Question 1.15

1.15 During those years in France, were there events that had a particular impact on you?

I will never forget my spiritual director, Father Louis Denis, a holy priest and a very gentle man. His heart and mind overflowed with wisdom! He was an invaluable help to me on my path to the priesthood, while I was separated from my parents, without any news. I remember, too, that in Nancy I saw a cardinal for the first time in my life. … It was a great servant of the Holy See, Eugène Cardinal Tisserant, who maintained strong ties with his roots in Lorraine. He always stayed at our seminary when he was passing through Nancy. The cardinal greatly impressed me with the breadth of his knowledge; and yet he was not aloof. On the contrary, his homilies were exemplary. We were neither frightened nor overwhelmed by his stature, because he knew how to remain simple and accessible.

My greatest joy during that period was meeting the family of André and Françoise Mallard, with their three girls, Claire, Agnès, and Béatrice, who considered me their older brother. Their kindness to me was such that, wherever my studies led me-from Nancy to Jerusalem, via Sébik-hotane in Senegal and Rome-my adoptive parents came to visit me to demonstrate their closeness and affection. They were of course present in Conakry for my episcopal consecration.

I was in effect adopted by them and spoiled like one of their own. The void caused by the separation from my parents was filled by their tact, their support, and the warmth of their love. They were truly a second family to me; the bond remains to this day and grows stronger year by year.