André Armand Vingt-Trois (; 7 November 1942 – 18 July 2025) was a French cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Paris from 2005 to 2017, having previously served as Archbishop of Tours from 1999 to 2005. He was made a cardinal in 2007.
Early life and ordination
Vingt-Trois was born in Paris, France, to Armand Vingt-Trois and Paulette (née Vuillamy). His surname, which is French for "twenty-three", is probably from an ancestor who, as a child or baby, was abandoned and found on the 23rd day of the month. Vingt-Trois completed his secondary studies at the Lycée Henri IV and entered the Seminary of Saint-Sulpice at Issy-les-Moulineaux in 1962. He then attended the Institut Catholique de Paris, from where he obtained his licentiate in moral theology. From 1964 to 1965, Vingt-Trois performed his military service in Germany. He was ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Daniel Pézeril in October 1968 and to the priesthood by Cardinal François Marty on 28 June 1969.
Pastoral work
During his priestly ministry, he worked especially in parochial catechetics and the formation of the laity. From 1974 to 1981, Vingt-Trois was vicar at the Parisian parish of Sainte-Jeanne de Chantal. He then served as director of his alma mater of the Seminary of Saint-Sulpice until 1988, also teaching moral and sacramental theology there. Vingt-Trois participated in different pastoral movements, including the Centre de préparation au mariage and the sessions of permanent formation of the clergy. He was later named vicar general of Paris, and was charged with the diocesan formation (the cathedral school and diocesan seminary), of the means of communications (Radio Notre-Dame, Paris Notre-Dame, Centre d'Information), of the familial pastoral, of the chaplains of public education, and of catechetics. and of the Congregation for the Clergy since 2 February 2010. On 7 March 2012 he was appointed a member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches. In October 2012, after being appointed a synod father by Pope Benedict, he took part in the 13th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which concerned itself with the new evangelization for the transmission of the Christian faith.
He was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2013 papal conclave that selected Pope Francis.
Vingt-Trois was no longer eligible to participate in papal conclaves, having reached the age of 80 on 7 November 2022, so he was not part of the 2025 conclave.
Death
Vingt-Trois died on 18 July 2025, at the age of 82.
His funeral took place on 23 July 2025, at Notre-Dame Cathedral. His remains was buried in the Archbishop's Vault in the Crypt of at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.
Opposition to same-sex marriage
Vingt-Trois was a vocal opponent of efforts to introduce same-sex marriage in France. In 2013, he warned that it could incite violence and split society in France: "This is the way a violent society develops. Society has lost its capacity of integration and especially its ability to blend differences in a common project." He insisted that as long as the government is not listening to French citizens, this could lead to more violence.
See also
- Catholic Church in France
- List of the Roman Catholic dioceses of France