Briand-Ceretti Agreement
Encyclopedia
The Briand-Ceretti Agreement is a 1926 agreement whereby French diocesan bishop
s are nominated by the Vatican
after a process involving the French Ministries of the Interior
and of Foreign Affairs.
This agreement saw the resolution of an impasse whereby the Vatican had refused to recognise the Associations Cultuelles voted in the 1905 legislation in the spirit of the 1901 Loi sur les Associations and accepted by the Jewish and Protestant religious bodies. The agreement made possible the forming of Associations Diocésaines with members appointed by the bishops.
In the case of the Concordat
dioceses of Strasbourg
and Metz
it is the French President who, after consultations with the Vatican, makes the appointments of diocesan bishops , which are published in the Journal Officiel de la République.
The Briand-Ceretti agreement was posterior to the forced retirement of the saintly Benedictine bishop of Metz, Willibrord Benzler
, in 1919 and only provides a very vague analogy for the depositions at the Liberation
.
Among the many consequences of this agreement was the reluctance to appoint ordinaries likely to call into question the spoliations and expropriations that the French church underwent between 1790 and 1905. The veto has been rarely used but its existence induces caution in nunciature circles when proposing candidates. Disagreements are known from time to time to occur (e.g. a reference by the former ambassador to the Vatican Jean Guégenou on France-Culture on 13 July 2009). The system also indirectly ensures that, almost without exception, French citizens alone are employed in Catholic administration and schools in France.
The 1926 agreement also involved the maintenance of liturgical honours (seating, incensing) paid to French consular personnel in the former Ottoman territories. This practice is now believed to have fallen into abeyance.
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s are nominated by the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
after a process involving the French Ministries of the Interior
Minister of the Interior (France)
The Minister of the Interior in France is one of the most important governmental cabinet positions, responsible for the following:* The general interior security of the country, with respect to criminal acts or natural catastrophes...
and of Foreign Affairs.
This agreement saw the resolution of an impasse whereby the Vatican had refused to recognise the Associations Cultuelles voted in the 1905 legislation in the spirit of the 1901 Loi sur les Associations and accepted by the Jewish and Protestant religious bodies. The agreement made possible the forming of Associations Diocésaines with members appointed by the bishops.
In the case of the Concordat
Concordat
A concordat is an agreement between the Holy See of the Catholic Church and a sovereign state on religious matters. Legally, they are international treaties. They often includes both recognition and privileges for the Catholic Church in a particular country...
dioceses of Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
and Metz
Metz
Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...
it is the French President who, after consultations with the Vatican, makes the appointments of diocesan bishops , which are published in the Journal Officiel de la République.
The Briand-Ceretti agreement was posterior to the forced retirement of the saintly Benedictine bishop of Metz, Willibrord Benzler
Willibrord Benzler
Willibrord Benzler OSB was the Roman Catholic Bishop of Metz from 1901 to 1919.Born as Karl Heinrich Johann Eugen Benzler in Niederhemer, Westphalia, the eldest son of Karl Benzler, an innkeeper, and his wife, Klementine , he was baptized at SS Peter and Paul Church on 24 October 1853...
, in 1919 and only provides a very vague analogy for the depositions at the Liberation
Liberation
-Publications:* Libération, French newspaper* Libération , a Moroccan newspaper* Liberation , monthly pacifist magazine founded, published, and edited by A.J...
.
Among the many consequences of this agreement was the reluctance to appoint ordinaries likely to call into question the spoliations and expropriations that the French church underwent between 1790 and 1905. The veto has been rarely used but its existence induces caution in nunciature circles when proposing candidates. Disagreements are known from time to time to occur (e.g. a reference by the former ambassador to the Vatican Jean Guégenou on France-Culture on 13 July 2009). The system also indirectly ensures that, almost without exception, French citizens alone are employed in Catholic administration and schools in France.
The 1926 agreement also involved the maintenance of liturgical honours (seating, incensing) paid to French consular personnel in the former Ottoman territories. This practice is now believed to have fallen into abeyance.
See also
- Concordat of 1801Concordat of 1801The Concordat of 1801 was an agreement between Napoleon and Pope Pius VII, signed on 15 July 1801. It solidified the Roman Catholic Church as the majority church of France and brought back most of its civil status....
- Catholic Church in France
- 1905 French law on the separation of Church and State1905 French law on the separation of Church and StateThe 1905 French law on the Separation of the Churches and State was passed by the Chamber of Deputies on 9 December 1905. Enacted during the Third Republic, it established state secularism in France...
- French law on secularity and conspicuous religious symbols in schoolsFrench law on secularity and conspicuous religious symbols in schoolsThe French law on secularity and conspicuous religious symbols in schools bans wearing conspicuous religious symbols in French public primary and secondary schools...
- French legislation for the prevention and repression of cultic groups