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Monday, February 4, 2019


The consecration of Tommaso Parentucelli – Pope Nicholas V

A couple of years ago, information was discovered which stated that Tommaso Cardinal Parentucelli, Bishop of Bologna, who was elected pope with the name of Nicholas V on 6 March 1447, had received episcopal ordination after his election. 

This past week I received a message from Mr. Tomasz Karlikowski in which he inquired about the possibility that Nicholas V received episcopal ordination as Bishop of Bologna rather than after his election as pope. He asked some interesting questions and provided some new insights on the College of Cardinals and papal elections in the first half of the second millennium.  I am grateful to him for his interesting and thought-provoking contribution.

Consulting some of the excellent digitized manuscripts on the website of the Vatican Library (https://digi.vatlib.it/ ) I found an account of the rites after the death of Pope Eugene IV and the conclave which elected Pope Nicholas V in the Capponi collection:  Cappon.29, 318v-320r.  This easily readable account made no mention of him being ordained bishop.

Therefore, the search for information concerning the episcopal ordination of Tommaso Cardinal Parentucelli, Bishop of Bologna and future Pope Nicholas V, continues.

Sunday, February 3, 2019



First change to the d’Estouteville Line in 2019

The d’Estouteville line has experienced its first change in 2019: the addition of a new bishop in France. 

On 3 February 2019, in the Cathedral of Saint-Étienne in Metz, Father Jean-Pierre Vuillemin was ordained Titular Bishop of Thérouanne and Auxiliary Bishop of Metz by Bishop Jean Christophe André Robert Lagleize of Metz, who was assisted by Bishop Didier Norman Raymond Berthet of Saint-Dié and Bishop Jean-Paul Mary Mathieu, Bishop emeritus of Saint-Dié.

With the episcopal ordination of Bishop Vuillemin, the d’Estouteville line now has 49 living members.

Here is the updated list of the living members of the d’Estouteville line:

Malayappan Chinnappa, S.D.B., Archbishop emeritus of Madras and Mylapore
Francis Kallarakal, Archbishop emeritus of Verapoly
Maria Callist Soosa Packiam, Archbishop of Trivandrum of the Latins
Antony Ananadarayar, Archbishop of Pondicherry and Cuddalore
Vincent Louis Marie Landel, S.C.J. de Beth., Archbishop emeritus of Rabat
Pierre Antoine Jean Bach, M.E.P., Titular Bishop of Tituli in Proconsulari and former 
 Vicar Apostolic of Savannakhet, Laos
Joseph Luechai Thatwisai, Bishop of Udon Thani, Thailand
Philip Banchong Chaiyara, C.Ss.R., Bishop of Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand
Sebastian Thekethecheril, Bishop of Vijayapuram
Selvister Ponnumuthan, Bishop of Punalur
Christudas Rajappan, Titular Bishop of Avitta Bibba, Auxiliary of Trivandrum of the Latins
Mathew Cheriannkunnel, P.I.M.E., Bishop emeritus of Kurnool
Innayya Chinna Addagatla, Bishop emeritus of Srikakulam
Paul Maipan, Bishop of Khammam
Singaroyan Sebastianappan, Bishop of Salem
Peter Remigius, Bishop emeritus of Kottar
Jerome Das Varuvel, S.D.B., Bishop of Kuzhithurai
Amalraj Arulappan, Bishop of Ootacamund
Soundaraj Periyanayagam, S.D.B., Bishop of Vellore
Antonysamy Francis, Bishop of Kumbakonam
Joseph Anthony Irudayaraj, S.D.B., Bishop emeritus of Dharamapuri
Devadoss Ambrose Mariadoss, Bishop of Tanjore
Antony Devotta, Bishop of Tiruchirapalli
Nazarene Soosai, Bishop of Kottar

*Bernard Aubertin, O.Cist., Archbishop of Tours
*Armand Maillard, Archbishop of Bourges
*Guy Thomazeau, Archbishop emeritus of Montpellier
*Laurent Ulrich, Archbishop of Lille
*Hubert Barbier, Archbishop emeritus of Bourges
*Jean-Christophe Lagleize, Bishop of Metz
*Jean-Paul Vuillemin, Titular Bishop of Thérouanne and Auxiliary of Metz
*Jean-Marie Le Vert, Titular Bishop of Briançonnet and Auxiliary of Bordeaux,
*Gilbert Louis, Bishop emeritus of Châlons
*Michel Pansard, Bishop of Evry-Corbeil-Essonnes
*Philippe Christory, Bishop of Chartres
*Alain Planet, Bishop of Carcassonne et Narbonne
*Yves Boivineau, Bishop of Annecy
*Bernard Housset, Bishop emeritus of La Rochelle
*François Jacolin, M.D.P., Bishop of Luçon
*Gérard Coliche, Titular Bishop of Alet and former Auxiliary of Lille
*Antoine Henry Pierre Marie Hérouard, Titular Bishop of Maillezais and Auxiliary of Lille
*Claude-Joseph Azéma, Titular Bishop of Murcona and former Auxiliary of Montpellier
*Jean-Charles Thomas, Bishop emeritus of Versailles
*François-Mathurin Gourvès, Bishop emeritus of Vannes
*Alphonse Georger, Bishop emeritus of Oran

**Raphaël Dabiré Kusiélé, Bishop of Diébougou
**Paul Eusebius Mea Kaiuea, M.S.C., Bishop of Tarawa
**Paul Zinghtung Grawng, Archbishop emeritus of Mandalay
**Jean Baptiste Kpiéle Somé, Bishop emeritus of Diébougou

The bishops with an * are the original d'Estouteville group plus additions to their number since the combination of other lineages.  The bishops with ** are those who were previously known as the Ravizza line.