Abbé

Abbé is the French word for an abbot. It is also the title used for lower-ranking Catholic clergy in France who are not members of religious orders.

History

A concordat between Pope Leo X and King François I of France gave the monarchs of France the right to nominate 255 commendatory abbots for almost all French abbeys, who received income from a monastery without needing to render service, creating, in essence, a sinecure.
From the mid-16th century, the title of abbé has been used in France for all young clergy, with or without consecration. Their clothes consisted of black or dark violet robes with a small collar, and they were tonsured.
Since such abbés only rarely commanded an abbey, they often worked in upper-class families as tutors, spiritual directors, etc.; some became writers.
Clerical oblates and seminarians of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest also have the honorific title of abbé.