Bishop Tauran, a fervent diplomat at the service of the Church

A great French cardinal who has just died. Jean-Louis Tauran, 75, struggled to the end against Parkinson's disease. He had also completed a mission to Saudi Arabia in April 2018, as part of his responsibility as President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, where Benedict XVI had appointed him. And where Francis had confirmed it. In this post, he played a decisive role in the dialogue at the highest level between the Catholic Church and Islam. "We are condemned to hear each other," he liked to repeat.

In Saudi Arabia, for example, he had signed a cooperation agreement between the Holy See and that country. The prelate considered this fact as a "very strong sign" and a "desire" to dialogue. Without being satisfied, because he knew that we had to go from "words and texts" to "concrete projects". Hence this request, publicly expressed to King Salman: that Christians are no longer considered as "second-clbad citizens". Cardinal Tauran also insisted on the need for these countries to focus on the education of new generations, one of his great struggles. "Christians and Muslims face two dangers together: terrorism and ignorance," he repeated.

Restoring troubled relations

Many misunderstood the commitment of this rather clbadical, high prelate had taken in this policy of rapprochement with the summits of Islam. It was to forget that Benedict XVI himself had asked this diplomat to take the lead of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue at the worst moment of the Regensburg crisis. It was a few months after this famous speech by the pope in this German city, in the autumn of 2006, where he indirectly referred to "violence" in Islam and provoked the outcry of the entire Muslim world against the Church. Catholic. Step by step, month after month, the diplomatic capacity of Cardinal Tauran had allowed. Under Francis' pontificate, with the series of attacks perpetrated in the name of Islam, his mission was to prevent the links with this religion from becoming too distant. John Paul II had quickly spotted him and made him the head of his diplomacy for a dozen years.

Ability to Negotiate

Thus he had to manage the end of the communist empire, the wars of the Middle East – it was Cardinal Tauran who invented the formula of John Paul II "Lebanon is not a country, it's a message" – and many sensitive issues in the shadow of the Polish pope. This polyglot Bordelais, noted for the delicacy of his intelligence, his prudence, his capacity for negotiation, and above all his discretion, had therefore served with all his strength the pontificate of John Paul II abroad. Leaving a part of his health. Francis and he knew each other less, even though the Argentinian pope had always had a high regard for the quality of this servant of the Church. As cardinal protodiacre, it is besides Jean-Louis Tauran who had announced to the world the election of François, on March 13th, 2013, the famous "Habemus papam". The latter had named him "camerlingue of the Holy Roman Church" in December 2014 – the one who governs during the vacancy of the Apostolic See, between the death of the Pope and the election of his successor. With his disappearance, the Catholic Church loses a diplomatic end but also a Christian of great humility and "deep faith," said Francis.