Brief Biography of Cardinal Lavigerie (1825-1892)

1. Vocational journey

Charles-Martial-Allemand Lavigerie, born on 31 October 1825 in Bayonne, France, embarked on a significant vocational journey. He began his studies at the Laressore minor seminary in Bayonne, then continued at the Saint-Nicolas-du-Chardonnet minor seminary in Paris. In 1843, he entered the major seminary at Issy-les-Moulineaux to study philosophy, followed by theology studies at St Sulpice in Paris. His academic journey was further enriched when he was offered the opportunity to continue his studies at the École des Carmes, where he obtained a licence ès-lettres in 1847. He was ordained a priest on 2 June 1849 for the Diocese of Paris, marking a significant milestone in his vocational journey. 

2. Priestly and episcopal life

Shortly after his ordination, Father Lavigerie was sent to study for a doctorate in literature, which he obtained in 1850. At this point, he became a lecturer. In 1853, he was awarded a doctorate in theology and taught church history at the Sorbonne. In addition to teaching, he was appointed the first director of the Œuvre d’Orient in 1856. This provided him with the experience that would partly influence his ministry: discovering the theological and liturgical heritage of the Middle East and meeting Emir Abd El Khader, who introduced him to another facet of Islam. 

Between 1861 and 1863, Father Lavigerie was the Tribunal de la Rote auditor, a religious and diplomatic post in the Holy See. From there, Pope Pius IX appointed him Bishop of Nancy. Aware of the liberal and progressive trend of his time, the young bishop aimed to prepare his clergy to meet the challenges of the times by offering them a solid formation. For him, the apostolate’s quality also depended on the intellectual and spiritual formation of the clergy. He would only stay in Nancy for four years, as he was appointed Bishop of Algiers in 1867. 

Lavigerie obtained the apostolic delegation of the Sahara and Sudan in 1868 with a view to the future establishment of his missionaries to evangelise continental Africa. He applied to the Holy See in 1878 and was granted custody of the Church of Saint Anne of Jerusalem and the apostolic delegation for the missions of Central Africa. He successfully sent his first caravan of 10 missionaries to the Great Lakes region of Africa that same year. 

In 1881, Mgr Lavigerie was entrusted with the Apostolic Vicariate of Tunisia. He was created a cardinal in 1882. His deepest desire was to re-establish the Church in North Africa, the land of the great African theologians. The Episcopal See of Carthage was restored in 1884. Cardinal Lavigerie was appointed Archbishop of Carthage, thus becoming Primate of Africa, while maintaining the see of Algiers until he died in 1892.

3. Founder and missionary 

When he was installed in Algiers, the new bishop was confronted with a famine and epidemic that hit the country. He organised a service to take care of orphans and abandoned children. This led him to found two missionary institutes, the Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers) and the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa (White Sisters), in 1868 and 1869 respectively.

According to Lavigerie, any successful apostolate must be characterised by love for all. His motto was Caritas. He invited his missionaries to adopt the Pauline attitude of being “all things to all people” and never stopped telling them that it was through love that souls had to be won over to Christ. Generally speaking, he conveyed the following methods to the missionaries: catechumenate, promotion of medical catechists, study of the local language, translation of fundamental texts, winning the trust of local leaders, literacy, care of the sick and social development. 

Lavigerie became aware of the scourge of slavery in Africa from the very start of his episcopate in Algeria. He, therefore, devoted himself not only to buying back slaves but also to a vigorous anti-slavery campaign, which he developed in countries with great influence, such as France, Belgium, Italy and Great Britain, especially between 1888 and 1890. In 1888, he founded La Société Antiesclavagiste de France in Paris to “raise funds to expose the conditions of slavery in Africa and to eradicate it”. 

4. A Passionate Man 

While it is true that Lavigerie arrived in Algiers as a Churchman, he was also attached to his homeland, France. Not only did he see the evangelisation of Africa as the responsibility of the Church, but also of France. In response to France’s anti-religious attitude, he underlined the importance of the Christian faith, even in the conquest of a non-Christian but religious nation. 

Following a request from Pope Leo XIII, he acted as an intermediary between Church and State in France. The Toast of Algiers of 12 November 1890, in which Cardinal Lavigerie invited French Catholics to rally to the Republic and contribute to it from within so that the Church could fulfil its spiritual mission, will go down in history. Pope Leo XIII backed Cardinal Lavigerie nine months before his death with his encyclical Au milieu des Sollicitudes in February 1892. 

In conclusion, Cardinal Lavigerie was a figure of great intelligence and exceptional talent. His energetic, tough yet compassionate temperament, and his deep and open faith, which he invested in the missions of Africa and the Middle East, were all guided by his intelligence. His writings and personal accounts reveal a pastor passionate about God and humanity. 

For more detailed information on the life of Cardinal Lavigerie, see, among others: 

  • François RENAULT, Le Cardinal Lavigerie 1825-1892. L’Eglise, L’Afrique et la France, Paris, Fayard, 1992, 698 p.
  • -Xavier de MONTCLOS, Lavigerie. La mission universelle de l’Eglise, (Foi Vivante), Paris, Cerf, 1991, 208 p.