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 post(s)	Cardinal-Priest of San Giovanni Crisostomo a Monte Sacro Alto
Previous post(s)	Bishop of Man (1968–1992) Bishop of Yamoussoukro (1992–1994)
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
Motto	être tout à tous
Coat of arms

Styles of Bernard Agré
Reference style	His Eminence
Spoken style	Your Eminence
Informal style	Cardinal
See	Abidjan (emeritus)

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 to 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 Agré 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 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. 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.

External links

• Cardinal Agré retrieved 16 Oct 2010