Jacques Gaillot
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| Denomination | Roman Catholic Church |
| Senior posting | |
| See | Partenia |
| Title | Titular Bishop of Partenia |
| Period in office | 1995–present |
| Consecration | 7 September 1986 |
| Predecessor | José Luis Lacunza Maestrojuán |
| Successor | Incumbent |
| Religious career | |
| Priestly ordination | 1961 |
| Previous bishoprics | Bishop of Évreux |
| Previous post | Bishop |
| Personal | |
| Date of birth | 11 September 1935 |
| Place of birth | Saint-Dizier, Champagne |
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Jacques Gaillot |
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Bishop Jacques Jean Edmond Georges Gaillot (born September 11, 1935; pronunciation ; generally known in French as Monseigneur Gaillot) is a French Catholic clergyman and social activist. In 1995, he was demoted to titular bishop of Partenia, an extinct diocese, for having expressed too loudly, in the view of his hierarchy, liberal positions on political and social matters. He was from 1982 to 1995 bishop of Évreux in France.
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[edit] Education and early career
Jacques Gaillot was born in Saint-Dizier in Champagne. As a teenager, he already desired to become a priest. After his secondary studies, he entered the seminary in Langres.
From 1957 to 1959, he did his military service in Algeria during the war of independence.
From 1960 to 1962 he was sent to Rome to complete his studies in theology and get his bachelor's degree. He was ordained a priest in 1961.
From 1962 to 1964, he was sent to the Higher Institute for Liturgy in Paris, while teaching at the major seminary in Châlons-en-Champagne.
From 1965, he was a Professor at the regional seminary of Reims. He chaired many sessions to implement the orientations of the Second Vatican Council.
In 1973, he was appointed to the parish of St Dizier, his hometown, while becoming co-manager of the institute for the training of the educators of the clergy (IFEC) in Paris.
In 1977, he was appointed vicar general of the diocese of Langres. In 1981, he was elected vicar capitular. In May 1982, he was appointed bishop of Évreux.
[edit] Media attention and controversy
As soon as Bishop Gaillot had taken place in Évreux he began to engage in activities that may be said to have cost him his position. During his first Easter message he wrote: "Christ died outside the walls as he was born outside the walls. If we are to see the light, the sun, of Easter, we ourselves must go outside the walls." Following this he then stated that: "I'm not here to convince the convinced or take care of the well. I'm here to support the ill and offer a hand to the lost. Does a bishop remain in his cathedral or does he go into the street?. . .I made my choice." Within months Gaillot had begun to act on his word.
In 1983, he supported a conscientious objector before the court in Évreux. During the yearly assembly of the episcopate, he was one of the two bishops (of a total of 110) voting against the episcopate's text on nuclear deterrence, which supported having nuclear arms as a legitimate deterrent.
In 1984 he angered numerous Catholic authorities by refusing to support the movement in defence of French parochial schools.
In 1985, he supported the First Intifada in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and met Yasser Arafat in Tunis. He was invited to the United Nations for a special session on disarmament. The first amount of considerable media attention paid to Gaillot came in January 1985 when he signed an appeal on behalf of underpaid Catholic school teachers, also signing the appeal was Georges Marchais, the head of the French Communist Party, this proved to be highly controversial, bringing about the start of a right wing campaign against Bishop Gaillot, within his own diocese Le Figaro spear heading the campaign. At this point Bishop Gaillot was described as being "A tool of the church's worst enemies".
In 1987, he went to South Africa to meet a young anti-apartheid militant from Évreux sentenced to 4 years in prison by the South African régime, there he appeared at a demonstration with Communist militants. In order to accomplish this trip, he had to renounce going with the diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes, a move that attracted criticism. Further, in the same year he also announced that the French Bishops "remain too preoccupied by the correct functioning of the church and its structures." This only ensured that the responses to Gaillot when he later attacked the right wing French political party the National Front were even stronger. Also in 1987 Gaillot traveled to Athens to show solidarity with a boatload of Palestinian refugees. However, perhaps the most notable event he performed in 1987 was attending a session of the United Nations in New York to speak out for disarmament.
In 1988, during a closed-door session of the assembly in Lourdes, he advocated the ordination of married men to the priesthood. After the proceedings had finished Gaillot spoke to the press about the discussions held, and also promoted his viewpoints, in doing this he broke the secrecy of the conclave, by promoting a revision of clerical celibacy and the use of condoms he caused considerable tension with the French bishops' conference. He later defended his previous actions remarking that "I never broke the of celibacy ... I only questioned it. But that's worse." Also in 1988 Gaillot took the unprecedented step for a Roman Catholic bishop of blessing a homosexual union in a "service of welcoming", after they requested it in view of their imminent death as a consequence of AIDS, this is still considered to be one of the most controversial acts that Gaillot ever did.
