Henri Schwery

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.

His Eminence

Henri Schwery
Cardinal
Bishop of Sion
ChurchRoman Catholic
DioceseSion
Appointed22 July 1977
Term ended1 April 1995
PredecessorFrançois-Nestor Adam
SuccessorNorbert Brunner
Other postsCardinal Priest of Santi Protomartiri a Via Aurelia Antica (1991–2021)
Orders
Ordination7 July 1957
by François-Nestor Adam
Consecration17 September 1977
by François-Nestor Adam
Created cardinal28 June 1991
by Pope John Paul II
RankCardinal priest
Personal details
Birth nameHenri Schwery
Born(1932-06-14)14 June 1932
Saint-Léonard, Switzerland
Died7 January 2021(2021-01-07) (aged 88)
Home Le Carillon, Saint-Léonard, Switzerland
NationalitySwiss
Previous postPresident of the Swiss Bishops' Conference (1983–1988)
MottoSpiritus Domini gaudium et spes
('The Spirit of the Lord, [our] joy and hope')
Styles of
Henri Schwery
Reference styleHis Eminence
Spoken styleYour Eminence
Informal styleCardinal
SeeSion

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.[1] On 17 September 1977, he was consecrated a bishop by his predecessor as Bishop of Sion, François-Nestor Adam.[2] He was president of the Swiss Bishops Conference from 1983 to 1988.[3]

In his diocese in June 1988, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre consecrated four bishops without papal approval. Schwery called for church unity in the face of that schism.[4]

Cardinal

On 28 June 1991, Pope John Paul II named Schwery a member of the College of Cardinals,[5] assigning him as a cardinal-priest to Santi Protomartiri a Via Aurelia Antica.[6] On 25 July 1991, Pope John Paul made him a member of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Congregation for the Clergy.[7]

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.[8]

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.[9] 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.[4]

References
  1. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). LXIX. 1977. p. 680. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  2. Henri Cardinal Schwery on catholic-hierarchy.org [self-published]
  3. Schwery, Card. Henri, Holy See Press Office. Retrieved 9 April 2007
  4. "Décès du cardinal valaisan Henri Schwery". Tribune de Genève (in French). 7 January 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  5. "Cardinals Named by Pope". New York Times. 30 May 1991. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  6. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). LXXXIII. 1991. p. 630. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  7. Acta Apostolicae Sedis (PDF). LXXXIII. 1991. pp. 785–6. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  8. "Funeral for excommunicated Archbishop Lefebvre". UPI. 2 April 1991. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  9. "Death of Valais cardinal Henri Schwery". France24. 7 January 2021. Archived from the original on 7 January 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
François-Nestor Adam		 Bishop of Sion
1977–1995		 Succeeded by
Norbert Brunner
Preceded by
Otmar Mäder		 President of the
Swiss Bishops' Conference
1983–1988		 Succeeded by
Joseph Candolfi
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