Door of San Giacomo in Augusta, Rome, with plaques displaying the arms of Pope Francis (left) and those of Cardinal Langlois (right). (Despite the sign, San Giacomo is not actually a basilica.)

Chibly Langlois (French pronunciation: [lɑ̃glwa]; born 29 November 1958) is a Haitian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He has served as Bishop of Les Cayes since 15 August 2011, and is also president of Haiti’s Bishops’ Conference.[citation needed]

Pope Francis elevated Langlois to the College of Cardinals on 22 February 2014.[3] As of February 2023, Langlois is the first and only Haitian cardinal in history. He was the only new cardinal elevated in the February 2014 consistory who was not an archbishop.[citation needed]

Biography

Langlois was born in 1958 in La Vallée in southeast Haiti to a poor family.[4] Langlois entered the Grand Séminaire Notre-Dame of Port-au-Prince in 1985, where he studied philosophy and theology. Years later, from 1994 to 1996, he studied at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome and obtained a licentiate in pastoral theology.[5]

He was ordained as priest for the diocese of Jacmel on 22 September 1991.[5][6]

On 8 April 2004 Langlois was appointed bishop of Fort-Liberté by Pope John Paul II.[7] On 15 August 2011 he was appointed bishop of Les Cayes by Pope Benedict XVI.[8]

When choosing to elevate Langlois to the College of Cardinals in 2014, Pope Francis bypassed many more senior Haitian bishops, including metropolitan archbishops Louis Kébreau and Guire Poulard.[9] At the time, Poulard was Langlois's superior in the ecclesiastical province of Port-au-Prince.

On 22 February 2014, Pope Francis appointed Langlois Cardinal-Priest of San Giacomo in Augusta.[10] This Roman church had never before been designated as the titular church of a Catholic cardinal. Cardinal Langlois took possession of his titular church on 7 June 2014.[11]

On 22 May 2014, Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Langlois a member of both the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Pontifical Commission for Latin America, and Secretariat for Communications.[12]

Langlois was injured during the 2021 Haiti earthquake. He was at the bishop's residence when it partially collapsed during the quake. Langlois survived, but a priest and two employees were killed.[13] On June 8, 2022, Langlois was injured in a serious car accident.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Cardinale CHIBLY LANGLOIS nella nostra Chiesa" [Cardinal CHIBLY LANGLOIS in our Church]. San Giacomo in Augusta (in Italian). 1 March 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  2. ^ "Bishop Chibly Langlois". Catholic Relief Services. 1 June 2012. Archived from the original on 15 January 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  3. ^ Pope Francis announces names of new Cardinals - Vatican Radio, 12 January 2014
  4. ^ "Meet the Cardinals: Chibly Langlois - Les Cayes, Haiti". Salt and Light. February 6, 2014. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  5. ^ a b "Haiti - Religion : Mgr. Chibly Langlois, new Bishop of Les Cayes". Haiti Libre. 16 August 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  6. ^ "Haiti's first cardinal-designate highlights nation's struggles". Catholic News Agency. 15 January 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  7. ^ "Provisio ecclesiarum" [Ecclesiastical provision] (PDF), Acta Apostolicae Sedis (in Latin), 96 (5), Rome, IT: Vatican: 318, 2004
  8. ^ "Provisio ecclesiarum" [Ecclesiastical provision] (PDF), Acta Apostolicae Sedis (in Latin), 103 (9), Rome, IT: Vatican: 624, 2011
  9. ^ "Bishops of Haiti by Liturgical Precedence". GCatholic.org. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  10. ^ "Concistoro ordinario pubblico per la creatione dei nuovi cardinali: assegnazione dei titoli o delle diaconie ai nuovi porporati" [Ordinary public consistory for the creation of the new cardinals: allocation of titles or deaconries to the new prelates]. Holy See Press Office (in Italian). 22 February 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  11. ^ "Una comunita in festa: Il Card. Chibly Langlois prende possesso del Titolo di San Giacomo" [A community in celebration: Card. Chibly Langlois takes possession of the Title of San Giacomo]. San Giacomo in Augusta (in Italian). 23 June 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  12. ^ "Rinunce e nomine" [Renunciations and nominations]. Holy See Press Office (in Italian). 22 May 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  13. ^ "Cardinal injured, priest dead after earthquake in Haiti". Catholic News Agency. 14 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  14. ^ |url=https://aleteia.org/2022/06/09/haitian-cardinal-survivor-of-2021-earthquake-injured-in-car-accident/

External links


Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bishop of Fort-Liberte
2004-2011 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Bishop of Les Cayes
2011–present 		Incumbent
Preceded by
titular church established
 Cardinal Priest of San Giacomo in Augusta
2014–present