Louis-Ernest Dubois

Louis-Ernest Dubois (1 September 1856 - 23 September 1929) was a Roman Catholic Cardinal and Archbishop of Paris. He played a leading role in the period of adjustment to the separation of Church and State in France.

infobox cardinalstyles
cardinal name=Louis-Ernest Dubois
dipstyle=His Eminence
offstyle=Your Eminence
See=Paris|

Early life

He was born in Saint-Calais (Sarthe) to a family from the adjacent commune of St. Gervais. He was educated at the Seminary of Le Mans. He was ordained on 20 September 1879.

After his ordaination he worked in the diocese of Le Mans from 1879 until 1898. He was editor of "Semaine du fidèle" in 1888. He served as Vicar general of the diocese of Le Mans from 1898 until 1901.

Episcopate

Pope Leo XIII appointed him Bishop of Verdun on 18 April 1901. Verdun was one of only two French cities where the bishop was not obliged to leave his palace in 1905.

He was promoted to the metropolitan see of Bourges in 1909. He spent until 1916 in Bourges until he was transferred to metropolitan see of Rouen on 13 March 1916.

Cardinalate

He was created and proclaimed Cardinal-Priest of "S. Maria in Aquiro" (deaconry elevated pro hac vice to title) in the consistory of December 4 1916.

He was transferred to become Archbishop of Paris on 13 December 1920. He took part in the conclave of 1922 that electe Pope Pius XI. He remained as Archbishop of Paris until his death in 1929. He is buried in Notre-Dame de Paris.

Anecdote

When the existence of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople was under threat from the Turkish authorities, and the incumbent patriarch forced to leave the country, he led an unofficial mission on behalf of the French Government. The British reacted to this incident by sending a naval squadron, thus giving rise to the Perote saying (Pera was the diplomatic and cosmopolitan quarter of Constantinople) "les Anglais ont envoyé de l'acier et les Français Dubois".