Isidore de Souza
Isidore de Souza (4 April 1934 – 13 March 1999) was a Beninese priest who was Archbishop of Cotonou from 1990 to 1999.
He was born into the aristocratic De Souza family of Ouidah on 4 April 1934. He was the uncle of Chantal Yayi, who served as First Lady of Benin from 2006 to 2016, and the late Marcel Alain de Souza (1953–2019), a banker and former President of the ECOWAS Commission.[1]
De Souza went on to study in Abidjan and Rome.[2] He was ordained a priest on 8 July 1962. De Souza was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Cotonou on 17 July 1981 and became Archbishop on 27 December 1990.[3] He led the National Conference in February 1990, which was convened to address economic issues but returned Benin to democracy. He was instrumental in preventing the army from disbanding it.[4] De Souza served as the chairman of the High Council of the Republic from 28 February 1990 to 31 March 1991,[5] setting up the presidential election and a new constitution. He persuaded President Mathieu Kerekou to accept the decisions of the council and return Benin to civilian rule.[2] De Souza was the chairman of the Regional Episcopal Conference of Francophone West Africa from 1997 to his death.[6] He died on 13 March 1999 in Ouidah.[2]
Notes edit
- ^ Duhem, Vince (2016-04-20). "Bénin : Marcel de Souza, à la fois proche de Thomas Boni Yayi et de Patrice Talon". Jeune Afrique. from the original on 2016-08-28. Retrieved 2021-08-02.
- ^ a b c Houngnikpo & Decalo 2013, p. 139
- ^ Isidore de Souza Catholic Hierarchy
- ^ Houngnikpo & Decalo 2013, p. 109
- ^ https://assemblee-nationale.bj/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Histoire-et-patrimoine.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ Nouveau visage et nouveau nom pour le site de l'Eglise catholique en France 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine (in French)
References edit
- Houngnikpo, Mathurin; Decalo, Samuel (2013). Historical Dictionary of Benin. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0810871717.