Emmanuel Marie Philippe Louis Lafont (born 26 October 1945) is a French prelate of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

who was Bishop of Cayenne in

French Guiana French Guiana, or Guyane in French, is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas and the West Indies. Bordered by Suriname to the west ...

from 2004 to 2020. Lafont was born in Paris and studied in France and Rome; the

Pontifical Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...

granted him a Licentiate in Theology. He was ordained to the priesthood for the

Archdiocese of Tours The Archdiocese of Tours (; ) is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The archdiocese has roots that go back to the 3rd century, while the formal erection of the diocese dates from the 5th century. The ecclesiastical pro ...

on 2 August 1970. His posts have included: assistant parish priest, student ministry, youth ministry for Tours Diocese, and fourteen years of missionary work in

Soweto Soweto () is a Township (South Africa), township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for ''South Western T ...

, South Africa. While in Africa as part of the Fidei donum initiative, he also taught at Pretoria's major seminary. On returning to France, he was National Director of the

Pontifical Mission Societies The Pontifical Mission Societies (TPMS), known in some countries as Missio, is the name of a group of Catholic missionary societies that are under the jurisdiction of the Pope. These organizations include the Society for the Propagation of th ...

for two consecutive terms and served as the Secretary of the French Bishops’ Commission for Missionary Cooperation. From 2002 until his elevation to the episcopacy in 2004, he served as a parish priest in his home archdiocese. Concerning Lafont's work as a priest in Soweto and as an activist against Apartheid, Cardinal Tomko reported:

He was the only white person, aside from local missionaries, who could drive into Soweto without any gunshots being aimed at his car. I remember the poor apartments, the dirty streets, and the inquiring looks of the people. As soon as they recognized Father Lafont, their faces started to shine. Eventually, the priest had to leave the country because of his protests against the apartheid laws and because of his advocacy on behalf of blacks.

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

named him Bishop of Cayenne on 18 June 2004.

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

accepted his resignation on 26 October 2020, his 75th birthday. In April 2021, a canonical investigation was opened against Lafont, and civil complaints were filed. In October 2022, the

Dicastery for Bishops The Dicastery for Bishops, formerly named Congregation for Bishops (), is the congregation (Roman Curia), department of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church that oversees the selection of most new bishops. Its proposals require pope, papal app ...

handed down a sentence of guilty for sexual abuse. Lafont is confined to a monastery in France for "a life of prayer and repentance". Civil investigations are still ongoing in French Guiana.

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1945 births Living people 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in South America French Guianan Roman Catholic bishops Roman Catholic bishops of Cayenne Catholic Church sexual abuse scandals in Latin America Catholic bishops convicted of sexual abuse Roman Catholic anti-apartheid activists Roman Catholic missionaries in South Africa {{FrenchGuiana-bio-stub

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