Alain Castet

Alain Castet (born in Floirac, Gironde) is a French Roman Catholic bishop, the Emeritus bishop of Luçon (Vendée) since 2017.

Biography

Education After studying for the priesthood at Saint-Sulpice Seminary in Issy-les-Moulineaux, Alain Castet was ordained a priest on for the Archdiocese of Paris.

He completed further studies at the Institut Catholique de Paris, earning a licentiate in philosophy and a master's degree in sacramental theology.

Pastoral ministry His priestly ministry was mainly focused on parish responsibilities in Paris, particularly as the pastor of Saint-Antoine de Padoue, Saint-Pierre-du-Gros-Caillou, and Saint-François-Xavier. He also served as a chaplain for middle and high school students for thirteen years.

At the diocesan level, he was a member of the presbyteral council office of Paris from 2007 to 2008.

He was appointed Bishop of Luçon on , a seat that had been vacant since the transfer of Michel Santier to the Diocese of Créteil, and he was consecrated on the following by Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, assisted by François-Xavier Loizeau, bishop of Digne, and Gabriel Anokye, bishop of Obuasi.

In 2010, by canonically establishing the Institut Catholique d'Études Supérieures, he became the first chancellor of this institute officially recognized by the Catholic Church.

In 2012, an article in Ouest-France indicated that he had been criticized for celebrating, using the Pontificale Romanum in force in 1962, the ordination of six deacons at the international seminary of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter, a society of apostolic life of traditionalist Catholics in communion with the Holy See. The spokesperson for the French Bishops' Conference, Bernard Podvin, denounced the confusion made with the Society of Saint Pius X, indicating that this ordination was an act of communion, which other bishops, like Cardinal Ricard, had previously performed.

On , Pope Francis accepted Castet's resignation from his role as bishop of Luçon for health reasons.

Distinctions Knight of the Legion of Honour (2007)

Works

Dieu existe, j'ai pu le voir, Siloé Editions, 2012 Vendée: Luçon, Maillezais, Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, under the direction of Bishop Alain Castet, La Grâce d'une Cathédrale series, La Nuée Bleue Editions, 2017 700 years of the Diocese of Luçon: homilies, speeches and conferences, Oyats Editions, 2017 (ed.), Vendée - Luçon, Maillezais, Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre - La Grâce d'une Cathédrale, Place des Victoires Editions, 2017.