In 1989, he participated in a trip to French Polynesia organized by the peace movement, asking for the end to French nuclear testing. He also participated in the ceremony of the transfer of the ashes of the late bishop Baptiste-Henri Grégoire (1750-1831) to the Panthéon, a necropolis for the great men of France. Grégoire had been instrumental in the first abolition of slavery, and the end of discrimination against the Blacks and the Jews during the French Revolution; the hierarchy of the Catholic Church had refused to give him the last sacraments because of Grégoire's acceptance of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy. Gaillot was the only French bishop participating in this ceremony. By this stage in his career Bishop Gaillot had earnt an impressive reputation, both positive and negative, the French journalist, Henri Tincq, writing in Le Monde that "[Bishop Gaillot] has the merit of saying out loud what many people in authority in the church think down deep."
Throughout 1989 Gaillot began to cause considerable tension within the French Bishops' Conference, to the extent that the members of the episcopate voted to censure him. This disciplinary action came after Gaillot gave an interview to the publication Lui, the French equivalent of Playboy. Furthermore, he also gave interviews to leading gay magazines, and lambasted the incompetence of the Roman Catholic heirarchy to judge the circumstances of homosexuality. At this point the bishop offered his resignation to the pope should he feel it necessary to remove him, however no such action was taken.
Toward late 1989 he attempted concillatory movements, conceding to Cardinal Decourtray, signing an agreement in which he promised "loyalty" and "docility" to the pope. This agreement did not last long however, within a week Gaillot had distanced himself from the majority of other bishops by appearing on television to criticise the "feeble state of internal debate in the church" and express his feelings of grief that progress had not been made since the Second Vatican Council.
In 1991, he opposed the Gulf War, publishing a book called Open letter to those who preach war, but let it be waged by others. He condemned the embargo on Iraq. By the end of 1991 the French Bishops' Conference had censured Gaillot three times, most recently for his intervention in Haiti, rousing support for Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
Bishop Gaillot also caused controversy with a number of other actions. He was frequently condemned by others for his numerous television appearances, but justified them by claiming that if people still found a Bishop interesting, then they clearly still found the church interesting.
As well as this Bishop Gaillot also took a lenient stance with regard to abortion, claiming he was not qualified to judge a woman who found herself in such a scenario. He is considered to be a foremost theologian fighting for Theological reform in numerous fields of church thinking, including; abortion, homosexuality and contraception.
By midspring 1994 Archbishop Joseph Duval of Rouen, the President of the French Bishops' Conference was attempting to convince Gaillot to cease in his actions, however Gaillot responded by withdrawing his offer of resignation, desiring that the scenario not be reduced to the same response given by the Vatican in the case of Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen.
At the height of the controversy that Bishop Gaillot caused during his tenure as Ordinary of Évreux he was the cynosure of a bitter campaign to disparge his name, unsubstantiated allegations of homosexuality, of racism and anti-Semitism, of psychosis and neurosis were all made by highly placed authorities in the French clergy. [1] That said, Bishop Gaillot did not receive insult without countering and remarking on his contemporaries. Gaillot had branded Archbishop Duval an "ayatollah" seeking to impose "ideological uniformity" within the French Bishops' Conference. Further, he also compared the leadership style of Cardinal Gantin to those of the East German political police the Stasi.
His reputation had by 1995 earnt him the nickname of The Red Cleric, reflecting his impertinent activities and unorthodox stances. [2] Testament to Gaillot's strong yearning to reach out to the 'exiled' is the fact that by the time he left office at the Diocese of Évreux he had visited more prisons than any bishop in France's history, this was merely a part of Gaillot's portfolio of unorthodox activities.
[edit] Removal from Évreux
In 1995, Jacques Gaillot was summoned to a meeting with Bernardin Cardinal Gantin, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops on January 13 at Vatican City. He was offered the choice of resigning his see, in which case he would become emeritus bishop of Evreux, or being removed from the see, in which case he would simply be the ex-bishop of Evreux, though retaining his titular see of Partenia. Gaillot chose not to resign, he left the Vatican and returned to France to give a press conference, providing one short press release to explain the events:
Cardinal Gantin, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, summoned me to be in Rome on January 12, 1995 at 9:30 am. The threats that were hanging over me for a while came into effect. I had met the deadline. I was told that I had been removed from my function as bishop and that the See of Evreux would be declared vacant starting tomorrow from noon onwards. I was asked to hand in my resignation, which I thought I had good reasons to refuse.
– Bishop Jacques Gaillot, Diocese of Partenia
The See of Partenia, now located in the desert of Algeria, has not existed in reality since the 5th century when it was in Mauritania. This function is a kind of sinecure with no pastoral responsibilities. Gaillot still continues to reach out however, this time on the internet, as a "virtual bishop".
This removal sparked an emotional response from thousands of people across France and the rest of the world. Twenty thousand people attended Bishop Gaillot's last mass at the Cathedral in Évreux and stayed on the streets protesting the Vatican's decision, including Gaillot's own mother. The choice to remove Bishop Gaillot as ordinary of Évreux was widely seen as mistake by both lay people and clergy, and also many non religious people who had heard of Gaillot. After his removal a reported fourty thousand people wrote letters to the Vatican and eminent prelates. Many considered the action taken against Gaillot to be too harsh, he was perceived favourably by a significant number of people, particularly due to his ministry to all people without distinction, and became a national figure after the sanctions taken against him.[3]
[edit] After Évreux
After being removed from his position as prelate of Évreux by the Vatican, Bishop Gaillot wrote the following comment:
| “ | I had a dream: to be able to accompany the poor, the excluded, the ignored, without having to explain myself or justify myself to the rich, the secure, or the comfortable. To be able to go where distress calls me without having to give advance notice. To be able to show my indignation at destitution, injustice, violence, the sale of weapons, and managed famines without being considered a meddler in politics.
