Walter Gut was born in
Reiden, Switzerland, entered the
Order of Saint Benedict at the
Archabbey of Maria Einsiedeln, made his monastic
profession as a monk on 6 January 1918, and was given
the name of "
Benno". He began his studies at the College of Maria Einsideln, at the
musical conservatory of
Basel,
University of Basel, at the Benedictine
Pontificio Sant'Anselmo in Rome, and at the
Pontifical Biblical Institute in
Rome.
Ordained to the
priesthood on 10 July 1921, Gut finished his studies in 1923 and then did
pastoral work at Einsiedeln Abbey until 1930. Gut taught at his
alma mater of "Pontificio Sant'Anselmo" from 1930 to 1939, at which time he returned to Switzerland and became a
professor at the Einsiedeln Abbey College. On 15 April 1947 he was elected
abbot of the Archabbey of Maria Einsiedeln, receiving the traditional
episcopal benediction of new abbots from Archbishop
Filippo Bernardini on the following 5 May. On 24 September 1959, Gut was elected as the fourth Abbot
Primate of the
Benedictine Confederation. From 1962 to 1965 he attended the
Second Vatican Council. On 10 June 1967 Gut was appointed
Titular Archbishop of Thuccabora by
Pope Paul VI. He received his
episcopal consecration eight days later, on 18 June, from Cardinal
Eugène Cardinal Tisserant, with Bishops Joseph Hasler and Johannes Vonderach serving as
co-consecrators, at the Archabbey of Maria Einsiedeln.
Pope Paul VI created him
Cardinal Deacon of
San Giorgio al Velabro in the
consistory of 26 June the same year in advance of naming him
prefect of
Congregation of Rites on the following 29 June. Along with prefect of rites, Gut also assumed in 1968 the position of
president of the
consilium for
liturgical reform, of which the Benedictine abbot was an advocate. He later resigned as abbot primate of the Benedictine Confederation on 8 September 1967. With the dissolution of the Congregation of Rites, the cardinal became prefect of the newly established
Congregation for Divine Worship on 7 May 1969. Gut died in Rome at the age of 73. He is buried in Archabbey of Maria Einsiedeln. ==References==