Jean Jadot

{{for|the Belgian railway engineer and banker|Jean Jadot (banker)}}

{{Infobox Christian leader

| type =

| name = Jean Jadot

| title = President of the Secretariat for Non-Christians

| image = J JADOT.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Jean Jadot

| church = Roman Catholic Church

| archdiocese =

| diocese =

| see = Titular See of Zuri

| term = 1980–1984

| predecessor = Sergio Pignedoli

| successor = Francis Arinze

| ordination = 11 February 1934

| ordinated_by =

| consecration = 1 May 1968

| consecrated_by = Leo Joseph Suenens

| rank =

| birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1909|11|23}}

| birth_place = Brussels, Belgium

| death_date = {{death date and age|2009|1|21|1909|11|12|df=y}}

| death_place = Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, Belgium

| previous_post = Priest

}}

Jean Jadot (23 November 1909 – 21 January 2009) was a Belgian Catholic prelate who served as apostolic delegate to the United States (the first non-Italian to do so) from 1973 to 1980, and as president of the Secretariat for Non-Christians from 1980 to 1984.

Biography

Jean Jadot was born in Brussels. He was born to a well-known aristocratic family, and his father, Lambert, was a noted electrical engineer who worked around the world, including China and the Congo. In 1926, he entered the Catholic University of Leuven, from where he obtained his doctorate in philosophy magna cum laude in 1930. His thesis was on the work of Alfred Edward Taylor.

Jadot, despite his father's opposition, then entered the seminary of the Archdiocese of Mechelen, and was ordained to the priesthood by Jozef-Ernest Cardinal van Roey on 11 February 1934.

On 28 February 1968, Pope Paul VI appointed him titular archbishop of Zuri and apostolic delegate to Thailand, Laos, and the Malay Peninsula (Malaysia and Singapore).{{cite book |access-date = 25 November 2019 | url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-60-1968-ocr.pdf | title = Acta Apostolicae Sedis | page= 365 | date= 1968 |volume = LX }} He was consecrated a bishop by Cardinal Leo Joseph Suenens on 1 May 1968.{{Cite web|title=Archbishop Jean Jadot [Catholic-Hierarchy]|url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bjadot.html|website=www.catholic-hierarchy.org|access-date=2020-05-30}}

He was appointed Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Thailand on 28 August 1969.{{cite book |access-date = 25 November 2019 | url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-61-1969-ocr.pdf | title = Acta Apostolicae Sedis | page= 599 | date= 1969|volume = LXI }} On 15 May 1971, Jadot was appointed apostolic pro-nuncio to Gabon and Cameroon as well as apostolic delegate to Equatorial Guinea.{{cite book |access-date = 25 November 2019 | url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-63-1971-ocr.pdf | title = Acta Apostolicae Sedis | page= 398 | date= 1971| volume = LXIII }} On 23 May 1973 he was appointed the apostolic delegate to the United States.{{cite book | page = 349 | url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-65-1973-ocr.pdf | date = 1973 | volume = LXV | title = Acta Apostolicae Sedis | access-date = 9 September 2022 }}

Jadot was considered a progressive leader in the American Church and was at times polarizing in the statements he made and decisions he took. Jadot was seen favorably by the Vatican under Pope Paul VI, who rejected Jadot's initial offer to resign as apostolic delegate.{{cite news | url = https://www.ncronline.org/news/vatican/cleric-who-shaped-us-pastoral-church-dead-99 | work = National Catholic Reporter | date = 21 January 2009 | title = Cleric who shaped U.S. 'pastoral church' dead at 99 | access-date = 22 July 2019 | first = John A. | last = Dick }}

On 27 June 1980, Pope John Paul II appointed him the Pro-President of the Secretariat of Non-Christians,{{cite book | page = 769 | url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-72-1980-ocr.pdf | date = 1980 | volume = LXXII | title = Acta Apostolicae Sedis | access-date = 9 September 2022 }} a position normally held by a cardinal. Jadot's progressive views were the main obstacle to his being made a cardinal by Pope John Paul,{{Citation needed|reason=Reliable source needed for the whole sentence|date=March 2015}} who did not include him when he created cardinals in February 1983. Pope John Paul accepted his resignation on 8 April 1984, a few months shy of his 75th birthday when he was required to submit his resignation.

Jadot died in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, Belgium, on 21 January 2009.{{cite news | url = http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0900290.htm |title= Archbishop Jadot, former apostolic delegate in US, dies in Belgium |archive-date= 2 January 2013 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130102094928/http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0900290.htm |agency= Catholic News Service | date = 21 January 2009| url-status = dead}}