Émile Biayenda (1927 – 23 March 1977) was the Archbishop of Brazzaville in Congo from 1971 to 1977 and was also a

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. He was born in 1927 in Mpangala, Vindza. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

to the priesthood in 1958 and was consecrated as a bishop in 1970. He was elevated to the cardinalate by

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...

in 1973. He was murdered in 1977. His cause of canonization has commenced – he now has the title of

Servant of God "Servant of God" is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Terminology The expression "servant of God" appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in th ...

with the initiation of the cause in 1995 under

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

Biography

Birth

Émile Biayenda was born in 1927 in Mpangala, Vindza

Education

Biayenda attended several institutions for education for his childhood studies and his studies for the priesthood. * Catholic Mission School at

Kindamba Kindamba is a city and seat of Kindamba District in the Pool Region Pool ( kg, Mpumbu, Nsundi, Mbula Ntangu) is a department of the Republic of the Congo in the southeastern part of the country. It borders the departments of Bouenza, Lékou ...

, 1937–1942. * Catholic Mission School at Bjoundi, 1942–1944. * Minor Seminary of St. Paul at Mbamou, 1944–1950. * Major Seminary of Brazzaville, 1950–1959. *

University of Lyon The University of Lyon (french: Université de Lyon), located in Lyon and Saint-Étienne, France, is a center for higher education and research comprising 11 members and 24 associated institutions. The three main universities in this center are: ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, 1966–1969. During this time in France, he obtained a licentiate in

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...

and in Catholic

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

Church career

He was ordained to the priesthood in 1958 and was later consecrated a bishop on 17 May 1960 by Cardinal

Sergio Pignedoli Sergio Pignedoli (4 June 1910 – 15 June 1980) was a prominent Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and a top candidate for pope. He served as auxiliary bishop to Pope Paul VI when he was archbishop of Milan, and as President of the ...

. Biayenda was known for radical social views throughout his pastoral ministry. This was a contributing factor to his abduction and murder. His views on humanitarian issues were quite critical of his nation's government. This strained relations between the church and state. He spoke out against state injustices and on persecution. He also participated in the Synod of Bishops in 1971 and sent a pastoral letter in Congo on the theme of development and the role of Catholics in the nation.

created him the Cardinal-Priest of San Marco Agro in Lauretino in the consistory of 5 March 1973. His elevation made him the first cardinal from Congo.

Murder

He was abducted from his residence next to the Sacred Heart Cathedral of Brazzaville in the afternoon of 22 March 1977 and was killed on the night of 23 March 1977 by a group of soldiers. The real cause for this is still undetermined.

Beatification cause

A cause for

canonization Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of ...

was opened at the behest of

via the

Congregation for the Causes of Saints In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, pa ...

on 20 March 1995. He was granted the posthumous title of

as a result of the opening. The diocesan process for the late cardinal's beatification spanned from 21 October 1996 and was finished on 14 June 2003. A historical commission was assigned to the cause and completed its work in 2014. The Congregation later validated the diocesan process on 29 May 2015. The next step would be for him to be declared

Venerable The Venerable (''venerabilis'' in Latin) is a style, a title, or an epithet which is used in some Western Christian churches, or it is a translation of similar terms for clerics in Eastern Orthodoxy and monastics in Buddhism. Christianity Cathol ...

with the recognition of his heroic virtues.

References

External links

Catholic Hierarchy

Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church
{{DEFAULTSORT:Biayenda, Emile 1927 births 1977 deaths Republic of the Congo cardinals Republic of the Congo murder victims Cardinals created by Pope Paul VI 20th-century Roman Catholic martyrs 20th-century venerated Christians University of Lyon alumni Servants of God Republic of the Congo expatriates in France Roman Catholic archbishops of Brazzaville