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TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to Popeular History, history through Pope-colored glasses.

Check out the show notes for sources, further reading, and a transcript.

Today we're discussing a current Cardinal of the Catholic Church, one of the 120 or so people who will choose the next Pope when the time comes.

Jean-Marc Noël Aveline was born on December 26th, 1958 in Sidi Bel Abbès, a community in the province of the same name found in northern Algeria, about 75 kilometers from the Mediterranean. At the time, Algeria was officially part of France– not a French colony, mind you, but at least in theory a full-on constituent part of France that just happened to be in North Africa rather than Europe. That was a very active topic, as Algeria was in the midst of a brutal civil war that was a major catalyst for the change from the Fourth French Republic to the present Fifth Republic, a change that took place that same year of 1958.

After the war, Algeria became independent and Jean-Marc's family, including his two sisters, relocated back to the European side of things, moving to Marseille in 1966 in a move that one source described as painful, a pain that can be weighed in the context of a quarter million dead Algerians from the war according to the minimum French estimates, with estimates exceeding a million deaths also being common.

Anyways, Jean-Marc was one of our primary vocation cases, entering seminary while still a teen and being ordained in 1984 at the age of 25 as a priest for the Archdiocese of Marseille. He was soon embedded in parish life at Saint Peter and Paul Parish as well as the vocations efforts for the Archdiocese, looking to attract and bring up the next generation of priests. Of course he served in various roles at different institutes along the way, from teaching to directing, you know the drill. He picked up a Licentiate in Philosophy and In 2000 he earned a Doctorate in Theology as well.

His breakout year came in 2007 when he became Vicar General for the Archdiocese, being called up from parish life to that next level of service. Concurrently from 2008 to 2012 he served as a consultor to the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, which was his first Curial post but would not be his last. For reference, the PCID has about 50 consultors who serve in an advisory capacity.

In late 2013 Father Aveline was elected as an Auxiliary bishop of Marseille, becoming Titular Bishop of Simidicca because that's what happens with Auxiliary bishops. Auxiliary Bishop Aveline served alongside the Archbishop until the latter's retirement in 2019, at which point Bishop Aveline became Archbishop Aveline.

Marseille has always been a port city, ever since its days as a Greek colony, and recall Archbishop Aveline himself was something of a migrant, having been born across the Mediterranean in modern Algeria. So it's not too surprising that the plight of migrants, one of Pope Francis' biggest priorities, is also a central issue for Archbishop Aveline, though he's not as emphatic on the matter as Pope Francis is. Of course, it would be hard to be *more* emphatic on that particular matter than Pope Francis.

In July 2022, Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Aveline to the Dicastery for Bishops. Given that fact and the fact that it's not unusual for the second largest city in France to have a Cardinal, I don't think his inclusion in that year's August consistory would have been too surprising, but you never know. He could have wound up like the Patriarch of Venice, walking around looking like a Cardinal presumably because those were the only clothes in the Patriarchate's wardrobe after a long tradition of promotion only to be without an official red hat over a decade into things.

Jean-Marc Noël Aveline is eligible to participate in future conclaves until he turns 80 in 2038.

There's plenty more we can discuss about today's Cardinal, including the drama with one of his suffragan dioceses that's currently forbidden from ordaining new priests. We may indeed come back to Cardinal Aveline in the future, as today's episode is part of Cardinal Numbers, a Popeular project covering all the Cardinals of Church history to determine who's the most eminent Eminence of all. There will be more Cardinal Numbers in the coming weeks, culminating with the First Judgment where I sit down with some company and decide who among the Cardinals we've discussed in this batch should make it to the next round for a deeper dive.

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Thank you for listening, God bless you all!

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