Joseph-Albert Malula | |
|---|---|
| Cardinal,Archbishop of Kinshasa | |
| Church | Catholic Church |
| Archdiocese | Kinshasa |
| Appointed | 7 July 1964[a] |
| Installed | 27 August 1964 |
| Term ended | 14 June 1989 |
| Predecessor | Félix Scalais |
| Successor | Frédéric Etsou-Nzabi-Bamungwabi |
| Other post | Cardinal-Priest of Saint Poromartiri a Via Aurelia Antica (1969-89) |
| Previous posts |
|
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 9 June 1946 by Georges Six |
| Consecration | 20 September 1959 by Félix Scalais |
| Created cardinal | 28 April 1969 byPaul VI |
| Rank | Cardinal-Priest |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Joseph-Albert Malula 12 December 1917 |
| Died | 14 June 1989(1989-06-14) (aged 71) |
| Motto | In caritate |
| Coat of arms |  |
Joseph-Albert Malula (12 December 1917 – 14 June 1989) was aCongolese Catholic prelate who served asArchbishop of Kinshasa from 1964 until his death. He was elevated to thecardinalate in 1969.
Joseph-Albert Malula was born on 12 December 1917 inLéopoldville,Belgian Congo (modern Kinshasa,Democratic Republic of the Congo) to Remacle Ngalula and Jeanne Bolumbu. He attended primary school in Léopoldville, under the direction of Fr.Raphaël de la Kethulle de Ryhove. From 1931 to 1934, he attended theminor seminary inMbata Kiela, where he metJoseph Kasa-Vubu, who would later become the firstpresident of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and then the minor seminary of Bolongo in Lisala until 1937.
He studied philosophy (1937–40) andtheology (1940–44) at theMajor Seminary of Christ-Roi inKabwe. He served as a professor at the Minor Seminary ofBokoro from 1944 to 1946 as well. Malula wasordained to the priesthood by BishopGeorges Six,CICM, on 9 June 1946, in theStade Reine Astrid. He then resumed teaching at the minor seminary, and served asvicar andpastor at severalparishes in Léopoldville. In 1953, he visitedAlgiers, Tunisia, Malta, Rome, and Belgium.
On 18 July 1959, Malula was appointedAuxiliary Bishop of Léopoldville andTitular Bishop ofAttanasus byPope John XXIII. He received hisepiscopal consecration on the following 20 September from ArchbishopFélix Scalais, CICM, with BishopsPierre Kimbondo andJoseph Nkongolo serving asco-consecrators, at theStade Tata Raphaël. Malula attended theSecond Vatican Council from 1962 to 1965, during which he was advanced to theArchbishop of Léopoldville on 7 July 1964. He was installed as Archbishop on 27 August of that same year, and the name of thearchdiocese was later changed to Kinshasa on 30 May 1966.
Pope Paul VI created himCardinal Priest ofSanti Protomartiri a Via Aurelia Antica in theconsistory of 28 April 1969. He was the firstcardinal fromZaire. At aMass in 1970, at whichPresident Mobutu was present, the Cardinal claimed Zaire's ruling class was enriching itself and ignoring the people's misery[1] In 1971, despite being an advocate of African culture, he expressed his disapproval of Christians giving up their baptismal names in an article in the Catholic weekly magazine,Afrique Chrétienne, following the renaming of the Republic of the Congo as the Republic of Zaire.[2] President Mobutu subsequently removed the Cardinal from hisgovernment-owned residence and suspended the magazine for six months. Malula was one of thecardinal electors who participated in theconclaves ofAugust andOctober 1978, which selectedPopes John Paul I andJohn Paul II, respectively. He supportedAlbino Cardinal Luciani at the August conclave, and even gave him a public embrace before he was elected.[3]
Before the October conclave began, he spoke of theVatican's pomp, saying,"All thatimperial paraphernalia. All that isolation of the Pope. All that medieval remoteness and inheritance that makes Europeans think that the Church is only Western. All that tightness that makes them fail to understand that young countries like mine want something different. They want simplicity. They wantJesus Christ. All that, all that must change."[4]
Cardinal Malula died on 14 June 1989 at a hospital inLeuven, Belgium, aged 71, and is interred at theCathédrale Notre Dame du Congo, Kinshasa.
Media related toJoseph Malula at Wikimedia Commons
| Catholic Church titles | ||
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| Preceded by | Archbishop of Kinshasa 1964–1989 | Succeeded by |
