Father Rene Laurentin was a French theologian. He is widely recognized as an expert in the field of Mariology and is the author of numerous books and scholarly articles on topics including Marian apparitions such as Lourdes and Medjugorje; visionaries and mystics including Bernadette Soubirous, Therese de Lisieux, Catherine Laboure, and Yvonne Aimee de Malestroit; as well as biblical exegesis, theology, and Vatican II.