Cardinal Suenens was born on July 16, 1904 in Ixelles, which is in the archdiocese he lead several years later. When he expressed the desire to be a priest, well-known Cardinal Mercier, then Archbishop of Malines, sent him to study in Rome at the Gregorian University. He graduated in Philosophy, Theology, and Canon Law. After his ordination he became Professor of Moral Philosophy and Pedagogy in Malines and the Vice-Rector of the Catholic University of Louvain. He replaced the Rector who was arrested by the Nazis, thereby putting his own life in danger.
In 1945, when Pius XII appointed him Auxiliary Bishop and General Vicar of Malines, Bishop Suenens became the soul of several Catholic associations: he was made National President of "Legio Mariae" and "Pax Christi" as well as the national liaison for the Belgian Catholic Action.
John XXIII appointed him Archbishop of the primatial see and subsequently Cardinal. He then became one of the leading figures of the Vatican Council, which John XXIII himself had called for. He played an active role in the committee for the preparation of the Council. When the ecumenical assembly started its work, Paul VI appointed him to be a member of the leading body together with Cardinals Agagianian, D"pfner, and Lercaro. His interventions were always remarkable and incisive, especially with regard to the diaconate, episcopal ministry, and ecclesiology in general.
Cardinal Suenens retired from his pastoral ministry in the diocese in 1979 because of his age. He spent the last years of his life working particularly for the Charismatic Renewal, always faithful to his episcopal motto, "In Spiritu Sancto."
John Paul II expressed his sorrow for the death of Cardinal Suenens in a telegram to his successor Cardinal Danneels, the current Archbishop of Malines-Brussels. In the telegram, the Holy Father underlined Cardinal Suenens's apostolic zeal in serving his diocese and the Church of Belgium. He says he remembers keenly the important role Cardinal Suenens played in the theological and pastoral reflection during the sessions of Vatican II, as well as his ability to lead discussions while being open to the work of the Holy Spirit and listening carefully to the Council Fathers. The Holy Father asked the Lord to receive Cardinal Suenens in his peace and light, defining him as a shepherd in love with Christ and with the Church which he guided with the concern that she may be faithful to her Lord and present to today's world.
With the death of Cardinal Suenens, the College of Cardinals now consists of 156 members, of which 116 are electors and 40 non-electors.
Reprinted with permission from the May-June 1996 issue of the ICCRS Newsletter.
Often, I have stood by his side and seen how hard he has worked for the renewal to be received by the Church and the Church by the renewal. His last words, to the nurse at the hospital where he spent only a day, active to the end, were taken from his latest booklet: "I am going from life to life." When one of his closest collaborators was told of his death, her response was: "Nous sommes pleins de joie!" Cardinal Suenens lived and worked in an atmosphere of faith, and communicated that faith-as well as hope and love-to many. Let us pray for his reception into Glory, and continue to live and work as he did, for the integration of the charismatic and the institutional that is a hallmark of the Holy Spirit.
Taken from the (ICCRS) Newsletter, Palazzo della Cancelleria, 00120 Vatican City, Europe.
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