The Bishops Conference of Lazio in Rome has opened a process for the
beatification of the Beninese Cardinal Bernard Gantin. As Prefect of the
Congregation for Bishops, he signed the excommunication of Archbishop
Marcel Lefebvre after the ordination of four bishops without papal
mandate in 1988.
Bernardin Gantin was born on May 8, 1922, in
Toffo, Dahomey (today Benin). He was ordained a priest in 1951 and a
bishop in 1957, making him one of the youngest bishops in Africa at the
time.
He held several important positions in the Roman Curia,
including Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops (1984-1998), which
gave him immense influence over the many [disastrous] bishops
appointments.
He was also President of the Pontifical Commission
for Latin America and Dean of the College of Cardinals (1993–2002), the
first African to hold that position.
After his retirement in 2002, he returned to Benin, where he lived quietly until his death on May 13, 2008.
The international airport of Cotonou bears his name.
#newsDupkmitdgv