A spiritual journey (A book by Olivier de Berranger – Page 46)
Defence of a doctoral thesis in theology
There is one event that would leave its mark on Alfred Ancel’s career in ecclesiastical circles, and it was this event that enabled him to reach, as it were, the pinnacle of the elite career path we have described. The prominence of his family – which, during a memorable audience, was able to present three of its sons in cassocks to the Holy Father – certainly played no small part in this. Indeed, on 17 May 1924—a unique event in Roman annals—at the Vatican Lapidary Museum, a long gallery with walls engraved with ancient inscriptions, and in the presence of Pius XI seated at the far end on a raised chair, Father Alfred Ancel, standing before nine cardinals and with his back to a large number of bishops, professors and students seated on more than three hundred benches, defended his doctoral thesis in theology. He was questioned in turn by Cardinal Billot on «the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist», Cardinal Laurenti on «the juridical primacy entrusted by Christ to Saint Peter» and, finally, Cardinal Sincero on «the distinctions between substance and relations in the mystery of the Trinity».
The Seminary’s chronicler reported on the event, filled with admiration: «Unflappable when under attack and quick to retort, the defender is never caught off guard on any point. He clarifies here, defines there, retorts again, always responds, and so on. » So much so that in the end, «satisfied with having been defeated», Cardinal Sincero rose and, turning towards the Pope, exclaimed, «Beatissime Pater, peto pacem, Most Holy Father, I ask for peace». Pius XI rises in turn, congratulates the professors of the Gregorian University—on this very day when we are celebrating the centenary of the restoration of the Roman College to the Society of Jesus—and twice calls the young priest «the hero of the day»… All that remained was to bring down the curtain. As for the content of the syllogisms, it was, as one might expect, entirely orthodox; the brilliant laureate was awarded his doctorate «summa cum laude». And a painting immortalised the event.
A Reading from the Book by Father Antoine Chevrier
Extract from the book by Bishop Olivier de Berranger (Page 47)
There is another fact, which went unnoticed at the time, that had an even greater impact on Alfred Ancel’s life. When his mother had come to Rome for the family audience, she had brought her eldest son a book published in Lyon in 1922. Its title was: «The Priest According to the Gospel, or the True Disciple of Our Lord Jesus Christ.» And its author was Antoine Chevrier, a priest and founder of the Prado. Only the young priest’s close friends, such as Émile Guerry and Gabriel Garrone, were soon made aware of this second event. It even happened that, enthused by his new book, Alfred Ancel would read out one or two passages from it to a few seminarians gathered in the courtyard in front of the Tutela Domus, the statue of the Virgin, patroness of the establishment.
The Gospel witness of the humble priest from La Guillotière made an immediate impression on Alfred Ancel. For he was not merely a student at ease in the world of ideas. He had not forgotten the profound experience of the absolute that had gripped him during his end-of-studies retreat. He had also had the opportunity to explore a budding interest in the Gospel in 1918, when, forced to rest in hospital following an operation on his eye, he had read the famous The Life of Francis of Assisi by the Dane Jœrgensen. How could he have failed to notice the striking similarity between the message of the Poverello and that of Antoine Chevrier? For Chevrier, a passion for the Gospel went hand in hand with the ideal of a priesthood lived out as a disciple of Christ.
