First anniversary of Vincent Foly’s death: homily (Father Aguénounon)

Such is life again: a curious and endless succession of joys and sorrows, of hilarity and melancholy. Sometimes we sketch a beautiful smile, sometimes we shed tears. Yesterday was the big party, today the deep mourning! A little over a year ago, Vincent Foly responded to the final call of the Lord. Each of us was paralyzed and traumatized by the terrible news of his sudden disappearance. Personally, I couldn’t believe it! How can Vincent Foly die? How can the Lord call him back when we needed him so badly? At the time he was very close to the conclusion of a great fight. The fight of a lifetime… A lifetime of combat…

As Christ points out in today’s Gospel: Whoever is declared for me before men, the Son of man will also declare himself for him before the angels of God. (Lk 12:8), it is urgent to pay homage to this icon who led the good fight and worked, despite his human limitations, for the good of all. Vincent Foly, indeed, has basically been keen to take on three struggles in his life.

• The fight against oneself in order to find one’s vocation.
• The fight to build his dream by creating the New Tribune.
• The fight to defend freedom at the cost of his newspaper and his life.

1- The fight against oneself in order to find one’s vocation:

Professor of letters and English, he did not find his full fulfillment in this profession. And he continued to seek his vocation to find it in journalism. So he didn’t go into journalism accidentally, he went there out of conviction. The conviction to carry loud and clear an authentic message conveying the defense of the people and the denunciation of injustice. He embodied in our country, at the same time, very professionalized and obviously very committed journalism.

Vincent Foly was a very perfectible personality who sought to do better, to always say things better and to do well. Sensitive to other intelligences, to men and women of good will, he went to meet them seeking to learn, to receive and to enter into dialogue with each of them.. outside the public arena, Vincent Foly was extremely affable inwardly, generous with his time, available until exhaustion, grateful and very open-minded. For all this, we can only say, taking up the words of Saint Paul “I never cease to give thanks, when I remember our brother and beloved father and mentor” (Cf. Eph 1,16). He was for each and everyone the model of a life full of self-sacrifice, perseverance and asceticism.

2- The fight to build his dream by creating the New Tribune.

La Nouvelle Tribune is experiencing a new birth with the Foly kids. They were initially formed under the direction of their late father and they are making their debut at the head of the Nouvelle Tribune with the help of a solid team. I congratulate them warmly and encourage them fraternally while praying for each of them so that the Father in his glory gives them an ever-renewed spirit of wisdom at the service of brothers and sisters in humanity. I emphasize here the fidelity and tenacity of Marcel Zoumenou who made the choice of sacrifice alongside his fire DP Vincent Foly.

I have a special word for Euloge Foly. Very far geographically and very close in many respects, he is the true censor of the late DP Vincent Foly. Strategically the control tower of the New Tribune, he is effectively the finger of his father and the pivot of the siblings. Your community dynamism and your cohesion in the work are fruits of the sacrifice of Vincent Foly. He died in the flesh and lives in the spirit accompanying you.

3- The fight to defend freedom at the cost of his newspaper and his life.

It is neither a fable nor a fiction. We were all witnesses! And the Word of God obviously teaches us: “Witnessing, announcing and proclaiming the Good News and the Gospel of Life, Peace, Truth and Justice entails persecution for the disciple” (Cf. Lk 12,11 and Mt 5, 11.12 in the Beatitudes). For us who are here to continue the fight, we must like our father Vincent Folywitness, not only by our understanding, but much more by our whole life in the truth.

Christ is the first model of this mission of witness since he ascended the cross to bear witness to the truth. This testimony is within our reach; it is commensurate with our own witness and is the fundamental source of human dignity. This dignity must be manifested in a witness that encompasses all sectors of our life, starting from the personal change of each one to end in the change of external structures, of peoples for the life of the world.

that the memory of Vincent Foly be celebrated in the city!
Father Arnaud Eric AGUENOUNON
political philosopher
Writer-Essayist