Léon-Arthur Elchinger par Claude Truong-Ngoc 1980

Léon-Arthur Elchinger (2 July 1908, in

Soufflenheim Soufflenheim (; german: Sufflenheim; gsw-FR, Süfflum), is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It is known for its pottery, being known as the ''Cité des Potiers''. History The forested area of Northern ...

– 30 June 1998, in

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

) was the Bishop of Strasbourg from 1967 to 1984.

Diploma

Ph.D A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

Theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and in Scholasticism philosophia *

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

Career in the Order

* 1931: Ordained

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played 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 deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

in April, then nominated professor and director at the theological seminary in

* 1938: Military chaplain in Strasbourg * 1941: Nominated Senior of the theological seminary of Strasbourg; withdrawn back to

Clermont-Ferrand Clermont-Ferrand (, ; ; oc, label=Auvergnat (dialect), Auvergnat, Clarmont-Ferrand or Clharmou ; la, Augustonemetum) is a city and Communes of France, commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions of France, region, with a population ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

* 1945: Nominated Diocesan director of the catholic pedagogy of Strasbourg * 1947: Nominated Canon of the Strasbourg Cathedral * 1958: Nominated ancillary

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

and coadjutor Mgr Weber * 1962–1965: Participated in the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...

; made a notable intercession on behalf of the rehabilitation of

Galileo Galilei Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced (, ). He was ...

* 1967: Nominated

of Strasbourg * 1984: Resigned as Bishop of Strasbourg, being replaced by Msgr. Charles-Amarin Brand * 1984–1998: Very active during his retirement, he wrote several books and appeared often in the news media. He died two days before his 90th birthday.

Bibliography

*By Léon-Arthur Elchinger : ** ''Urgence du vrai, Cri d'un évêque'' - Mame, collection Religion ** ''Je plaide pour l'homme'' - Fayard, collection Religion ** ''Liberté d'un Evêque'' - Centurion **'' David contre Goliath aujourd'hui'' - Fayard, collection Christianime **'' Risquer la vérité, les racines de l'avenir'' - Fayard, collection Christianime ** ''L'âme de l'Alsace et son avenir'' - La Nuée Bleue ** ''Paroles pour la France'' - Salvator

Controversy

In April 1981, Elchinger remarked at a press conference, "I consider homosexuality a sickness." This prompted the concentration camp deportee, Pierre Seel, to write an open letter to the Bishop on 18 November, and to speak publicly for the first time about his experiences and wartime abuses he had faced as a homosexual.

External links

*
Mgr Elchinger by Yeshoua RASH 1979
*
Mgr ELCHINGER by the Grand Rabbi René GUTMAN, 1998
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elchinger, Leon Arthur 1908 births 1998 deaths People from Bas-Rhin People from Alsace-Lorraine Bishops of Strasbourg Participants in the Second Vatican Council 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in France

Diploma

Career in the Order

Bibliography

Controversy

See also

External links