Yves Marie Joseph Cardinal Congar (April 8, 1904-June 22,1995) was a French Dominican priest and theologian. He is one of the most influential theologians of the 20th century on the topic of the Church and ecumenism and influenced also the thinking of Pope John Paul II from the year 1946 onwards. Very active in the ecumenical movement and the first Catholic to seriously contribute to that scholarly discussion, Congar was once removed from teaching or publishing for a time by the Vatican. He published work on wide ranging topics, including Mary, the Eucharist, lay ministry and the Holy Spirit, as well as his diaries from his experiences during Vatican II. He was elevated to cardinal in 1994.