Henri de Lubac facts for kids
Quick facts for kids His Eminence Henri de Lubac SJ |
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| Cardinal-Deacon of Santa Maria in Domnica | |
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| Church | Latin Church |
| Appointed | 2 February 1983 |
| Reign ended | 4 September 1991 |
| Predecessor | Alfredo Ottaviani |
| Successor | Luigi Poggi |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 22 August 1927 |
| Created Cardinal | 2 February 1983 |
| Rank | Cardinal-Deacon |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Henri-Marie Joseph Sonier de Lubac |
| Born | 20 February 1896 Cambrai, France |
| Died | 4 September 1991 (aged 95) Paris, France |
| Nationality | French |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Occupation | Jesuit priest/theologian |
Henri de Lubac (born February 20, 1896 – died September 4, 1991) was a very important French Jesuit priest and cardinal. He is known as one of the most influential theologians of the 20th century. His ideas and studies were very important in shaping the Second Vatican Council, a major meeting of the Catholic Church.
Contents
Early Life and Studies
Henri de Lubac was born in Cambrai, France, into an old noble family. He was one of six children. His father was a banker, and his mother stayed at home. In 1898, his family moved to the Lyon area, where Henri went to school with the Jesuits.
When he was 17, in 1913, de Lubac joined the Society of Jesus in Lyon. Because of laws against the Church in France, the Jesuit training center had moved to England. Henri studied there before joining the French army in 1914. This was when World War I began.
He was wounded in the head in 1917. This injury caused him to have dizziness and headaches for the rest of his life. After the war ended in 1919, de Lubac went back to studying with the Jesuits. He studied philosophy in England and Jersey.
He taught at a Jesuit college in France from 1923 to 1924. Then, he returned to England to study theology for four years. In 1926, his college moved back to Lyon, France. He finished his studies there and became a priest on August 22, 1927.
Professor and Theologian
| Styles of Henri de Lubac |
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| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
In 1929, de Lubac became a professor of fundamental theology at the Catholic University of Lyon. He taught there for many years, until 1961. There were two times he had to stop teaching.
The first time was during World War II, when he had to go into hiding. This was because he was helping the French Resistance against the Nazis. The second time was from 1950 to 1958, when the Jesuit leaders, under pressure from Rome, removed him from his teaching job.
In the 1930s, de Lubac taught and did a lot of research. His first book, Catholicisme, was published in 1938. In 1940, he started a series called Sources Chrétiennes ("Christian Sources"). This series published old Christian texts and writings from the early Church Fathers. It helped people study these important historical documents.
Resisting the Nazis
During World War II, de Lubac joined a group that resisted the Nazis. He helped publish a secret newspaper called Témoignage chrétien (Christian Testimony). This paper showed that Christian beliefs were against the ideas of the Nazi government.
De Lubac often had to hide from the Germans. Some of his friends who worked on the newspaper were caught and killed. Even while hiding, he continued to study and write.
After the war ended in 1944, de Lubac came out of hiding. He published many important books. Some of these books he had started before the war. These books included Corpus Mysticum, Le Drame de l'humanisme athée, and Surnaturel: Études historiques.
"The Dark Years"
In 1950, de Lubac and four other professors were removed from their teaching jobs. This happened because of pressure from Church leaders in Rome. They were told that their ideas contained "harmful errors on important points of faith."
Two months later, Pope Pius XII issued an important letter called Humani generis. Many people believed this letter was aimed at de Lubac and other theologians. These theologians were part of a movement called the nouvelle théologie (new theology). This movement wanted to bring back old Church teachings and connect them with modern ideas.
De Lubac called this time "the dark years." It lasted for almost ten years. He was not allowed to return to Lyon until 1956. He could not teach his old courses again until 1958.
Even though everything he wrote during these years was checked by Rome, he kept studying and writing. During this time, he published books about Origen (an early Christian writer) and Buddhism. He also wrote Méditations sur l'Église (1953), which greatly influenced a key document of the Second Vatican Council.
Return to Acceptance
De Lubac's important study, Exégèse médiévale (1959–1965), helped people become interested again in the spiritual meaning of the Bible. It also helped develop covenantal theology, which looks at God's agreements with humanity.
Before and during the Second Vatican Council, de Lubac also began to write and publish books defending the ideas of his friend, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. Teilhard de Chardin was another Jesuit whose ideas had been criticized by Rome.
Second Vatican Council
In August 1960, Pope John XXIII asked de Lubac to be an advisor for the upcoming Second Vatican Council. He then became a peritus (a theological expert) for the council itself. Later, Pope Paul VI made him a member of the council's Theological Commission.
De Lubac's writings had a big impact on the council. He especially influenced how the Church understood itself. He believed the Church was the community of all God's people, not just the clergy (priests and bishops). His ideas helped shape two important council documents: Lumen gentium (about the Church) and Gaudium et spes (about the Church in the modern world).
Later Years and Cardinalate
In 1969, Pope Paul VI wanted to make de Lubac a cardinal. However, de Lubac did not want to become a bishop, which was usually required for cardinals. He felt it would be wrong for him. So, Pope Paul VI made another Jesuit, Jean Daniélou, a cardinal instead.
After the Second Vatican Council, some people started to see de Lubac as a "conservative theologian." This was different from his earlier reputation as a progressive thinker. In 1972, de Lubac, along with Joseph Ratzinger (who later became Pope Benedict XVI), started a journal called Communio. This journal became known for its more traditional theological views.
In 1983, Pope John Paul II again offered to make de Lubac a cardinal. This time, the Pope said de Lubac did not have to become a bishop. De Lubac accepted, becoming the first cardinal since 1962 who was not a bishop. On February 2, 1983, at 87 years old, he became a Cardinal Deacon. He was the oldest living cardinal on May 24, 1990. Henri de Lubac died in Paris in 1991.
Possible Canonization
On March 31, 2023, the French Catholic bishops voted to start the process for Cardinal de Lubac to become a saint. This is because of his important influence on Catholic theology. If the Vatican agrees, he will be given the title "Servant of God."
See also
In Spanish: Henri de Lubac para niños
