Gilles Wach

Last updated
The Reverend

Gilles Wach

Prior General of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest
Msgr Wach.jpg
Orders
Ordination24 June 1979
by  Pope John Paul II
Personal details
Born26 November 1956
NationalityFrench, Gabonese
Alma mater Seminary of Genoa, Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas
Coat of arms Blason Mgr Gilles Wach Ornements.svg

Gilles Wach (born Troyes, 26 November 1956) is a French-Gabonese Roman Catholic priest, co-founder and Prior General of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, a Traditionalist society of apostolic life of pontifical right.

Ecclesiastical career

After finishing secondary school, he entered the seminary of Paray-le-Monial, where he did a year of formation. He moved to the seminary of the Diocese of Genoa, where he met Philippe Mora, who would be his friend and co-founder of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. He was ordained a deacon by Giuseppe Cardinal Siri on 29 June 1978, and a priest by Pope John Paul II, on 24 June 1979, among other 24 deacons, including his friend Philippe Mora. [1] He pursued his studies in Rome, residing at the Pontifical Irish College while studying for his doctorate in Theology at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, with his thesis on St. Francis of Sales, Pédagogie de l'amour. L'éducation de la charité chez saint Francois. During this time, he worked with Silvio Cardinal Oddi, then Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy. He joined the Traditionalist Opus Sacerdotale, a priestly association led by Abbé Pierre Lourdelet, at the late 1980s, and he played an important role in the foundation of the Opus Sacerdotale in Moissac.

Wach was nominated Vicar General of the Diocese of Mouila, in Gabon, on 19 June 1989, by Cyriaque Obamba, which he was until 1995, when he became Vicar General emeritus.

He founded the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest with Philippe Mora in 1990, a society of apostolic life, which was granted pontifical right in 2008. The ICKSP celebrates primarily the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. He has been Prior General of the ICKSP since its inception until 2008, when he was elected for a six-year term. He was reelected for another six-year term in November 2014. [2] He was elected for a third six-year term on 24 August 2020. [3]

He was officially censured by the Vatican in 2005 for unlawfully usurping the title and dress of "Monsignor"; he was never elevated to this rank by the Pope and was never listed in the "Annuario Pontifico" like all other papal dignitaries. [4] [5] [6] In an interview with Michael Davies in 1999, he himself admitted that he only legally held the title during his term of office as one of the two vicars general of the small diocese of Mouila in Gabon (1989-1995). [7] Even after his right to be called "Monisgnor" ("durante munere") had expired, he continued to dress up as a Monsignor, which led to the aforementioned censure. Since then, Gilles Wach changed his dress from purple to blue, but continued to call himself "Monsignor". He was often criticized for an excessively luxurious lifestyle financed by donations from the faithful and for an overly authoritarian style of leadership. [4]

Related Research Articles

A vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior. Linguistically, vicar is cognate with the English prefix "vice", similarly meaning "deputy". The title appears in a number of Christian ecclesiastical contexts, but also as an administrative title, or title modifier, in the Roman Empire. In addition, in the Holy Roman Empire, a local representative of the emperor, such as an archduke, could be styled "vicar".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traditionalist Catholicism</span> Catholic religious movement

Traditionalist Catholicism is a movement encompassing members of the Catholic Church and offshoot groups of the Catholic Church that emphasizes beliefs, practices, customs, traditions, liturgical forms, devotions and presentations of teaching associated with the Catholic Church before the Second Vatican Council (1962–65). Traditionalist Catholics particularly emphasize the Tridentine Mass, the Roman Rite liturgy largely replaced in general use by the post-Second Vatican Council Mass of Paul VI.

The Society of Saint Pius X, also known as the Lefebvrists, is a canonically irregular international fraternity of traditionalist Catholic priests founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, a leading traditionalist voice at the Second Vatican Council with the Coetus Internationalis Patrum and Superior General of the Holy Ghost Fathers until 1968. The society was initially established as a pious union of the Catholic Church with the permission of François Charrière, the Bishop of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg in Switzerland. In 2022, the society reached over 700 priestly members, with 1,135 total members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter</span> Catholic society of apostolic life

The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter is a traditionalist Catholic society of apostolic life for priests and seminarians which is in communion with the Holy See.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francesco Marchisano</span> Italian Cardinal

Francesco Marchisano was an Italian Cardinal who worked in the Roman Curia from 1956 until his death.

