Bernard Agré

His Eminence
Bernard Agré
Cardinal, Archbishop Emeritus of Abidjan
Archdiocese Abidjan
See Abidjan
Appointed 19 December 1994
Installed 26 February 1995
Term ended 2 May 2006
Predecessor Bernard Yago
Successor Jean-Pierre Kutwa
Other posts Cardinal-Priest of San Giovanni Crisostomo a Monte Sacro Alto
Orders
Ordination 20 July 1953
by Jean-Baptiste Boivin
Consecration 3 October 1968
by Bernard Yago
Created Cardinal 21 February 2001
Rank Cardinal-Priest
Personal details
Born (1926-03-02)2 March 1926
Monga, Ivory Coast
Died 9 June 2014(2014-06-09) (aged 88)
Paris, France
Nationality Ivorian
Denomination Roman Catholic
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Motto être tout à tous
Coat of arms
Styles of
Bernard Agré
Reference style His Eminence
Spoken style Your Eminence
Informal style Cardinal

Bernard Agré (2 March 1926 – 9 June 2014) was the archbishop of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, and a cardinal of the Catholic Church.

Biography

He was educated at the Seminary of Bingerville where he studied philosophy, then the Major Seminary of Quidah, Dahomey, now Benin (theology) then finally from 1957–1960 at the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome where he earned a doctorate summa cum laude in theology.

He was ordained to the priesthood on 20 July 1953, Bishop Jean Baptiste Boivin, S.M.A. Fr Agre served as a vicar in Dabou, teacher and director of the school, 1953–1956. Rector of the pre-seminary in Bingerville, 1956–1957. Pastor of Notre Dame in Treichville, 1960–1962. He was created Domestic prelate on 8 December. He also served as vicar general of Abidjan, in charge of private education and of the Seminaries, 1963–1968.

He was appointed bishop of Man on 8 June 1968 by Pope Paul VI. He served as president of the Regional Episcopal Conference of Western Africa, 1985–1991. Transferred to see of Yamoussoukro, 6 March 1992. Promoted to metropolitan see of Abidjan, 19 December 1994. He was created and proclaimed Cardinal-Priest of San Giovanni Crisostomo a Monte Sacro Alto on 21 February 2001 by Pope John Paul II.

As a cardinal under the age of 80 Agré was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2005 papal conclave that selected Pope Benedict XVI. He reached age 80 on March 2, 2006, and thus lost the right to participate in a conclave. His resignation from the pastoral government of the archdiocese was accepted on 2 May 2006, in conformity to canon 401 § 1 of the Code of Canon Law.

He was a member of the Mbatto people. Agré died in Paris on 9 June 2014.[1]

References

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