The archbishop of Montreal is the head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Montreal, responsible for looking after its spiritual and administrative needs. This archdiocese is the metropolitan see of the ecclesiastical province encompassing the south-central part of the Canadian province of Quebec,[1] which includes the suffragan dioceses of Joliette, Saint-Jean–Longueuil, Saint-Jérôme–Mont-Laurier, and Valleyfield.[2] The current archbishop is Christian Lépine.
Archbishop of Montreal | |
|---|---|
| Archbishopric | |
| catholic | |
 | |
| Incumbent: Christian Lépine | |
| Information | |
| First holder |
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| Established |
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| Archdiocese | Montreal |
| Cathedral | Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral |
| Website | |
| https://www.diocesemontreal.org/en | |
The archdiocese began as the Diocese of Montreal, which was established on May 13, 1836. Jean-Jacques Lartigue was appointed its first bishop without prior approval from the British government. Consequently, this set the precedent under which the colonial authorities in Canada began to curtail their interference in the internal matters of the Church, such as the appointment of bishops and the creation of new dioceses.[3] On June 8, 1886, the diocese was elevated to the status of archdiocese by Pope Pius IX. Édouard-Charles Fabre became the first archbishop of the newly formed metropolitan see.[4]
Eight men have been Archbishop of Montreal; another two were bishop of its predecessor diocese. Of these, two were members of the Society of the Priests of Saint Sulpice (PSS).[5] Three archbishops – Paul-Émile Léger, Paul Grégoire, and Jean-Claude Turcotte – were elevated to the College of Cardinals.[6] Lartigue, the first ordinary of the archdiocese, was also the first of seven bishops and archbishops of Montreal who were born in the city.[3][A] Paul Bruchési had the longest tenure as Archbishop of Montreal, serving for 42 years (1897–1939),[7] while his immediate successor Georges Gauthier held the position for eleven months (1939–1940), marking the shortest episcopacy.[12]
List of ordinaries
| ‡ | Elevated to the College of Cardinals |
|---|
Bishops of Montreal
| From | Until | Incumbent | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1836 | 1840 | Jean-Jacques Lartigue | Appointed on May 13, 1836. Died on April 19, 1840. | [3][13] |
| 1840 | 1876 | Ignace Bourget | Coadjutor bishop[B] from 1837 to 1840. Resigned on May 15, 1876. Died on June 8, 1885. | [16][17] |
| 1876 | 1886 | Édouard-Charles Fabre | Coadjutor bishop from 1873 to 1876. | [4][18] |
Archbishops of Montreal
| From | Until | Incumbent | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1886 | 1896 | Édouard-Charles Fabre | Became the first Archbishop of Montreal on June 8, 1886. Died on December 30, 1896. | [4][18] |
| 1897 | 1939 | Paul Bruchési | Appointed on June 25, 1897. Died on September 20, 1939. | [7][19] |
| 1939 | 1940 | Georges Gauthier | Auxiliary bishop from 1912 to 1921. Apostolic administrator from 1921 to 1923. Coadjutor archbishop from 1923 to 1939. Died on August 31, 1940. | [8][20] |
| 1940 | 1950 | Joseph Charbonneau | Coadjutor archbishop from May 1940 to August 1940. Resigned on February 9, 1950. Died on November 19, 1959. | [21] |
| 1950 | 1968 | Paul-Émile Léger‡ | Appointed on March 25, 1950. Elevated to cardinal on January 12, 1953. Resigned on April 20, 1968. Died on November 13, 1991. | [22][23] |
| 1968 | 1990 | Paul Grégoire‡ | Auxiliary bishop from 1961 to 1968. Elevated to cardinal on June 28, 1988. Retired on March 17, 1990, after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75. Died on October 30, 1993. | [9][23] |
| 1990 | 2012 | Jean-Claude Turcotte‡ | Auxiliary bishop from 1982 to 1990. Elevated to cardinal on November 26, 1994. Retired on March 20, 2012, after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75. Died on April 8, 2015. | [10][24] |
| 2012 | present | Christian Lépine | Auxiliary bishop from 2011 to 2012. | [11][25] |
Notes
References
Specific
General
- "History – Our Bishops". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Montreal. Archived from the original on June 17, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