The hierarchy of the Catholic Church consists of its bishops, priests, and deacons. In the ecclesiological sense of the term, "hierarchy" strictly means the "holy ordering" of the church, the Body of Christ, so to respect the diversity of gifts and ministries necessary for genuine unity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sergio Sebastiani</span> Italian prelate of the Catholic Church (born 1931)

Sergio Sebastiani is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who was head of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See from 1997 to 2008. He was made a cardinal in 2001. From 1960 to 1994 he worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See, becoming an archbishop and apostolic nuncio in 1976 and leading the offices representing the Vatican in Madagascar, Mauritius, and Turkey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest</span> Roman Catholic society of apostolic life

The Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, Latin: Institutum Christi Regis Summi Sacerdotis, abbreviated as ICRSS and ICKSP, is a society of apostolic life of pontifical right in communion with the Holy See of the Catholic Church. The institute has the stated goal of honouring God and the sanctification of priests in the service of the Catholic Church and souls. An integral part of the institute's charism is the use of the traditional liturgy, namely the Missal of John XXIII for Mass and the Rituale Romanum for other sacraments. The society has undertaken the restoration of a number of historic church buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luigi Traglia</span> Italian cardinal

Luigi Traglia was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Vicar General of Rome from 1965 to 1968, and Dean of the College of Cardinals from 1974 until his death. Traglia was elevated to the cardinalate in 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Finn (bishop)</span> Catholic bishop

Robert William Finn is an American bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City-Saint Joseph from 2005 until his forced resignation in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antônio de Castro Mayer</span> Brazilian Catholic clergyman

Antônio de Castro Mayer was a Brazilian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. A Traditionalist Catholic and ally of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, he was Bishop of Campos from 1949 until his resignation in 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Personal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary Vianney</span> Brazilian Catholic organization dedicated to the Latin Mass

The Personal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary Vianney was established on 18 January 2002 by Pope John Paul II for traditionalist Catholic clergy and laity within the Diocese of Campos in Brazil. It is the only personal apostolic administration in existence, and the only canonically regular Catholic Church jurisdiction devoted exclusively to celebrating the pre-1965 form of the Roman Rite. Its current Apostolic Administrator is Bishop Fernando Arêas Rifan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur J. Serratelli</span> American prelate

Arthur Joseph Serratelli is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Paterson in New Jersey from 2004 to 2020 and as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Newark in New Jersey between 2000 and 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agostino Vallini</span> Italian prelate of the Catholic Church (born 1940)

Agostino Vallini is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church. He has been a cardinal since 2006. From 2008 to 2017 he served as Vicar General of Rome. He is also the Archpriest emeritus of the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Institute of the Good Shepherd</span>

The Institute of the Good Shepherd is a Catholic society of apostolic life of traditionalist Catholic priests promoting Tridentine Mass and other traditional sacraments, in full communion with the Holy See. As of 2023, the Institue has 59 priests, 37 seminarians and is active in eight countries over three continents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eduardo Francisco Pironio</span> Argentine Roman Catholic cardinal (1920–1998)

Eduardo Francisco Pironio was an Argentine Catholic prelate who served in numerous departments of the Roman Curia from 1975 to 1996. He was named a cardinal in 1976 and Cardinal-Bishop of Sabina-Poggio in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Joseph Lucas</span> American prelate of the Catholic Church (born 1949)

George Joseph Lucas is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He has been serving as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Omaha in Nebraska since 2009, having previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois from 1999 to 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diocese of Rome</span> Diocese of the Catholic Church in Rome, Italy

The Diocese of Rome, also called the Vicariate of Rome, is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church under the direct jurisdiction of the Pope, who is Bishop of Rome and hence the supreme pontiff and head of the worldwide Catholic Church. As the Holy See, the papacy is a sovereign entity with diplomatic relations, and civil jurisdiction over the Vatican City State located geographically within Rome. The Diocese of Rome is the metropolitan diocese of the Province of Rome, an ecclesiastical province in Italy. The first bishop of Rome was Saint Peter in the first century. The incumbent since 13 March 2013 is Pope Francis.

This is a glossary of terms used within the Catholic Church. Some terms used in everyday English have a different meaning in the context of the Catholic faith, including brother, confession, confirmation, exemption, faithful, father, ordinary, religious, sister, venerable, and vow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angelo De Donatis</span> Italian Catholic cardinal (born 1954)

Angelo De Donatis is an Italian Catholic prelate who currently serves as Cardinal Vicar, Archpriest of the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, and Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Lateran University.

References

  1. Jean Paul II Angelus, 24 June 1979 (French)
  2. Letter of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei" upon his reelection, 7 November 2014 (Italian)
  3. Feast of Saint Barthélemy Letter 24 August 2020, by Canon Guitard
  4. 1 2 Mongaillard, Vincent (2023-09-29). "Cigares, champagne et majordomes… L'opulent train de vie de Monseigneur Wach, fondateur de l'Institut du Christ Roi". leparisien.fr (in French). Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  5. "What level of papal distinction does Prior General Gilles Wach hold?". Christianity Stack Exchange. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  6. "Les archives du Forum Catholique". archives.leforumcatholique.org. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  7. "Twenty Years of Priesthood, Ten Years of Foundation" (PDF). Interviewed by Michael Davies. March 1999. Retrieved November 23, 2023.