Following the death of Pope Francis, Bishop Langlois issued a statement paying tribute to the life and ministry of the Argentine pontiff, who "[...] paid particular attention to Haiti through his words and actions [...] Throughout his pontificate, he embodied a concrete spirituality based on mercy, listening, and solidarity [...] He made the Gospel a living invitation to comfort hearts and inspire action in favor of the most vulnerable [...] In a world plagued by injustice and suffering, he placed faith at the service of everyday life, reminding everyone that the light of God is revealed in the attention paid to each person, especially the most disadvantaged."

He is one of two cardinal electors representing the Caribbean who will participate in the conclave, which begins on May 7. Cuban Cardinal Juan García Rodríguez, Archbishop of Havana, will also participate in the upcoming conclave to elect the 267th Pope of the Universal Church.

Learn more about Chibly Langlois :

Born on November 29, 1958, in La Vallée, Haiti, Langlois entered the seminary in 1985 and obtained a licentiate in theology from the Notre-Dame Major Seminary in Port-au-Prince. He was ordained a priest on September 22, 1991, for the Diocese of Jacmel.

From 1994 to 1996, Langlois continued his studies in Rome at the Pontifical Lateran University, where he obtained a licentiate in pastoral theology with his thesis entitled "The New Evangelization, a Work of Inculturation in Haiti".

Langlois received his episcopal ordination on June 6, 2004, two months after Pope John Paul II chose him to head the diocese of Fort-Liberté that same year. His episcopal motto is "Servire cum caritate" ("Serve with charity").

In 2011, he was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Les Cayes by Pope Benedict XVI. From 2011 to 2017, he chaired the Episcopal Conference of Haiti.

Since his elevation to the cardinalate by Pope Francis on February 22, 2014, Bishop Langlois has served as a member of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication, the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, and the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

In October 2014, Haiti's first and only cardinal was one of 114 presidents of episcopal conferences invited to participate in the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Vatican Synod of Bishops on "Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization".

HL/ HaitiLibre