Korea’s French missionary bishop remembered for love, service

Bishop Rene Dupont was granted Korean citizenship in 2019 in honor of his long service to the nation

Apr 15, 2025

SEOUL: Hundreds, including Catholics and people of other faiths, flocked to pay their last tributes to French missionary bishop René Dupont, who served the Korean Church for more than seven decades.

The funeral rites of Dupont, former bishop of Andong Diocese in South Korea, were held at the Mokseong Cathedral in Andong on April 14.

Dupont, a member of the French religious order Paris Foreign Missions Society (MEP), died on April 10 at the age of 95.

Bishop John Chrysostom Kwon Hyeok-ju of Andong led the requiem Mass with other bishops and Korean Cardinal Lazarus Yoo Heung-sik, the prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Clergy.

Cardinal You recalled the missionary bishop's “warm and cheerful laughter” and thanked him for “devoting his life to the service of South Korea.”

The prelate hoped Dupont would be “beatified and canonized soon.”

Dupont arrived in South Korea almost a year after the Korean War concluded in 1953 and served for more than 70 years. He was the first bishop of Andong Diocese.

Archbishop Giovanni Gasparri, the papal nuncio to South Korea, read a condolence message from Pope Francis.

Former Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moon-soo, Representative Andrea Lee Joon-seok of the Reform Party, Governor Lee Chul-woo of Gyeongbuk Province, and Mayor Kwon Ki-chang of Andong City, among others, attended the event.

Leaders and members from the Buddhist and Confucian circles also attended the funeral Mass.

As hundreds flocked to pay tributes to the deceased bishop, the cathedral became overcrowded, forcing many to join the funeral service from outside the Church.

After the funeral Mass, a voice message from Dupont, recorded on April 10, 2024, exactly one year before his death, was played for the gathering. The crowd smiled and shed tears hearing his voice.

A short biography of Dupont was read out during the service and followed by condolence messages from selected members.

Bishop Mathias Ri Iong-hoon, president of the Korean Catholic Bishops' Conference (CBCK), said Dupont devoted his life to the poor farmers and “was a living witness to the turbulent history of Korea.”

Dupont is remembered for his efforts to help thousands displaced by the Korean War in his mission area in Daejeon.

When Dupont was the bishop, most Catholics and other people in Andong Diocese were farmers, so he formed the “Catholic Peasant Movement” to promote unity and collaboration among them.

He retired as the bishop of Andong in 1990 and lived in a parish in the suburbs of Seoul, leading spiritual retreats and giving lectures. In November 2004, he returned to a village in the Andong diocese, where he stayed until his death.

French priest Christophe Bérard, director MEP in Korea, called Dupont a “brother who shone even brighter by sharing God's love.”

In 2019, South Korea, which does not permit dual nationality, made an exception to Dupont by granting him Korean citizenship while allowing him to retain French citizenship.--ucanews.com