Michael Kpakala Francis (born 12 February 1936 – 19 May 2013) was a Liberian prelate 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 ...

who led the Apostolic Vicariate of Monrovia from 1976 to 1981 and then served as the first Archbishop of the newly established Archdiocese of Monrovia from 1981 to 2011.

Biography

Michael Kpakala Francis was born on 12 February 1936 in

Kakata District Kakata District is one of four districts located in Margibi County, Liberia. Kakata, the capital city A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, department, or other subnational ent ...

, Liberia. He was ordained a priest on 4 August 1963. On 28 October 1976,

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 ...

appointed him titular bishop of Ausuccura and Apostolic Vicar of

Monrovia Monrovia () is the capital city of the West African country of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2008 census had 1,010,970 residents, home to 29% of Liberia’s total population. As th ...

. He received his episcopal consecration on 19 December 1976 from his predecessor, Francis Carroll. On 19 December 1981, Pope John Paul appointed him the first Archbishop of the newly created Archdiocese of Monrovia. He suffered a stroke in 2004 that left him paralyzed and unable to speak, using a wheelchair to move. Andrew J. Karnley was named apostolic administrator to help manage the affairs of the Archdiocese.

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...

accepted his resignation on 12 February 2011. He was the first priest and bishop to institute the Catholic Justice and Peace Council (J.P.C.) in Liberia. This council was organized to defend human rights and civil liberty in the war-ravaged country under then-President Charles Taylor. In 1996, after the famous 6 April fracas in Monrovia, the bishop decided to close all Catholic schools because he felt Catholic institutions (including Radio Veritas) were targeted by fighters loyal to Taylor. The bishop later reconsidered his decision in 1997, after a public outcry. He died on 19 May 2013 following an illness. Francis was a recipient of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award in 1999, given each year to an individual whose courageous activism is at the heart of the human rights movement and in the spirit of Robert F. Kennedy's vision and legacy.

Notes

References

;Additional sources *

External links

Michael Kpakala Francis on Catholic Hierarchy.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Francis, Michael Kpakala 1936 births 2013 deaths Liberian Roman Catholic archbishops 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Africa 21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Africa People from Monrovia People from Margibi County Presidents of Inter-territorial Catholic Bishops' Conference of The Gambia and Sierra Leone Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award laureates Roman Catholic archbishops of Monrovia Roman Catholic bishops of Monrovia