biography
| name: |
Suenens, Leon Joseph, Cardinal
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| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (1904–96)
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| biography:
| Roman Catholic clergyman, born in Ixelles, Belgium. He studied theology and philosophy at the Gregorian University in Rome, and after his ordination became vice-rector of the Catholic University of Louvain. He served as Archbishop of Malines-Brussels in Belgium, before being made cardinal. A leading figure in the Second Vatican Council (1962–5) called by Pope John XXIII, he supported progressive reforms. His expressed disappointment with the pace of reform following the Council, and his continued outspoken advocacy for change brought him into conflict with the Church and estrangement from Pope Paul VI. He became internationally known as a pioneer of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal movement that gained popularity in the early 1970s, and he frequently visited the USA to promote unity among Christian churches. In 1976 he received the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion. |
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