Archbishop Maurice Feltin, of Bordeaux, who has just been appointed to succeed the late Cardinal Suhard as Archbishop of Paris, is the son of a notary from the small village of Delle, near the Swiss and German frontiers. He is 66 years old.
He was ordained in 1909. In 1927 he became Bishop of Sens, and four years later Archbishop of Bordeaux.
In World War I he was a sergeant, serving as a stretcher-bearer in an infantry regiment. His courage and devotion to duty won him the Croix de Guerre with five citations, the Medallic Militaire and the Cross of the Legion of Honour.
HID RABBI During the German occupation of World War II, from 1940 to 1944, he hid Grand Rabbi Cohen, of Bordeaux, in his home along with the sacred books from the city's synagogue.
As Archbishop of Bordeaux, he enjoyed great prestige for the depth of his learning, for his prudence, authority and profound understanding of the moral and social problems of the present day.
A few months ago he was in Rome, leading a pilgrimage to the canonisation of St. Jeanne de Lestonnac. At that time he had a long conversation with His Holiness, Pope Pius XII.