| His Eminence Jean-Louis Tauran |
|
|---|---|
| President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue Cardinal Protodeacon |
|
| Enthroned | 1 September 2007 (4 years, 174 days) |
| Reign ended | Incumbent |
| Predecessor | Paul Poupard |
| Other posts | Secretary for Relations with States (1990-2003) Librarian of the Holy Roman Church (2003-2007) Archivist of the Holy Roman Church (2003-2007) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 20 September 1969 |
| Consecration | 6 January 1991 |
| Created Cardinal | 21 October 2003 |
| Rank | Cardinal Deacon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 April 1943 Bordeaux, France |
Jean-Louis Pierre Tauran (born 3 April 1943) is a French Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue in the Roman Curia, was elevated to the cardinalate in 2003, and is the current Cardinal Protodeacon.
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Born in Bordeaux, Tauran studied at the Pontifical Gregorian University (from where he earned licentiates in philosophy and theology, and in 1973 his Doctorate in Canon Law) and Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in Rome, and the Catholic Institute in Toulouse. He was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Marius Maziers on 20 September 1969, and worked as a curate in the Archdiocese of Bordeaux before entering the Vatican's diplomatic service in 1975. He was secretary of the nunciatures to the Dominican Republic (1975–1978) and to Lebanon (1979–1983). Tauran became an official of the Council for the Public Affairs of the Church in 1983, and then participated in special missions in Haiti (1984), and Beirut and Damascus (1986). He was also a member of the Vatican delegation to the meetings of the Conference on European Security and Cooperation, Conference on Disarmament in Stockholm, and Cultural Forum in Budapest and later Vienna.
| Styles of Jean-Louis Tauran |
|
|---|---|
| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
| See | Thelepte (titular see) |
On 1 December 1990, Tauran was appointed Secretary for Relations with States of the Secretariat of State and Titular Archbishop of Thelepte by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on 6 January 1991 from John Paul II himself, with Archbishops Giovanni Battista Re and Justin Francis Rigali serving as co-consecrators, in St. Peter's Basilica. As Secretary, Tauran essentially served as the foreign minister of the Vatican. In regards to the Iraqi conflict, he once emphasized the importance of dialogue and the United Nations,[1] and said that "a unilateral war of aggression would constitute a crime against peace and against the Geneva Conventions".[2]
He was created Cardinal-Deacon of Sant'Apollinare alle Terme by Pope John Paul in the consistory of 21 October 2003. On the following November 24, he was named Archivist and Librarian of the Holy Roman Church, overseeing the Vatican Secret Archives and Vatican Library.
In late 2003, Tauran mourned the "second-class" treatment of non-Muslims in "many Muslim countries," especially Saudi Arabia.[1]
Representing the Pope, Tauran attended the March 2005 dedication of the new Holocaust museum at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. That same year, he was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2005 papal conclave that selected Pope Benedict XVI.
In spite of having Parkinson's disease, Tauran was appointed as President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue on 25 June 2007, showing that the disease was not getting worse and he was able to handle more responsibility. He took over this position on 1 September 2007. In this post, he is also in charge of the Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims.
In addition to his duties as President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, he is a member of the Secretariat of State (Second Section); the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; the Congregation for the Oriental Churches; the Congregation for Bishops; the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity; the Pontifical Council for Culture; the Apostolic Signatura; the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See; the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, and the Cardinal Commission for the Supervision of the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR).
He is a friend of Anglican Dr. John Andrew, former rector of St. Thomas Church in New York City. For Andrews' fiftieth anniversary of his ordination in late June 2007, Cardinal Tauran traveled to New York and served as a guest preacher.[1]
He was a friend of Anglican Dr Roger Greenacre, former Precentor of Chichester Cathedral in England. For Greenacre's fiftieth anniversary of his ordination at Michaelmas 2005, Cardinal Tauran traveled to Chichester and served as a guest preacher. Cardinal Tauran delivered a tribute at Greenacre's Memorial Requiem in Chichester Cathedral on 23rd September 2011.
Cardinal Tauran was a fierce critic of the United States over questions of war and peace. He described the American-led invasion of Iraq as a “crime against peace” and a violation of international law if undertaken.[3] He asserted that the facts speak for themselves on Iraq and that paradoxically Christians were better protected under Saddam's dictatorship.[4]
Each year the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue sends a message, signed by its President, to Hindus for the feast of Diwali, which is celebrated during the month of October. In the 2009 message, Tauran called for the promotion of integral development, protection of human life and respect for the dignity and fundamental rights of the person.[5]
The Council sends similar messages each year on the occasion of the feasts of Eid ul-Fitr (Islam) and Vesak (Buddhism).
In a breakfast meeting with journalists, Tauran said Rowan Williams had been “mistaken and naive” for suggesting that some aspects of Sharia law in Britain were unavoidable.[6] He also said that he did not want an impression to grow that there are different classes of religion.[7]
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| New office | Undersecretary for Relations with States 1989–1 December 1990 |
Succeeded by Claudio Maria Celli |
| Preceded by Angelo Sodano |
Secretary for Relations with States 1990–2003 |
Succeeded by Giovanni Lajolo |
| Preceded by Jorge María Mejía |
Librarian of the Holy Roman Church 2003–2007 |
Succeeded by Raffaele Farina, SDB |
| Preceded by Jorge María Mejía |
Archivist of the Holy Roman Church 2003–2007 |
Succeeded by Raffaele Farina, SDB |
| Preceded by Paul Poupard |
President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue 2007–present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Agostino Cacciavillan |
Cardinal Protodeacon 21 February 2011–present |
Incumbent |