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Henri Schwery

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His Eminence
Henri Schwery
Cardinal
Bishop of Sion
Church Roman Catholic
Diocese Sion
Appointed 22 July 1977
Term ended 1 April 1995
Predecessor François-Nestor Adam
Successor Norbert Brunner
Other post Cardinal Priest of Santi Protomartiri a Via Aurelia Antica (1991–2021)
Previous post President of the Swiss Bishops' Conference (1983–1988)
Orders
Ordination 7 July 1957
by François-Nestor Adam
Consecration 17 September 1977
by François-Nestor Adam
Created cardinal 28 June 1991
by Pope John Paul II
Rank Cardinal priest
Personal details
Born Henri Schwery
14 June 1932
Saint-Léonard, Switzerland
Died 7 January 2021 (aged 88)
Home Le Carillon, Saint-Léonard, Switzerland
Motto Spiritus Domini gaudium et spes
('The Spirit of the Lord, [our] joy and hope')

Henri Schwery (14 June 1932 – 7 January 2021) was a Swiss prelate of the Catholic Church who was Bishop of Sion from 1977 to 1995. He was raised to the rank of cardinal in 1991.[1]

Early life and ordination

Born in St-Léonard, Valais, Schwery studied mathematics, theoretical physics, Catholic theology, and philosophy in Sion, Rome, and Fribourg. On 7 July 1957 he was ordained a priest.

Professor and bishop

From 1961 to 1977, Schwery was part of the theological faculty of Sion, which he headed from 1972 to 1977.

Pope Paul VI appointed Schwery the Bishop of Sion on 22 July 1977.[2] On 17 September 1977, he was consecrated a bishop by his predecessor as Bishop of Sion, François-Nestor Adam.[3] He was president of the Swiss Bishops Conference from 1983 to 1988.[4]

In his diocese in June 1988, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre consecrated four bishops without papal approval. Schwery called for church unity when others clamored to call it a schism.[5]

Cardinal

On 28 June 1991, Pope John Paul II named Schwery a member of the College of Cardinals,[6] assigning him as a cardinal-priest to Santi Protomartiri a Via Aurelia Antica.[7] On 25 July 1991, Pope John Paul made him a member of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Congregation for the Clergy.[8]

During March of that year, he paid his respects when Lefebvre died, making a quiet visit to pray over his body alongside the Apostolic Nuncio to Switzerland Edoardo Rovida.[9]

Pope John Paul accepted his resignation as Bishop of Sion on 1 April 1995 when he was 62. He had submitted his resignation citing health problems.[10] Schwery was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2005 papal conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI.

He died at a retirement home in St-Léonard on 7 January 2021.[5]

References

  1. Back to citation "Pope Francis sends condolences for death of Cardinal Schwery – Vatican News". Vaticannews. 8 January 2021.
  2. Back to citation Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. LXIX. 1977. p. 680. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  3. Back to citation Henri Cardinal Schwery on catholic-hierarchy.org [self-published]
  4. Back to citation Schwery, Card. Henri, Holy See Press Office. Retrieved 9 April 2007
  5. Back to citation occurrence 5.0 Back to citation occurrence 5.1 "Décès du cardinal valaisan Henri Schwery". Tribune de Genève (in French). 7 January 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  6. Back to citation "Cardinals Named by Pope". The New York Times. 30 May 1991. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  7. Back to citation Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. LXXXIII. 1991. p. 630. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  8. Back to citation Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). Vol. LXXXIII. 1991. pp. 785–6. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  9. Back to citation "Funeral for excommunicated Archbishop Lefebvre". UPI. 2 April 1991. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  10. Back to citation "Death of Valais cardinal Henri Schwery". France 24. 7 January 2021. Archived from the original on 7 January 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2021.