Press release from the Conference of Bishops of France: May 15, 2022, canonizations of Charles de Foucauld, Marie Rivier and César de Bus

Brother Charles de Foucauld (1858-1916)
Charles de Foucauld was born in Strasbourg in 1958. After a dissipated youth, during a stay in Algeria, at the start of his military career, his discovery of believers in Islam moved him deeply and prepared him for his encounter with Christ. Back in France, he saw a radical conversion after having confessed to Abbé Huvelin in the Saint-Augustin church in Paris. Seven years of contemplative research (in the Holy Land, at La Trappe in France then in Syria) will lead him to Nazareth with the Poor Clare Sisters (1897). He divides his time there between manual work, long hours of adoration and meditation on Scripture. It was there that his deep vocation matured. He then left Nazareth, and was ordained a priest on June 9, 1901 in the Diocese of Viviers in Ardèche before carrying out his ministry in Algeria. There, he led a life shared between prayer, study, travel and contacts with the Tuaregs whose language he learns with passion. He spends long days working on Tuareg poetry, and leaves behind a 4-volume Tuareg dictionary which is still authoritative. He found his stability in a deep relationship with his “Beloved Brother and Lord Jesus”. On December 1, 1916, when the war between France and Germany spread to his hermitage, he was kidnapped and then killed. The life and testimony of the one who today is nicknamed the “universal brother” represent a true path of evangelical simplicity and fraternity. It is an example of a life given in following Jesus Christ, in the greatest discretion, and which mysteriously bears fruit. Charles de Foucauld was declared venerable on April 24, 2001 by John Paul II, then blessed November 13, 2005 by Benedict XVI. In 2016, Charle, a carpenter from Saumur, survived a serious accident without sequelae. The Church recognizes in it a miracle that occurred one hundred years to the day after the death of Charles de Foucauld and attributed to the fervent prayer addressed to Blessed Charles de Foucauld. The recognition of this miracle, in May 2020 by the Vatican, paved the way for his next canonization. The Catholic Church highlights the life given by this missionary priest burning with a desire to meet his human brothers whom he wished to serve to the full extent of his love. Everyone’s little brother, a man among men, thirsty for fraternity, Charles de Foucauld remains in his apostolate an example to follow who traces a universal path. Brother Charles de Foucauld (1858-1916)Charles de Foucauld was born in Strasbourg in 1958. After a dissipated youth, during a stay in Algeria, at the start of his military career, his discovery of believers in Islam moved him. in depth and prepares his meeting with Christ. Back in France, he experiences a radical conversion after having confessed to Abbé Huvelin in the Saint-Augustin church in Paris. Seven years of contemplative research (in the Holy Land, at La Trappe in France then in Syria) will lead him to Nazareth with the Poor Clare Sisters (1897). He divides his time there between manual work, long hours of adoration and meditation on Scripture. It was there that his deep vocation matured. He then left Nazareth, and was ordained a priest on June 9, 1901 in the Diocese of Viviers in Ardèche before carrying out his ministry in Algeria. There, he led a life shared between prayer, study, travel and contacts with the Tuaregs whose language he learns with passion. He spends long days working on Tuareg poetry, and leaves behind a 4-volume Tuareg dictionary which is still authoritative. He found his stability in a deep relationship with his “Beloved Brother and Lord Jesus”. On December 1, 1916, when the war between France and Germany spread to his hermitage, he was kidnapped and then killed. The life and testimony of the one who today is nicknamed the “universal brother” represent a true path of evangelical simplicity and fraternity. It is an example of a life given in following Jesus Christ, in the greatest discretion, and which mysteriously bears fruit. Charles de Foucauld was declared venerable on April 24, 2001 by John Paul II, then blessed November 13, 2005 by Benedict XVI. In 2016, Charle, a carpenter from Saumur, survived a serious accident without sequelae. The Church recognizes in it a miracle that occurred one hundred years to the day after the death of Charles de Foucauld and attributed to the fervent prayer addressed to Blessed Charles de Foucauld. The recognition of this miracle, in May 2020 by the Vatican, paved the way for his next canonization. The Catholic Church highlights the life given by this missionary priest burning with a desire to meet his human brothers whom he wished to serve to the full extent of his love. Everyone’s little brother, a man among men, thirsty for fraternity, Charles de Foucauld remains in his apostolate an example to follow who traces a universal path.