I dreamed of being able to live my faith within the church, but also in society, in my time and with my times. I dreamed of the freedom to think and express myself, to debate and criticise, without fear of the guillotine. I dreamed of the being different within the unity of faith, and remaining myself, alone and yet in solidarity with others. Ultimately, I hoped to be able to proclaim a Gospel of freedom without being marginalised. |
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— Jacques Gaillot, Voice From The Desert
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After leaving the Bishop's Palace, Gaillot immidiately moved in with illegal squatters in Paris' infamous Rue de Dragon street, since then he has shown similar solidarity with the homeless. Bishop Gaillot continues to defend human rights and engage in activism, regularly publishing information about his activities on the website of Partenia.
He remains active as a pastor to the excluded and travels throughout France, and also internationally spreading the word of the Christian Gospel and defending those who are considered "outcasts", namely immigrants. He is an avid anti war protester and is considered by many to be a strong socialist. Jacques Gaillot had a strong friendship with Abbé Pierre.
In 1995, after his removal as Bishop of Évreux, Gaillot attended a Call to Action conference in Detroit as one of the keynote speakers. He held three sessions, proving to be very popular despite speaking through a translator. He hosted the conference alongside other controversial Catholic Theologians including Professor Hans Küng and Bishop Thomas Gumbleton. [4]
Gaillot has been so active in his beliefs that he has had to be stopped by the Vatican on numerous occasions, including one time when he was given a direct order by Pope John Paul II to avoid a conference in Italy about homosexuality. [5]
On World Youth Day, in Bonn, 2004, Cardinal Joachim Meisner of Cologne invoked Canon 763, which allows a bishop to prevent another bishop speaking in his diocese for a grave reason, to ban Gaillot from addressing a session of the event on the topic of "Being a Christian in the Third Millennium: A Faith which has Hope".[6]
Furthermore, Gaillot has also taken position as a well know public figure in France, fighting for a number of causes. One notable example of this is the fact that Bishop Gaillot serves as the co - chairman of one of France's foremost Human Rights activist groups; 'Droits Devant' (Rights First).
Jacques Gaillot has written over a dozen books; one of them, A cry on exclusion (Coup de gueule contre l'exclusion) got much media attention. The book criticized the French laws on immigration proposed by the then minister of the Interior, Charles Pasqua. This book was the justification for his demotion by the Catholic hierarchy. Another book released shortly after his demotion was "Voice From the Desert: A Bishop's Cry for a New Church". This book was mainly an autobiographical text discussing events surrounding his demotion.
[edit] Consequences for the Church
The controversy surrounding Bishop Gaillot during the 1990s highlighted the deep rifts already present in the Catholic Church, on an international level, but notably within France. Many Americans Catholic sources took sides in the Gaillot affair, newspapers such as the National Catholic Reporter chosing to report favourably of the bishop, however other sources such as EWTN responding to the ordeal in a more negative manner, chosing to associate Bishop Gaillot with heresy, and describing his appointment as a "terrible mistake". [7]
[edit] Quotes
- "The Gospel is where I learnt that love is stronger than law."
- "The church must be where there is need, and homosexuals have suffered innumerable discriminations. If the church doesn't free people from oppression, what purpose does it serve?"
- "We are in the situation of people who hold the key, but will not open the door."
- "I think that too much emphasis is put on the pope and the papacy. I firmly believe the reform will come from grassroots movements, not the heirachy."
- "If we take as our starting point the poor, everything will be renewed - liturgy, catechism, the life of the church. It changes the way we think, pray, our very lifestyle. But if we take as our starting point the Status Quo, we will never be able to catch up with the Good News."
- "Rejection by others, community withdrawal, refusal of differences, fears and shame of oneself: all this must fought by dialogue and new legislative rules."
- "While the church often appears allied with the Right, the gospel is not neutral"
- "The church is too linked to a certain level of social wealth ... The poor are tolerated but not: permitted to take responsibility or make decisions [because] they don't have the knowledge or the diplomas. Let's gamble more audaciously. Let the poor become conscious of their rights, dignity, and citizenship in the church. Let them appropriate the gospel. They don't need us as their spokesmen."
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Official site of the See of Partenia
- Biography of Jacques Gaillot, in French
- Biographical article about Gaillot printed in National Catholic Reporter
- Bishop Gaillot's speech at the Call to Action Conference
- Interview with Bishop Gaillot
- Biographical article about Bishop Gaillot
- Biographical article about Bishop Gaillot - Analysis of Events
- Official site of Droits Devant - in French
