Church Roman Catholic Church Name Jean Jadot See Titular See of Zuri Ordination February 11, 1934 | In office 1968 - 2009 Previous post Priest Successor Guerino Di Tora | |
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Predecessor Auguste-Callixte-Jean Bonnabel Born 23 November 1909
Brussels, Belgium ( 1909-11-23 ) Died January 21, 2009, Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, Belgium Education Catholic University of Leuven | ||
Jean Jadot (23 November 1909 – 21 January 2009) was a Belgian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as apostolic delegate to the United States from 1973 to 1980, and President of the Secretariat of Non-Christians from 1980 to 1984.
Biography
Jean Jadot was born in Brussels. He was born to a well-known aristocratic family, and his father, Lambert, was a noted electrical engineer who worked around the world, including China and the Congo. In 1926, he entered the Catholic University of Leuven, from where he obtained his doctorate in philosophy magna cum laude in 1930. His thesis was on the work of Alfred Edward Taylor.
Jadot, despite his father's opposition, then entered the seminary of the Archdiocese of Mechelen, and was ordained to the priesthood by Jozef-Ernest Cardinal van Roey on 11 February 1934.
On 23 February 1968, he was appointed titular archbishop of Zuri as well as the apostolic delegate to Laos, Singapore and Malaysia. He was consecrated by Leo Cardinal Suenens on 1 May 1968.
He was appointed apostolic pro-nuncio to Thailand 28 August 1969. On 15 May 1971, Jadot was appointed apostolic pro-nuncio to Gabon and Cameroon as well as apostolic delegate to Equatorial Guinea. On 23 May 1973 he was appointed the apostolic delegate to the United States and would hold the position until 27 June 1980, when he was appointed as the Pro-President of the Secretariat of Non-Christians. He held the latter position until his retirement on 8 April 1984.
Jadot was considered a progressive leader in the American Church and was at times polarizing in the statements he made and decisions he took. Jadot was seen favorably by the Vatican under Pope Paul VI, who rejected Jadot's initial offer to resign. Paul's second successor, Pope John Paul II, accepted Jadot's subsequent resignation in 1980. It is quite well known that especially under John Paul II Jadot's progressive views were the main obstacle for him to be made a cardinal.
Jadot died in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, Belgium, on 21 January 2009.