Augustin Bea | |
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President of the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity | |
Appointed | 6 June 1960 |
Term ended | 16 November 1968 |
Predecessor | None |
Successor | Johannes Willebrands |
Other post(s) | Cardinal–Deacon of San Saba |
Previous post(s) |
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Orders | |
Ordination | 25 August 1912 by Hermann Jürgens |
Consecration | 19 April 1962 by Pope John XXIII |
Created cardinal | 14 December 1959 by Pope John XXIII |
Rank | Cardinal-Deacon |
Personal details | |
Born | Augustin Bea 28 May 1881 Riedböhringen, German Empire |
Died | 16 November 1968 Rome, Italy | (aged 87)
Nationality | German |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
Motto | In nomine domini Jesu (In the name of the Lord Jesus) |
Coat of arms |
Augustin Bea SJ (28 May 1881 – 16 November 1968) was a German Jesuit priest, cardinal, and scholar at the Pontifical Gregorian University, specialising in biblical studies and biblical archaeology. He also served as the personal confessor of Pope Pius XII.
He was made a cardinal in 1959 by Pope John XXIII and served as the first president of the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity from 1960 until his death. Bea was a leading biblical scholar and ecumenist, who greatly influenced Christian-Jewish relations during the Second Vatican Council in Nostra aetate. Bea published several books, mostly in Latin, and 430 articles.