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Wednesday, July 26, 2017

A NEW BOOK:
HUNGARIAN PARTICIPATION IN THE SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL

While searching for information on a nineteenth century Hungarian bishop, I came upon a preview of a book on the participation of Hungarian bishops at the Second Vatican Council: Pressed by a Double Loyalty – Hungarian Attendance at the Second Vatican Council – 1959 – 1965 by András Fejérdy. 

I read several snippets from the book, found them interesting, and purchased the book. This work provides a comprehensive and dispassionate view of the Hungarian episcopate at the Council, the motives and actions of the Hungarian government in allowing a controlled participation by certain bishops in the four sessions of the Council, including information on their escorts appointed by the Hungarian government, and the Holy See’s negotiations with the government and the part which the negotiations played in the larger Ostpolitik pursued by the Holy See.

The author includes a chronology for the period 1945 - 1975 as well as three annexes concerning the various bishops, periti, and escorts and the contributions of individual bishops to the work of the Council. 

This is the first English language work on a Central or Eastern European episcopate’s participation in the Second Vatican Council of which I am aware.  I found this to be a fascinating account of a special period in the history of the Catholic Church in Hungary and I am grateful to Dr. Fejérdy for his excellent scholarship which is so evident throughout this book. I highly recommend this book.

Monday, July 24, 2017

Roman-rite bishops belonging to the Maronite line

In the past four years, there have been several changes to the list of Roman-rite bishops who are members of the Maronite line.  Bishop Vincent Valentine Ezeonyia, C.S.Sp., of Aba, Nigeria, died in 2015.  Three new bishops – two in the Caribbean and one in Nigeria – have been ordained: Bishop Robert Anthony Llanos, Auxiliary of Port of Spain (2013), Bishop Gerard Maximin County, C.S.Sp., of Kingstown (2016), and Bishop Donatus Edet Akpan of Ogoja (2017). At present, there are thirteen Roman-rite bishops who belong to the Maronite line.  They are:

*Kelvin Edward Felix, Cardinal and Archbishop emeritus of Castries
*Edward Joseph Gilbert, C.Ss.R., Archbishop emeritus of Port of Spain
*Patrick Christopher Punder, Archbishop of Nassau
*Joseph Everard Harris, C.S.Sp., Archbishop of Port of Spain
*Gabriel Malzaire, Bishop of Roseau
*Francis Dean Alleyne, O.S.B., Bishop of Georgetown
*Charles Jason Gordon, Bishop of Bridgetown
*Ernest Mesmin Lucien Cabo, Bishop emeritus of Basse Terre et Pointe-à-Pitre
*Robert Anthony Llanos, Titular Bishop of Casae nigrae, Auxiliary of Port of Spain
*Gerard Maximin County, C.S.Sp., Bishop of Kingstown
*Joseph Effiong Ekuwem, Archbishop of Calabar
*Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, Bishop of Umuahia
*Donatus Edet Akpan, Bishop of Ogoja
Another new member of the d’Estouteville line

The d’Estouteville line gained yet another new member on June 29, 2017 with the episcopal ordination of Bishop Nazarene Soosai of Kottar, India. His principal ordaining bishop was Bishop Peter Remigius, Bishop emeritus of Kottar who was assisted by Archbishop Antony Pappusamy of Madurai and Bishop Eugene Joseph of Varnasi.  


The d’Estouteville line now has fifty-five members.  Here is the updated list:

Mariadas Kagithapu, M.S.F.S., Archbishop emeritus of Visakhapatnam
Michael Augustine, Archbishop emeritus of Pondicherry and Cuddalore
Malayappan Chinnappa, S.D.B., Archbishop emeritus of Madras and Mylapore
Francis Kallarakal, Archbishop emeritus of Verapoly
Maria Callist Soosa Packiam, Archbishop of Triandrum of the Latins
Antony Ananadarayar, Archbishop of Pondicherry and Cuddalore
Vincent Louis Marie Landel, S.C.J. de Beth., Archbishop of Rabat
Pierre Antoine Jean Bach, M.E.P., Titular Bishop of Tituli in Proconsulari and former Vicar
  Apostolic of Savannakhet, Laos
George Yod Phimphisan, C.Ss.R., Bishop emeritus of Udon Thani, Thailand
Joseph Luechai Thatwisai, Bishop of Udon Thani, Thailand
Philip Banchong Chaiyara, C.Ss.R., Bishop of Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand
Sebastian Thekethecheril, Bishop of Vijayapuram
Selvister Ponnumuthan, Bishop of Punalur
Christudas Rajappan, Titular Bishop of Avitta Bibba, Auxiliary of Trivandrum of the Latins
Mathew Cheriannkunnel, P.I.M.E., Bishop emeritus of Kurnool
Innayya Chinna Addagatla, Bishop of Srikakulam
Paul Maipan, Bishop of Khammam
Singaroyan Sebastianappan, Bishop of Salem
Edward Francis, Bishop of Sivagangai
Peter Remigius, Bishop emeritus of Kottar
Jerome Das Varuvel, S.D.B., Bishop of Kuzhithurai
Amalraj Arulappan, Bishop of Ootacamund
Soundaraj Periyanayagam, S.D.B., Bishop of Vellore
Antonysamy Francis, Bishop of Kumbakonam
Joseph Anthony Irudayaraj, S.D.B., Bishop emeritus of Dharamapuri
Devadoss Ambrose Mariadoss, Bishop of Tanjore
Antony Devotta, Bishop of Tiruchirapalli
Nazarene Soosai, Bishop of Kottar

*Bernard Aubertin, O.Cist., Archbishop of Tours
*Armand Maillard, Archbishop of Bourges
*Guy Thomazeau, Archbishop emeritus of Montpellier
*Laurent Ulrich, Archbishop of Lille
*Pierre Plateau, Archbishop emeritus of Bourges
*Hubert Barbier, Archbishop emeritus of Bourges
*Jean-Christophe Lagleize, Bishop of Metz
*Jean-Marie Le Vert, Bishop emeritus of Quimper
*Gilbert Louis, Bishop emeritus of Châlons
*Michel Pansard, Bishop of Chartres
*Alain Planet, Bishop of Carcassonne et Narbonne
*Yves Boivineau, Bishop of Annecy
*Bernard Housset, Bishop emeritus of La Rochelle
*François Jacolin, M.D.P., Bishop of Mende
*Gérard Coliche, Titular Bishop of Alet and former Auxiliary of Lille
*Antoine Henry Pierre Marie Hérouard, Titular Bishop of Maillezais and Auxiliary of Lille
*Claude-Joseph Azéma, Titular Bishop of Murcona and Auxiliary of Montpellier
*Jacques David, Bishop emeritus of Evreux
*Jean-Charles Thomas, Bishop emeritus of Versailles
*François-Mathurin Gourvès, Bishop emeritus of Vannes
*Edmond Abelé, Bishop emeritus of Digne
*Yves Bescond, Titular Bishop of Aquae Thibilitane and former Auxiliary of Meaux
*Alphonse Georger, Bishop emeritus of Oran

**Raphaël Dabiré Kusiélé, Bishop of Diébougou
**Paul Eusebius Mea Kaiuea, M.S.C., Bishop of Tarawa
**Paul Zinghtung Grawng, Archbishop emeritus of Mandalay
**Jean Baptiste Kpiéle Somé, Bishop emeritus of Diébougou

The bishops with an * are the original d'Estouteville group plus additions to their number since the combination of other lineages.  The bishops with ** are those who were previously known as the Ravizza line.