Pope Francis appointed this Tuesday, April 26 a new archbishop at the head of the diocese of Paris. This is Mgr Laurent Ulrich, current Archbishop of Lille. The French capital had no archbishop since the resignation of Bishop Michel Aupetit last December.
With our correspondent in the Vatican, Eric Senanque
Pope Francis has chosen an experienced bishop. At the age of 70, Mgr Laurent Ulrich will indeed know his third diocese, after Chambéry from 2000 to 2008, and Lille where he had been in post for 14 years.
Known for his firmness, but also his sense of dialogue, this Burgundian by birth, who was vice-president of the Conference of Bishops for six years, was keen to develop the presence of the Church in working-class neighborhoods, to support youth ministry or to be present with migrants.
So many themes carried by Pope Francis. ” How can we think that closing borders and strengthening security can solve this migration crisis in a lasting way? “, he wondered last November, following the drowning of 27 migrants in the English Channel.
Also recognized for his rigor in the face of pedophilia scandals, Bishop Ulrich will take office on May 23 in Paris. He will discover an archdiocese still marked by a crisis of governance and the resignation of Bishop Michel Aupetit at the end of 2021, the latter having often been criticized for his authoritarianism.
Among the building sites of the new archbishop will also appear that, delicate, of the restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedralswept away three years ago by the flames.