| Birth: | Sep. 17, 1926
Paris, France | | Death: | Aug. 5, 2007
Paris, France | 
Roman Catholic Cardinal. He was the first Jew elevated to the Sacred College in several hundred years. Born Aaron Lustiger to a non-observant Ashkenazic family that had emmigrated from Poland a few years earlier, he first encountered the anti-Semitism he was to spend his life fighting in school and on an early visit to Germany; with the Nazi occupation of Paris his family left their business and relocated to Orleans in 1939. Somewhere around age 12 he found a Protestant Bible in the home of a family with which he was staying and was drawn to its message; converting to Christianity he was, over parental objection, baptized into the Catholic Church on August 21, 1940, taking the name Aaron Jean-Marie. By remaining in Orleans his father escaped the Nazis but his mother returned to Paris from which she was sent to Auschwitz in 1942, eventually to die there in 1943. (As a Catholic priest Lustiger would attend Synagogue to say kaddish for her). When peace came he would be given the opportunity, along with other Jews who had converted, to reverse his baptism but he insisted that his taking of the Christian faith was sincere. He graduated from the Sorbonne with a degree in literature in 1946 and entered the Carmelite Seminary; when he was ordained on April 17, 1954, his father was in attendance though in the back of the church. From the begining of his ministry he proclaimed himself a Jew whose mitzvah was to preach the Gospel, frequently stating that "Christianity is the fruit of Judism". After serving as chaplain at the Sorbonne between 1954 and 1959 he directed the Richlieu Centre, which trains university chaplains, for the next 10 years. Appointed to the wealthy parish of Ste. Jeanne de Chantal in 1969, his innovations were well received and resulted in growth of the church. Citing her record of persecuting Jews, he opposed a 1974 move by Pope Paul VI to canonise Queen Isabella I of Spain. Consecrated a Bishop on December 8, 1979, he served in Orleans until his promotion to Archbishop of Paris in 1981. A surprising choice given his background as a parish priest, his appointment drew critisism from both Christians and Jews leading him to say that he "felt like the Crucifix was wearing a yellow star". Created a Cardinal on February 2, 1983, Lustiger was a theological conservative who opposed abortion and the ordination of women and favored clerical celibacy, obedience to papal authority, and state aid to parochial schools. Despite his traditionalist stance he did take a few liberal positions and was active in lending support to AIDS patients. A likable man on a personal level he could be tough, earning him the nickname "Bulldozer", on several occasions firing liberals and replacing them with conservatives. He had an excellent relationship with Pope John Paul II who viewed him as a fellow Pole and was often used by the Pontiff to reach out to Jews. The Cardinal spoke both Yiddish and Hebrew (Joke of the time: "What's the difference between the Cardinal of Paris and the Chief Rabbi of Paris?" "The Cardinal can speak Yiddish".), and visited Israel on several occasions; resented as a 'traitor' by some Jewish leaders he was liked and respected by many who appreciated his fight against anti-Semitism. Not afraid of controversy he celebrated a Latin Mass in an attempt to bring peace during Marcel Lefebvre's 1988 schism and that same year strongly condemned the movie "The Last Temptation of Christ". While opposed to the politics of a number of French leaders his natural amiability enabled him to work with them in building good Church-State relations; in 1998 he was presented the Nostra Aetate Award for advancing Jewish-Christian relations, though the honour was opposed by some Jews, and was a frequent guest lecturer for rabbinical students. In 2005 he represented John Paul II at the ceremony marking the sixtieth anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, and though he had retired was mentioned as a possible Papal successor. The Cardinal died of bone and lung cancer at a hospice facility; at his Roman Catholic funeral his casket was covered by a flag bearing the Magen David, the Psalms were read in Hebrew, and the mourner's kaddish was recited. Of trying to live in two religious camps, he said: "I was born Jewish, and so I remain, even if that is unacceptable for many. For me, the vocation of Israel is bringing light to the goyim". (bio by: Bob Hufford)
Search Amazon for Jean-Marie Lustiger | | | Burial:
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris
Paris
Paris
Ile-de-France, France |
Maintained by: Find A Grave
Originally Created by: Bob Hufford
Record added: Jun 21, 2008
Find A Grave Memorial# 27715886 |
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Bob Hufford
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It Was You, O God, Who Made Your Servant Cardinal Lustiger, A Successor Of The Apostles By Raising Him To The Episcopal Order. May He Also Be Associated With Them Forever. We Ask This Through Our Lord, Jesus Christ, Your Son. Amen.
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Eman Bonnici
Added: Nov. 9, 2012 |
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