Charles Martial Allemand Lavigerie

Charles Martial Allemand Lavigerie , 1825-92, French churchman, cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, b. near Bayonne. He was ordained in 1849 and became prominent in the newly formed Écoles d'Orient. He was an authority on Islam. He was bishop of Nancy (1863-67), archbishop of Algiers (1867-92), and in 1884 he was named archbishop of the reestablished see of Carthage, a jurisdiction that included all of French Africa. His most successful efforts were directed toward African missions to Muslims, and he founded the White Fathers (the Society of Missionaries of Africa) for this work. He was a leader in the abolition of slavery in Africa. Cardinal Lavigerie created a sensation when (1890) he repudiated royalism and called on Catholics to support the Third Republic wholeheartedly.

Lavigerie, Charles-Martial Allemand- (1825–92), cardinal. In 1867 he accepted appointment as Abp. of Algiers, with the purpose of evangelizing the African continent. To this end he founded the White Fathers in 1868 and the White Sisters in 1869. In 1878 Leo XIII entrusted him with the organization of RC missions in Central Africa, in 1882 created him a cardinal, and in 1884 revived for him the see of Carthage with the title of primate of Africa. Throughout 1888 he conducted a campaign in European capitals against slavery.