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Paul Josef CordesGerman curial cardinal.
Date of Birth: 05.09.1934
Country:  Germany |
Content:
- Birth and Early Life
- Education and Priesthood
- Auxiliary Bishop
- Service in the Roman Curia
- Special Envoy and Cardinal
- Additional Curia Assignments and Retirement
- Views on Secularization
Birth and Early Life
Paul Cordes was born on September 5, 1934, in Kirchhundem, Germany. He completed his secondary education at the Gymnasium in Attendorn in 1955.
Education and Priesthood
Cordes initially studied medicine for two semesters in Münster and then philosophy at the Philosophical Faculty in Paderborn, as well as in Lyon, France. He later studied theology at the University of Mainz, where he also assisted Professor Karl Lehmann, becoming the first student to defend his thesis under Lehmann's supervision.
Cordes was ordained a priest by Archbishop Lorenz Jaeger on December 21, 1961. He served as Prefect of the Studienheim Sankt Klemens (St. Clement's Student Hostel) for late vocations, catering to the dioceses of Paderborn and Münster, until 1966. From 1966 to 1969, he was Prefect of the Collegium Leonium, the archdiocesan seminary in Paderborn.
Auxiliary Bishop
On October 27, 1975, Pope Paul VI appointed Cordes as Auxiliary Bishop of Paderborn and Titular Bishop of Naisso. He received episcopal ordination on February 1, 1976.
Service in the Roman Curia
Cordes was appointed Vice-President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity on March 11, 1980. On December 2, 1995, he became President of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, with his titular see being elevated to an archdiocese pro hac vice.
Special Envoy and Cardinal
In 1998, Cordes served as a special papal envoy to Nicaragua, Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala in the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch. Pope Benedict XVI elevated him to the College of Cardinals as Cardinal Deacon of S. Lorenzo in Piscibus on November 24, 2007.
Additional Curia Assignments and Retirement
On June 12, 2008, Benedict XVI appointed Cordes as a member of the Congregations for the Causes of Saints, the Clergy, the Evangelization of Peoples, and the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. Pope Benedict XVI accepted Cordes' resignation due to age on October 7, 2010.
Views on Secularization
Cordes has expressed concerns about the influence of secularization on the Catholic Church, particularly in the context of the Second Vatican Council's emphasis on lay involvement.
