrator for their "lasting contribution to children's literature". Th ...
'' for these series in 2000. Ries has developed a renewed religious anthropology in which the religious dimension of humankind is taken seriously. His conclusion was the same as that of the French
paleontologist Paleontology, also spelled as palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of the life of the past, mainly but not exclusively through the study of fossils. Paleontologists use fossils as a means to classify organisms, measure geolo ...
and co-discoverer of the fossil "Lucy" (''Australopithecus afarensis''), Yves Coppens, with whom he collaborated, i.e. that human beings have been religious right from the beginning. In 2009, Ries donated his library, all his manuscripts, notes and documents relating to courses, and the correspondences he had with religious historians across the globe, to the Catholic University of Milan. On 6 January 2012, it was announced that Ries would be created a
cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...
the next month, and was appointed
Titular Archbishop 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 '' Bellicastrum'' on 23 January 2012. He received episcopal consecration at the
parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...
of Notre-Dame de la Visitation, in Villers-Notre-Dame, Hainaut on 11 February 2012. The principal
consecrator A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches ...
was Archbishop Giacinto Berloco, Apostolic Nuncio to Belgium, assisted by Bishop Rémy Victor Vancottem of Namur and Bishop Guy Harpigny of Tournai as principal co-consecrators. Ries was created
Cardinal-Deacon A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. Ca ...
of '' Sant'Antonio di Padova a Circonvallazione Appia'' by
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 ...
in the
consistory Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church *Consistor ...
at St. Peter's Basilica on 18 February 2012. He died on 23 February 2013.


Distinctions


Orders

* : Order of the Holy Sepulchre


Academic

*
Honorary Doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...
of the Catholic University of Milan (27 October 2010) for works in philosophy and bio-ethics because of "the intricate value of his study" and his "tireless scientific and cultural activity"


Fellowships

* ''Honorary Life Member'' of the ''International Association for the History of Religions''


Other

* ''Dumas Millier prize'' of the
Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
(1986) * ''Furtado prize'' (1987) of the Académie française


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ries, Julien 1920 births 2013 deaths Belgian Roman Catholic archbishops Belgian Roman Catholic titular bishops Belgian cardinals 20th-century Belgian historians Roman Catholic titular archbishops Cardinals created by Pope Benedict XVI Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) alumni Academic staff of the Université catholique de Louvain Members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre People from Arlon Historians of religion Anthropologists of religion