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Bishop Adoukonou, last Ratzinger student and former Vatican official, dies at 83
October 31, 2025
» Continue to this story on L'Osservatore Romano (Italian)
CWN Editor's Note: Bishop Barthélemy Adoukonou, the secretary of the Pontifical Council for Culture from 2009 to 2017, died in his native Benin at the age of 83.
Then-Father Adoukonou was the last doctoral student of the future Pope Benedict at the University of Regensburg in Germany. Pope St. John Paul II appointed Father Adoukonou to the International Theological Commission (1986-1997), and the priest later became secretary-general of the Regional Episcopal Conference of Francophone West Africa (2000-2009).
Pope Benedict appointed Father Adoukonou secretary of the Pontifical Council for Culture in 2009; two years later, he was ordained a bishop.
The above note supplements, highlights, or corrects details in the original source (link above). About CWN news coverage.
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