Alexandre Poncet (1884—18 September 1973) was a French clergyman who served as the bishop of the apostolic vicariate of Wallis et Futuna from 1936 to 1961, and was a member of the Society of Mary. He was ordained as a priest in 1909, and worked as a nurse during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Prior to his arrival on

Wallis and Futuna Wallis and Futuna, officially the Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands (), is a French island territorial collectivity, collectivity in the Oceania, South Pacific, situated between Tuvalu to the northwest, Fiji to the southwest, Tonga t ...

he worked in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

in London and

Paignton Paignton ( ) is a seaside town on the coast of Tor Bay in Devon, England. Together with Torquay and Brixham it forms the unitary authority, borough of Torbay which was created in 1968. The Torbay area is a holiday destination known as the Engli ...

. Decades after his death his writings about World War I were published.

Early life

Alexandre Poncet was born in

Saint-Chamond, Loire Saint-Chamond () is a commune in the Loire department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in central France. Situated 13 km northeast of the city of Saint-Étienne and 50 km southwest of Lyon, the town dates back to the Roman period. ...

French Third Republic The French Third Republic (, sometimes written as ) was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 1940, after the Fall of France durin ...

, in 1884.

Career

Poncet was ordained as a priest in the Society of Mary on 4 July 1909. He was assigned to the parish of London in 1910, and served there until 1920, with the exception of the three years he spent as a nurse during

. He wrote a notebook about his activities in World War I while in Futuna and it was published in 2011. He taught in

for five years. Poncet became a missionary in 1925. He was appointed as the first bishop of the apostolic vicariate of Wallis et Futuna in 1936. He held the position until his retirement in 1961. He supported forced labour in

Uvea The uvea (; derived from meaning "grape"), also called the uveal layer, uveal coat, uveal tract, vascular tunic or vascular layer, is the pigmented middle layer of the three concentric layers that make up an eye, precisely between the inne ...

and pledged allegiance to the government of

Vichy France Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the Battle of France, ...

. He and other leaders on

remained loyal to the Vichy government despite appeals from Governor of New Caledonia

Henri Sautot Henri Camille Sautot (5 May 1885 – 23 March 1963) was a French colonial governor. Biography Sautot was born in Bourbonne-les-Bains and attended school in Nancy.Valais Valais ( , ; ), more formally, the Canton of Valais or Wallis, is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of thirteen districts and its capital and largest city is Sion, Switzer ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, on 18 September 1973. He was buried in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, Mata-Utu. Several stamps were issued in his memory in 2003, 2008, and 2013.

References

Works cited

Books

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Journals

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Poncet, Alexandre 1884 births 1973 deaths French Roman Catholic bishops in Oceania Roman Catholic bishops of Wallis et Futuna