Bernardus Johannes Alfrink

infobox cardinalstyles
cardinal name=Bernardus Cardinal Alfrink
dipstyle=His Eminence
offstyle=Your Eminence
See=Utrecht (Emeritus)|

Bernardus Johannes Cardinal Alfrink (July 5, 1900—December 16 1987) was a Dutch prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Utrecht from 1955 to 1975, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1960.

Biography

Bernardus Alfrink was born in Nijkerk, and received his first Communion in 1911. After attending at the seminary in Rijsenburg and the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, he was ordained to the priesthood on August 15, 1924 by Archbishop Henricus van de Wetering. He then completed his studies at the École Biblique in Jerusalem in 1930, and did pastoral work in Utrecht until 1933. Alfrink taught at the Seminary of Rijsenburg (1933-1945) and later the Catholic University of Nijmegen (1945-1951).

On May 28, 1951, he was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Utrecht and Titular Archbishop of "Tyana". Alfrink received his episcopal consecration on the following July 17 from Archbishop Paolo Giobbe, papal internuncio in The Hague, with Bishops Willem Lemmens and Jan Smit serving as co-consecrators, in St. Catherine's Cathedral. While coadjutor, he announced that the Dominican chapel in Huissen, where a large amount of Catholics were giving their confessions instead of at local parishes, would be closed to the public, resulting in the dismay and violent reaction of many [TIME Magazine. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,815879-1,00.html The Dominicans' Door] January 21, 1952] . Alfrink succeeded Johannes Cardinal de Jong as Archbishop of Utrecht on October 31, 1955, and was named Apostolic Vicar of the Catholic Military Ordinariate of the Netherlands on April 16, 1957. He contributed to scientific publications, led the "Pax Christi" movement in the Netherlands [TIME Magazine. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,871562,00.html Seven New Hats] March 14, 1960] , and was created Cardinal Priest of "S. Gioacchino ai Prati di Castello" by Pope John XXIII in the consistory of March 28, 1960.

From 1962 to 1965, the Dutch primate participated at the Second Vatican Council, and sat on its Board of Presidency. During one session of the Council, Alfrink had Alfredo Cardinal Ottaviani's microphone turned off after the latter exceeded his time limit [EWTN. [http://www.ewtn.com/library/Theology/SIPVAT2.HTM What Went Wrong With Vatican II] ] . Viewed as a liberal [TIME Magazine. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,874481-1,00.html The Council's Prospects] September 14, 1962] [TIME Magazine. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,829210-9,00.html Council of Renewal] October 5, 1962] , he once said, "It is always a good thing for the Church to move forward. It is not good if the Church comes to a standstill" [TIME Magazine. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,941081-2,00.html The Radical, Revolutionary Church of The Netherlands] March 31, 1967] .

Alfrink was one of the cardinal electors in the 1963 papal conclave, which selected Pope Paul VI. Along with Giovanni Cardinal Colombo, he assisted Achille Cardinal Liénart in delivering one of the closing messages of the Council on December 8, 1965 [Christus Rex. [http://www.christusrex.org/www1/CDHN/v19.html To Rulers] ] . During his tenure, Alfrink and his fellow Dutch clergymen attacked Pope Paul's 1968 encyclical "Humanae Vitae" [TIME Magazine. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,838884,00.html Declaration of Independence] January 17, 1969] . He also served as President of the Episcopal Conference of Holland. Resigning as Utrecht's archbishop on December 6 1975, he was later voted in the conclaves of August and October 1978, which selected Popes John Paul I and John Paul II respectively.

He died in Nieuwegein at age 87, and was buried at St. Catharine's Cathedral.

Trivia

*His father's name was Theodorus, and the priest who baptized him was Johannes Verstege.
*He refused to respond to the Dutch Reformed Church's call for clarification in regards to Princess Irene's conversion to Catholicism [TIME Magazine. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,870808,00.html Love with the Proper Stranger] February 21, 1964] .
*Alfrink supported Fr. Edward Schillebeeckx, OP, and took his condemnation as an offence to the Dutch Church [TIME Magazine. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,838812,00.html Theologian on Trial] October 4, 1968] .

References

External links

* [http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios-a.htm#Alfrink Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church]
* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/balfrink.html Catholic-Hierarchy]