ASTROS, PAUL THÉRÈSE DAVID D'

French cardinal, archbishop; b. Tourvès (Var), Oct. 15, 1772; d. Toulouse, Sept. 29, 1851. He was ordained in 1797. In 1802 he was named a canon in the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. He was assigned in 1806 to draw up the Imperial Catechism. When the Archdiocese of Paris fell vacant in 1808, D'Astros was appointed vicar capitular. In this position he opposed the ecclesiastical pretensions of napoleon i and withstood the efforts of Cardinal maury, the Emperor's appointee, to take possession of the see without the approval of Pope pius vii. As a result D'Astros was imprisoned (1811–14). While bishop of Bayonne (1820–30) and archbishop of Toulouse (1830–51) and cardinal (1850) he was a zealous and capable pastor and administrator. D'Astros, a conservative, was a supporter of gallicanism. He denounced Hugues Félicité de lamennais to Rome and composed a censure of 56 propositions drawn from the latter's writings. The archbishop asserted his independence of the July Monarchy and upheld vigorously liberty of education for Catholic schools. As a champion of the diversities in the traditional Gallican liturgy he opposed Dom Prosper guÉranger.

Bibliography: p. droulers, Action pastorale et problèmes sociaux…chez Mgr. d'Astros (Paris 1954). j. bellamy, Dictionnaire de théologie catholique, ed. a. vacant, 15 v. (Paris 1903–50; Tables générales 1951–) 1.2:2142–43. j. dedieu, Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie ecclésiastiques, ed. a. baudrillart (Paris 1912–) 4:1253–55. g. lazare, Dictionnaire de biographie française (Paris 1929–) 3:1383–88. r. c halumeau, Catholicisme 1:970–971.

[m. h. quinlan]