Marcel Lefebvre Cleric

Marcel François Marie Joseph Lefebvre [maʁsɛl fʁɑ̃swɑ maʁi josɛf ləfɛːvʁ] (29 November 1905 – 25 March 1991) was a French Roman Catholic archbishop. Following a career as an Apostolic Delegate for West Africa and Superior General of the Holy Ghost Fathers, he took the lead in opposing certain changes within the Church associated with the Second Vatican Council.In 1970, Lefebvre founded the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX). In 1988, against the expressed prohibition of John Paul II'>Pope John Paul II, he consecrated four bishops to continue his work with the SSPX. The Holy See immediately declared that he and the other bishops who had participated in the ceremony had incurred automatic excommunication under Catholic canon law. In 2009, 18 years after Lefebvre's death, Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunication of the four surviving bishops at their request.

Personal facts

Birth date	November 29, 1905
Birth place	Tourcoing , France
Nationality	France
Religion	Catholic Church
Date of death	March 25, 1991
Place of death	Martigny
Education	Pontifical French Seminary
Parents	René Lefebvre