HOUTIN, ALBERT

HOUTIN, ALBERT. - Modernist, born 4 October 1867 at La Flèche (Sarthe), died 30 July 1926 in Paris. Ordained priest in 1891, he taught at the Seminary of Angers. He published La controverse de l'apostolicité des Eglises de France au XIXe siècle (Paris 1900), in which he denied the reliability of the tradition concerning the origins of the diocese of Angers; he was called to order by his bishop. Having moved to Paris the following year, he preached at S. Sulpizio, but had to leave this office after the publication of La question biblique chez les catholiques de France au XIXe siècle (Paris 1902), which had wide resonance and opened the way to the bolder manifestations of Modernism; it was placed on the Index on 4 Dec. 1903 together with Mes difficultés avec mon évêque. Likewise condemned were: L'américanisme (Paris 1903: decree of 3 June 1904); La question biblique au XIXe siècle (ibid. 1905: decree of 11 Dec. 1906); La crise du clergé (ibid. 1907: decree of 26 July 1907); works rich in information on the Modernist movement, of which H. was an ardent publicist. In 1912 he laid aside the priestly habit and published the Histoire du modernisme catholique (ibid. 1913). A Courte histoire du célibat ecclésiastique, completed by Turmel, appeared in Paris in 1929. Autobiographical in character are: Ma vie laïque and Une vie de prêtre (Paris 1926).

Silvio Furlani