Jean-Baptiste Gourion Explained

Jean-Baptiste Gourion
Auxiliary Bishop of Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
Birth Date:24 October 1934
Birth Place:Oran, French Algeria
Death Place:Jerusalem
Nationality:French
Church:Catholic Church
Appointed:Bishop of Lydda
Other Post:Former Patriarchal Vicar of Hebrew-speaking catholics in Israel
Ordination:29 June 1967
Consecration:9 November 2003
Consecrated By:Patriarch Michel Sabbah
Rank:Bishop
Coat Of Arms:Armoiries_de_Jean-Baptiste_Gourion.jpg
Motto:In Jerusalem Consolabimini
Honorific Prefix:His Excellency, The Most Reverend
Honorific Suffix:OSB Oliv.

Jean-Baptiste Gourion, O.S.B. Oliv. (24 October 1934 – 23 June 2005) was a French Catholic Benedictine monk who served as an Auxiliary Bishop of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem from 2003 until his death in 2005.

Biography

Gourion was born in 1934 in Oran, Algeria, to a Jewish family, when Algeria was a French colony. When studying medicine in France, he decided to enlist in the French Army during the Algerian War. Gourion converted from Judaism to the Catholic Church in 1958. In 1961, he entered a Benedictine Monastery, and in 1967, he was ordained a priest.[1] Gourion came to Israel in 1976 with two other monks in order to rebuild the old monastery in Abu Gosh and in 1999 was named its abbot.[2]

In 2003, Gourion was nominated Auxiliary Bishop of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem by Pope John Paul II. In the same year he was also appointed to the titular see of Lydda.[3] His mission notably included care of Hebrew Catholics' spiritual necessities.

He died on 23 June 2005 at the age of 70.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church – Bishop Jean-Baptiste Gourion, O.S.B..
  2. Web site: Association of Hebrew Catholics – Interview with Bishop Jean-Baptiste Gourion, O.S.B..
  3. Web site: Association of Hebrew Catholics – Hebrew Catholic Bishops of Jerusalem.