The Greatest Bishop of Our Time: The Life of Archbishop Marcel Lefevre #catholic

Marcel Lefebvre (29 November 1905 – 25 March 1991) was a French Catholic archbishop and a central figure in modern traditionalist Catholicism. Born in Tourcoing, France, he entered the French Seminary in Rome at age 18, completed doctorates in philosophy and theology, and was ordained a priest in 1929. He joined the Holy Ghost Fathers and served as a missionary in Gabon, later becoming Apostolic Vicar of Dakar (1947) and Apostolic Delegate for French-speaking Africa (1948). He was appointed Archbishop of Dakar in 1955, but was reassigned to the small Diocese of Tulle in France in 1962. Lefebvre played a significant role in the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), where he led the conservative Coetus Internationalis Patrum (CIP) to resist liberalizing reforms. After resigning as Superior General of the Holy Ghost Fathers in 1968, he retired at age 63. However, in response to what he saw as the erosion of tradition in seminaries, he founded the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) in 1970 in Écône, Switzerland, with approval from the local bishop.