- Alfons Maria Stickler
infobox cardinalbiog
name = Alfons Maria Stickler, SDB
See = "Volsinium" (Titular)
Title = Archivist Emeritus of Vatican Secret Archives, Librarian Emeritus of Vatican Library
Period =May 27 1985 —July 1 1988
cardinal =May 25 1985
Predecessor =Antonio Samoré †
Successor =Antonio María Javierre Ortas , SDB †
post = Pro-Archivist of Vatican Secret Archives, Pro-Librarian Emeritus of Vatican Library
date of birth =August 23 ,1910
place of birth = Neunkirchen,Austria
date of death = death date and age|2007|12|12|1910|8|23
place of death =Vatican City |infobox cardinalstyles
cardinal name=Alfons Maria Stickler
dipstyle=His Eminence
offstyle=Your Eminence
See="Volsinium" (titular)|Alfons Maria Stickler, SDB, JCD (
August 23 ,1910 –December 12 ,2007 ) was anAustria n Cardinal of theRoman Catholic Church . He served as Archivist of theVatican Secret Archives and Librarian of theVatican Library from 1985 to 1988. Stickler was elevated to the cardinalate in 1985, and was the oldest member of theCollege of Cardinals . A conservative, he was a strong supporter of theTridentine Mass and clerical celibacy.Biography
Stickler was born in Neunkirchen, near
Vienna , as the second of twelve children. He entered theSalesians of Don Bosco in a Germannovitiate , and made his profession onAugust 15 ,1928 . Thereafter, Stickler studiedphilosophy in Germany and then in Austria,Turin , andRome . He studied canon law at the Pontifical Athenaeum of "S. Apollinare" (from where he received his doctorate) and thePontifical Lateran University , and was ordained to the priesthood onMarch 27 ,1937 . (Stickler studied withStephan Kuttner , who lived to see his first pupil in the history of canon law become a cardinal.)Stickler taught at the Salesian University as
Professor of Canon Law and Church Legal History for eight years. From 1958 to 1966 he served asrector of the University, having previously served as Dean of the Canon Law Faculty since 1953. Stickler participated as a "peritus ", or expert, at theSecond Vatican Council (1962-1965), working as a member on the Commission for the Clergy, the Commission for the Liturgy, and (in his capacity as rector of the Salesian University) the commission directed by the Congregation for Seminaries and Universities. From the close of the Council until 1968, Stickler was president of the newly founded "Institutum Altioris Latinitas ".On
September 8 ,1983 , he was appointed Titular Archbishop of "Volsinium", Pro-Librarian of theVatican Library , and Pro-Archivist of theVatican Secret Archives . Stickler received his episcopal consecration on the followingNovember 1 fromPope John Paul II himself, with ArchbishopsEduardo Martínez Somalo andRosalio José Castillo Lara serving as co-consecrators, in theSistine Chapel . He was created Cardinal Deacon of "S. Giorgio in Velabro" by John Paul II in theconsistory ofMay 25 ,1985 , becoming full Librarian and Archivist two days later, onMay 27 .Stickler served as Librarian and Archivist until his resignation on
July 1 ,1988 . During his tenure he promoted the construction of underground storage for the conservation and consultation of all the codices and printed books of the library. He chose to be raised to the rank of Cardinal Priest (with the same title) onJanuary 29 ,1996 , after spending ten years as a Cardinal Deacon.Upon the death of Cardinal
Johannes Willebrands onAugust 1 ,2006 , Stickler became the oldest living cardinal. In 2007, he celebrated the seventieth anniversary of his priestly ordination.Stickler studied the history of canon law with
Stephan Kuttner and published on that subject.upport for Tradition
Stickler consistently defended the position that the
Tridentine Mass was never forbidden or suppressed. He believed that the "Novus Ordo" Mass contradicted the true wishes of the Second Vatican Council [These Last Days Ministries, Inc. [http://www.tldm.org/news7/Stickler.htm Cardinal Alfons Stickler on the Changes in the Mass and Vatican II] 1997] , and once told theLatin Mass Society of England and Wales that its movement "has full legitimacy in the Church." [Latin Mass Society. [http://www.latin-mass-society.org/sticklms.htm Address by H.E. Cardinal Alfons Stickler]June 20 ,1992 ]In 1986, Pope John Paul II reportedly appointed nine cardinals (Stickler, Ratzinger, Mayer, Oddi, Casaroli, Gantin, Innocenti, Palazzini, and Tomko) to study the legal status of the Tridentine Mass, specifically whether
Pope Paul VI authorized its suppression and whether a priest has the right to freely celebrate this Mass [Catholic Family News. [http://www.cfnews.org/tridmass.htm Traditional Mass Never Forbidden] February 1998] . According to Stickler, all but one of the cardinals decided the Tridentine Mass was not forbidden, yet they unanimously agreed that no priest can be hindered from celebrating this Mass, even despite the orders of his bishop [Latin Mass Magazine. [http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/9463/noschism.html Archbishop Lefebvre: Not Guilty]May 5 ,1995 ] .[http://www.ignatius.com/ViewProduct.aspx?SID=1&Product_ID=837&AFID=12& "The Case for Clerical Celibacy: Its Historical Development and Theological Foundations"] , written by Stickler, was published in 1995 by
Ignatius Press . Its treats of the theological reasons and scriptural and magisterial roots of celibacy for Catholic priests.References
External links
* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bstickler.html Bio from Catholic-Hierarchy]
* [http://www.catholic-pages.com/hierarchy/cardinals_bio.asp?ref=72 catholic-pages bio]
* [http://cathcon.blogspot.com/2007/12/cardinal-stickler-letter-from-pope.html Papal letter 70 years priesthood of Cardinal Stickler]
* [http://cathcon.blogspot.com/2007/12/cardinal-stickker-one-of-all-time-great.html Obituary of Cardinal Stickler]
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