Bishop Jean Bonfils, SMA (1930–2026)
Missionary of the Society of African Missions, and Bishop of Viviers and then of Nice.
Teacher, organiser of missionary formation, and servant of the Church in numerous pastoral and ecclesial missions.

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It is with deep sorrow that we learned on Tuesday of the passing of Bishop Jean Bonfils. His death marks the departure of a distinctive personality within both the Church of France and our own missionary congregation, the Society of African Missions (SMA). We remember him with gratitude and fraternity.

Much of this remembrance draws from the testimony of the Superior General, Fr François du PENHOAT, who shared a heartfelt reflection shortly after learning of Bishop Bonfils’ death while in Lagos for the SMA Plenary Council 2026, scheduled to begin on Monday, 18 May.

Fr François du PENHOAT described Bishop Bonfils as “an atypical personality,” a distinctive figure within the Society. Entering religious life through an unconventional path, Bishop Bonfils had a late vocation and did not pass through the usual spiritual year. The son of a military officer, he was, according to Fr François du PENHOAT, a man of deep order and rigour, both toward himself and toward others.

These qualities made him, in Fr François du PENHOAT’s words, a particularly valuable figure during the unsettled years following the Second Vatican Council. “In him, people found a figure who held onto certainties when everything else was being relativised,” he wrote.

Bishop Bonfils also played an important role in organising cooperation between missionary institutes during a difficult period of transition. He was among those who helped establish a consortium between missionary congregations to find new ways of forming future missionaries. Later he served as Secretary for Religious in France and Europe, leaving a strong mark on the life of religious communities.

Fr François du PENHOAT recalls attending an assembly of European religious in Madrid shortly after Bishop Bonfils left the position. The organisation, he said, felt almost “orphaned” after the departure of the one who had guided it for many years.

Throughout his life, Bishop Bonfils served the Church in many ways: as a missionary priest, teacher, organiser of missionary formation, and later as bishop in Viviers and in Nice. He also taught for a time at the seminary in Ouidah alongside a generation of missionaries dedicated to the formation of future priests.

The Diocese of Nice describes him as having “profoundly marked the diocesan Church by his simplicity, his closeness to the faithful, his missionary spirit, and his attention to dialogue.” Deeply attached to the spirit of the Second Vatican Council, he worked faithfully in the service of proclaiming the Gospel, strengthening ecclesial communion, and caring for the most vulnerable.

The diocese also notes that he initiated “Diocèse 2000,” a major pastoral initiative aimed at encouraging renewed missionary dynamism and strengthening communion among parishes, movements, and diocesan communities at the dawn of the new millennium.

Even in later years, he remained available for service whenever the Church called upon him. He accepted delicate missions to assist religious congregations in difficulty and to support dioceses facing particular challenges. In his final years, he found great joy serving as a chaplain at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes.

For Fr François du PENHOAT, the wider Church in France has lost an important figure. Many retired bishops will remember him, he noted; and if there is one thread running through Bishop Bonfils’ life, it is service and fidelity to the Church.

In his tribute, Fr François du PENHOAT also expressed deep gratitude to those who accompanied Bishop Bonfils during the final years of his life: Bishop Jean-Philippe Nault, Bishop of Nice, who welcomed and supported him in the diocese; the Little Sisters of the Poor, whose kindness and devoted care were extraordinary; and Fr Roger, SMA, his confrère who accompanied him faithfully in his final days.

“He gave. He received. That too is the Church,” Fr François du PENHOAT concluded.

We entrust Bishop Bonfils to the Lord whom he served so faithfully throughout his life, and we give thanks for the gift of his missionary vocation and his generous service to the Church.

May he rest in the peace of Christ.

Brice Ulrich AFFERI