Louis Pelâtre

Contents

Louis-Armel Pelâtre, A.A. (12 May 1940 – 20 August 2026) was a French Roman Catholic prelate who served as Vicar Apostolic of Istanbul from 1992 until his retirement in 2016 and was titular bishop of Sasima.[1]

Early life and priesthood

Pelâtre was born in Pancé, Ille-et-Vilaine, France, on 12 May 1940. He joined the Augustinians of the Assumption and made his religious profession on 15 September 1962. He was ordained a priest on 24 May 1969 as a member of the order.[1] Pelâtre subsequently served as an Assumptionist missionary in Turkey, where he became involved in the pastoral ministry of the Catholic community.[2]

Episcopate

On 9 July 1992, Pope John Paul II appointed Pelâtre Vicar Apostolic of Istanbul and titular bishop of Sasima.[3]

The appointment was recorded in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis, where Pelâtre is listed as titular Bishop of Sasima and Vicar Apostolic of Istanbul.[4] He was consecrated a bishop on 13 September 1992 at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Istanbul. The principal consecrator was Archbishop Sergio Sebastiani, with Archbishop Hovhannes Tcholakian and Archbishop Antónios Varthalítis, A.A., serving as co-consecrators.[1]

Pelâtre served as Vicar Apostolic of Istanbul for almost 24 years. In 1999, he was also appointed as apostolic administrator of the Greek Catholic Apostolic Exarchate of Istanbul.[1] During his episcopate, Pelâtre was an important Catholic representative in Turkey and participated in relations between the Catholic Church and other Christian communities.[2]

Retirement

On 16 April 2016, Pope Francis accepted Pelâtre's resignation from the pastoral government of the Apostolic Vicariate of Istanbul, in accordance with canon 401 §1 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law. He was succeeded as vicar apostolic by the Franciscan priest Rubén Tierrablanca González, who was also appointed apostolic administrator of the exarchate for Byzantine-rite Catholics in Turkey.[5] After his retirement, Pelâtre retained the title of Vicar Apostolic Emeritus of Istanbul and titular Bishop of Sasima.[1]

Death

Pelâtre died in Istanbul on 20 August 2026 at the age of 86.[6][2]

References

  1. 1.[1.2][1.3][1.4][1.5]"Bishop Louis Pelâtre, A.A." Catholic-Hierarchy.org. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  2. 2.[2.2][2.3]"Décès de Mgr Louis-Armel Pelâtre, A.A." Augustinians of the Assumption. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  3. 3."Istanbul: nomination d'un vicaire apostolique". Cath.ch. 20 July 1992. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  4. 4.Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. 85. Holy See. 1993. p. 444.
  5. 5."Rinunce e nomine". Vatican Press Office. 16 April 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  6. 6."Lutto nell'episcopato". L’Osservatore Romano. 21 August 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.