Leon joseph cardinal suenens center

Leo Jozef Suenens (16 July – 6 May ) was a Belgian Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels from to

His life spanned nearly a century (–), and his leadership at the Second Vatican Council made him a major architect of 20th century Roman Catholicism.

The Cardinal Suenens Center honors the life and work of Leon Joseph Cardinal Suenens (), Archbishop of Malines Brussels and Primate.

SUENENS, LEON-JOSEPH.

BRUSSELS — Belgian Cardinal Leon-Joseph Suenens, who helped modernize the Roman Catholic Church in the s, has died.

The Cardinal Suenens Center honors the life and work of Leon Joseph Cardinal Suenens (), Archbishop of Malines Brussels and Primate....

Leo Joseph Suenens

Catholic cardinal

Leo Jozef Suenens (SOO-nens) (16 July 1904 – 6 May 1996) was a Belgian Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels from 1961 to 1979.

He was elevated to the cardinalate in 1962.

Suenens was a leading voice at the Second Vatican Council advocating for reform in the Church.

Biography

Early life and education

Leo Suenens was born at Ixelles, the only child of Jean-Baptiste and Jeanne (née Janssens) Suenens.

He was baptised by his uncle, who was a priest. Losing his father (who had owned a restaurant)^[1] at age four, Leo lived with his mother in the rectory of his priest-uncle from 1911 to 1912.

Leo Joseph Cardinal Suenens, whose public and behind-the-scenes leadership at the Second Vatican Council made him a major architect of 20th-century Roman.

Wealthy relatives wanted him to study economics and manage their fortune, but he chose the priesthood. He studied at Saint Mary's Institute in Schaerbeek and then entered the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome in 1920.

From the Gregorian he obtained a doctorate in theology and in philosophy (1927), and a mas