René Laurentin

René Laurentin (1996)

René Laurentin (born October 19, 1917 in Tours , † September 10, 2017 in Évry ) was a French Catholic priest , theologian and Mariologist .

Life

Laurentin's parents were the architect Maurice Laurentin and his wife Maria. After graduating from school, he entered the seminary in Paris in October 1934 . In his studies he specialized in Thomas Aquinas . In 1938 he received a degree in philosophy from the Sorbonne . The subsequent study of theology was interrupted by military service. Laurentin served as an officer in the French army during World War II . He was a prisoner of war in Germany. During his imprisonment he took courses in Hebrew and Mariology at the camp university of his officers' camp (Oflag) .

After the war, Laurentin continued his studies, passed the exams and was ordained a priest on December 8, 1946 (Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary) . In 1952 he was at the Sorbonne with a philosophical thesis on “Mary - Church - Priesthood. Attempt on the Development of a Religious Idea ”. With the second, theological part of this work, he received his doctorate in theology from the Catholic Institute in Paris in 1953 . In 1955 Laurentin became full professor of theology at the Université Catholique de l'Ouest in Angers . At the same time he gave courses in mariology with the Franciscans and in 1962 became vice-president of the French mariological study society. In the same year he was called in as an expert in the negotiations of the Second Vatican Council , after having participated as a consultor in the preparatory work since 1960. Essential parts of the council's dogmatic statements on Mary were drafted by him. At the same time Laurentin examined numerous Marian apparitions . He worked as a correspondent for the newspaper Le Figaro and wrote many articles and commentaries on Vatican II and the election of Pope Paul VI. He made the council the subject of his own scientific research.

Because of his high reputation, Laurentin has been consulted on the Marian apparitions in Lourdes , Fátima , Pontmain and others around the world. He published numerous works on Marian apparitions. He started from a theological approach (not a religious-scientific or psychological one) in order to be able to describe the essence of the matter.

René Laurentin in the "La Solitude" convent in Évry (1996)

Laurentin was involved in the beatification process for Yvonne-Aimée de Jésus (Yvonne Beauvais, 1901–1951), which has since been canceled , and published eight volumes on this mystic . Laurentin has worked as a visiting scholar at numerous universities in Italy and the USA. He has published numerous articles and made appearances on radio and television. He was received in audience several times by the Popes and asked for advice. Laurentin was a member of the Papal International Theological Commission and the French editorship of the international theological journal Concilium . He wrote numerous books, including biographers of saints, and published on the alleged apparitions of Mary in Medjugorje . In this, as in many other cases ( Vassula Ryden , Scottsdale / Arizona, Saint Nicolas / Argentina) Laurentin campaigned for the church to recognize the authenticity of the apparitions.

Laurentin last lived in the “La Solitude” convent of the contemplative sisters of the “ Notre Dame de Sion ” congregation in Évry.

honors and awards

• In 1996 Laurentin received the Catholic Culture Prize .
• The Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques in Paris has been awarding the “Prix René Laurentin per Christo ” prize for a christological work every two years since 2000 .
• Officer of the Legion of Honor
• Broquette Gonin Prize for History from the Académie française

Works

Selection of French works

• La Question Mariale , (1963).
• Vie de Bernadette , (1978).
• Vie authentique de Catherine Labouré , (1981).
• Les Évangiles de l'enfance du Christ , (1983).
• Petite vie de Catherine Labouré , (1984).
• Petite vie de Jean-Baptiste , (1993).
• Scottsdale: Messages du Christ et de Marie à une paroisse des États-Unis , (1993).
• Marie, clé du mystère chrétien , (1994).
• Je crois en Dieu , (1995).
• Le demon, mythe ou réalité? (1995).
• Multiplication des apparitions de la Vierge aujourd'hui , (1995).
• Un Avent avec Marie vers l'an 2000 , (1996).
• Vie authentique de Jésus Christ , (1996).
• L'Esprit Saint, cet inconnu , (1997).
• Dieu notre père , (1998).
• L'Esprit Saint, source de vie , (1998).
• La Trinité mystère et lumière , (1999).
• Traité sur la Trinité , (2000).
• Découverte du secret de La Salette , (2002).
• Lourdes, récit authentique des apparitions , (2002).
• Nouveau Diatessaron , (2002).
• Marie Deluil-Martiny , (2003).
• Mémoires. Chemin vers la lumière , (2005). Memories.
• Petite vie de Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort , (2005).

German-language monographs

• The sense of Lourdes, Lucerne 1958.
• The Marian Question, Freiburg i. Br. 1965.
• Mother of Jesus, mother of men. Understanding Marian Teaching after the Council, Limburg 1967.
• Structure and theology of the Lukan childhood story, Stuttgart 1967.
• The new demands of love, Graz 1971.
• The life of Bernadette. The Saint of Lourdes, Düsseldorf 1979.
• The events of Medjugorje. An investigation (with Ljudevit Rupcic), Graz 1985.
• Medical examinations in Medjugorje (with Henri Joyeux), Graz 1986.
• God alone. Ludwig Maria Grignion von Montfort and his Marian secret, Vallendar 1988.
• Romanesque Madonnas (with Raymond Oursel), Würzburg 1989.
• A call from Mary in Argentina. San Nicolas. Apparitions accepted by the Church. A return that goes beyond the borders of Latin America, Hauteville / Switzerland 1992.
• 14 years of apparitions. Prayer, conversions, humanitarian aid. A movement that is stronger than the war. Last news from Medjugorje, Hauteville / Switzerland 1995.
• When God gives signs. For the assessment of Vassula and many others, Hauteville / Switzerland 1996.
• The Devil - Myth or Reality? The teaching and experiences of Christ and the Church, Hauteville / Switzerland 1996.
• God our father. Beyond the “fatherless society”, Hauteville / Switzerland 1999.
• Yvonne-Aimée de Jésus. Story of a great love (with Bernard Billet), Stein am Rhein 2000.
• The Trinity. Urgrund, archetype and original goal of all love, Hauteville / Switzerland 2002.

Web links

• Literature by and about René Laurentin in the catalog of the German National Library
• Article about René Laurentin from the "Daily Catholic"
• Description of the 'Prix René Laurentin per Christo' .
• Catholic Culture Prize
• http://www.renelaurentin.com (fr)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento from September 11, 2017 in the Internet Archive )
2. ^ Theologian and Lourdes expert René Laurentin has died. kath.net from September 13, 2017