Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

Hubert Coppenrath (18 October 1930 – 31 July 2022) was a French Polynesian Roman Catholic prelate, who served as Archbishop of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Papeete The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Papeete (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Papeetensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Papeete'') is a Metropolitan Archdiocese in French Polynesia. It is responsible for the suffragan diocese of Taiohae o Tefenuaenata. ...

Biography

Coppenrath was born in

Papeete Papeete (Tahitian language, Tahitian: ''Papeʻetē'', pronounced ; old name: ''Vaiʻetē''Personal communication with Michael Koch in ) is the capital city of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of the France, French Republic in the Pacific ...

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian language, Tahitian , ; ) is the largest island of the Windward Islands (Society Islands), Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. It is located in the central part of t ...

French Polynesia French Polynesia ( ; ; ) is an overseas collectivity of France and its sole #Governance, overseas country. It comprises 121 geographically dispersed islands and atolls stretching over more than in the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean. The t ...

. He was ordained as a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

on 27 June 1957, in

. Coppenrath was an advocate for the

Tahitian language Tahitian (autonym: , , part of , , languages of French Polynesia) correspond to "languages of natives from French Polynesia", and may in principle designate any of the seven indigenous languages spoken in French Polynesia. The Tahitian language s ...

and in 1974 he became one of the founding members of the

Tahitian Academy The Tahitian Academy (, ) is a cultural institution in French Polynesia with the purpose of preserving and promoting the Tahitian language. The Academy standardizes vocabulary, grammar, and spelling; promotes the publication and translation of works ...

. He was formally ordained as the Archbishop of the

on 4 June 1999 after appointment by

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 ...

. He succeeded his own brother,

Michel-Gaspard Coppenrath Monsignor Michel-Gaspard Coppenrath (4 June 1924 – 16 August 2008) was the Tahitian Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Papeete in French Polynesia for 26 years from 1973 until 1999. Coppenrath served as the Archbishop Emeritus of t ...

, as Archbishop. On 31 March 2011

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

accepted the resignation of Coppenrath from the pastoral care of the archdiocese having reached the age limit. In June 2020 he was appointed an Officer of the

Order of Tahiti Nui The Order of Tahiti Nui was established on 5 June 1996 by the Assembly of French Polynesia to reward distinguished merit and achievements in the service to French Polynesia. History The Order of Tahiti Nui was established June 5, 1996 by resolut ...

References

External links

Hubert Coppenrath at Catholic Hierarchy
1930 births 2022 deaths French Polynesian Roman Catholic archbishops Roman Catholic archbishops of Papeete Tahitian-language writers 21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Oceania 21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in France Recipients of orders, decorations, and medals of French Polynesia People from Papeete category:Members of the Tahitian Academy Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II {{FrenchPolynesia-bio-stub