- Title: DAHOMEY: FORMER ARCHBISHOP LEGER OF MONTREAL VISITS OUIDAH LEPER HOSPITAL.
- Date: 23rd December 1967
- Summary: 'LEPROSERIE ST. ANGES' - SIGN; FATHER CLARISSE AWAITS ARRIVAL OF CARDINAL LEGER; WELCOMING CEREMONY; PATIENTS ASSEMBLE; CARDINALS TALKING; CARDINAL LEGER TALKS TO PATIENTS; NUN TALKS; CARDINAL LEGER WITH BABY; DANCING CEREMONY. Initials IF/VS/BOB/MJB Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 7th January 1968 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: COTONOU, DAHOMEY
- Country: Benin
- Reuters ID: LVA9REAB3GGWWUDBDHVMZCQNNIBX
- Story Text: CARDINAL PAUL-EMILE LEGER, THE 63-YEAR-OLD FORMER ARCHBISHOP OF MONTREAL, ARRIVED IN DAHOMEY ON TUESDAY (19 DECEMBER) WITH PLANS TO SPEND CHRISTMAS AMONG THE CANADIAN RELIGIOUS AND LAY COMMUNITY IN COTONOU. THE CARDINAL, WHO RESIGNED AS ARCHBISHOP OF MONTREAL LAST MONTH TO WORK AMONG LEPERS IN AFRICA, THE FOLLOWING DAY (20 DECEMBER) VISITED THE LEPER HOSPITAL AT OUIDAH, 25 MILES (43 KILOMETRES) WEST OF COTONOU.
HIS ARRIVAL ON TUESDAY FROM DAKAR, SENEGAL, WAS WELCOMED BY A BODY OF DAHOMEY'S CLERGY, INCLUDING SOME 20 SISTERS FROM THE PORTO-NOVO HOSPITAL, AND THE ARCHBISHOP OF COTONOU, MONSEIGNEUR BERNARDIN GANTIN.
SPEAKING DURING THE WELCOMING CEREMONIES, THE CARDINAL SAID THAT HIS VOYAGE TO DAHOMEY WAS ONLY ONE OF THE STAGES IN HIS LONG AFRICAN TOUR. DURING HIS EIGHT-DAY STAY, HE EXPECTED TO BECOME BETTER ACQUAINTED WITH THE CLERGY AND THE PEOPLE OF DAHOMEY. HIS JOURNEY, HE SAID, WAS THE OUTCOME OF VISITS TO EVERY PART OF THE WORLD, MADE DURING THE SERVICE OF HIS CALLING. HE HAD HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE MISERY AT A VERY CLOSE RANGE. AND IT SEEMED TO HIM TO BE HIS DUTY TO SERVE THE SUFFERERS, AMONG WHOM LEPERS WERE PERHAPS THE MOST UNFORTUNATE.
CARDINAL LEGER VISITED THE LEPER HOSPITAL IN THE COMPANY OF MONSEIGNEUR CANTIN. THERE HE WAS INTRODUCED TO FATHER CLARISSE, WHO HAS WORKED IN THE HOSPITAL FOR 18 YEARS. THE CANADIAN CARDINAL TOLD HIS AUDIENCE THAT HE CONSIDERED HIMSELF A PILGRIM OF THE WORLD, AND THAT HE HOPED TO INTEREST HIS FRIENDS IN CANADA IN WORKING TO HELP AFRICAN LEPERS. HE IS TO SPEND SIX MONTHS OF STUDY IN THE WEST AFRICAN STATES OF SENEGAL, DAHOMEY, TOGO, AND CAMEROUN BEFORE MAKING FINAL PLANS FOR HIS MISSIONARY WORK.
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