Paul Josef Cordes

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cardinal name=Paul Cordes
dipstyle=His Eminence
offstyle=Your Eminence
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Paul Josef Cordes (born September 5, 1935) is a German Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as President of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum", and was elevated to the cardinalate in 2007.

Biography

Paul Cordes was born in Kirchhundem, and graduated from the "gymnasium" of Attendorn in 1955. He studied medicine for two semesters in Münster, and philosophy at the Philosophical Faculty of Paderborn as well as in Lyon, France. After studying at the Theological Faculty of Paderborn, Cordes attended the University of Mainz, where he was also an assistant to Professor Karl Lehmann, whom Cordes was also the first student who defended his thesis ("Sendung zum Dienst. Exegetisch-historische und systematische Studien zum Konzilsdekret 'Über Leben und Dienst der Priester'", 1971) under.

Cordes was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Lorenz Jäger on December 21, 1961. He then served as Prefect of "Studienheim Sankt Klemens" for late vocations of the dioceses of Paderborn and of Münster unil 1966. From 1966 to 1969, Cordes was Prefect of "Collegium Leonium", the archdiocesan seminary of Paderborn. In 1972, he was called to the secretariat of the Episcopal Conference of Germany, where he served as relator for pastoral affairs.

On October 27, 1975, Cordes was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Paderborn and Titular Bishop of "Naissus" by Pope Paul VI. He received his episcopal consecration on February 1, 1976 from Archbishop Johannes Joachim Degenhardt, with Cardinal Julius Döpfner and Bishop Paul Nordhues serving as co-consecrators, in the Cathedral of Paderborn. Cordes was later named an honorary canon of the cathedral chapter on July 20, 1980.

He entered the service of the Roman Curia upon his appointment as Vice-President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity on March 11, 1980. Cordes was made President of Pontifical Council "Cor Unum" on December 2, 1995, and his titular see was elevated "pro hac vice" to level of an archdiocese on that same date as well. He served as a special papal envoy to the peoples of Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala, after being struck by Hurricane Mitch, from November 29 to December 3, 1998.

Pope Benedict XVI created him Cardinal Deacon of "S. Lorenzo in Piscibus" in the consistory of November 24, 2007. Cordes will be eligible to participate in any future papal conclaves until he reaches the age of eighty on September 5, 2014.

On 12 June 2008 in addition to his main duties he was appointed by Benedict as a member of congregations in the Roman Curia [http://212.77.1.245/news_services/bulletin/news/22278.php?index=22278&lang=en] . These are: the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the Congregation for the Clergy and the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

External links

* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bcordes.html Catholic-Hierarchy]
* [http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios2007.htm#Cordes Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church]
* [http://www.catholic-pages.com/hierarchy/cardinals_bio.asp?ref=260 Catholic-pages bio]