DwainKilgore21 at 15:12, 9 March 2026

2026-03-09T15:12:05Z

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{{more citations needed|date=February 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
| honorific-prefix = His Excellency
| name = Elie-Jean-Joseph Morel
| honorific-suffix = [[Paris Foreign Missions Society|M.E.P.]]
| title = Archbishop Emeritus of Pondicherry<br />Titular Archbishop of Cotrada
| image = Elie-Jean-Joseph Morel.jpg
| alt = Archbishop Elie-Jean-Joseph Morel
| caption = Archbishop Elie-Jean-Joseph Morel
| see = Archdiocese of Pondicherry
| appointed = 11 May 1909
| term_start = 21 September 1909
| term_end = 16 August 1929
| predecessor = [[Joseph-Adolphe Gandy]]
| successor = [[Auguste-Siméon Colas]]

| ordination = 24 September 1887
| ordained_by =
| consecration = 21 September 1909
| consecrated_by = [[Hugues-Madelain Bottero]]


| birth_name = Elie-Jean-Joseph Morel
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1862|12|27}}
| birth_place = Bellefontaine, France
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1948|6|15|1862|12|27}}
| death_place = Bangalore
| buried = Cemetery adjacent to [[Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Pondicherry]]
| religion = Catholic
| parents =
| motto =
| signature =
| signature_alt =
| coat_of_arms =
| coat_of_arms_alt =
| other =
}}
{{Ordination
| consecrated by = [[Hugues-Madelain Bottero]]
| co-consecrators = [[Teotonio Emanuele Ribeiro Vieira de Castro]]
[[Augustine-Antoine Roy]]
| date of consecration =21 September 1909
| place of consecration =Pondicherry
| bishop 1=[[Hippolyte Teissier]]
| consecration date 1 =24 January 1917
| bishop 2=[[Eugène Mederlet]]
| consecration date 2 =28 October 1928
| bishop 3=[[Henri-Aimé-Anatole Prunier]]
| consecration date 3 =14 September 1930
| bishop 4=[[Auguste-Siméon Colas]]
| consecration date 4 =29 September 1930

}}

'''Elie-Jean-Joseph Morel''' (27 December 1862 – 15 June 1948) was a member of [[Paris Foreign Missions Society]] and was the archbishop of [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore|Archdiocese of Pondicherry]]. On 21 September 1909 he succeeded Archbishop [[Joseph-Adolphe Gandy]]. He was the bishop until 16 August 1929.<ref name='ch'>{{Catholic-hierarchy|bishop|bmorele|Elie-Jean-Joseph Morel M.E.P.|31 October 2014}}</ref> He resigned for health reasons. He was succeeded by [[Auguste-Siméon Colas]].

==Early life==

He was born 27 December 1862 in Bellefontaine, [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint-Claude|diocese of Saint-Claude]], [[Jura (department)|Jura]].<ref name='mep'>{{cite web|title=Elie Jean Joseph MOREL - Biography|url=http://archives.mepasie.org/notices/notices-biographiques/morel|website=MEP Archives|publisher=MEP|accessdate=31 October 2014}}</ref> He entered Paris Foreign Missions Society on 5 March 1885. He was ordained as a priest on 24 September 1887. He left immediately for the Pondicherry Mission where he was appointed as a professor of science at the Colonial College. Then, he was appointed as the parish priest of Thennur, where he made a relatively short stay. He was recalled to the College Saint Joseph at Cuddalore as professor of science. He was forced to return to Pondicherry to replace the top of the [[Petit Seminaire Higher Secondary School|Grand Séminaire]], P. Faure, who, extremely tired, had to return to France.

Mgr. Joseph-Adolphe Gandy, then Archbishop of Pondicherry, realizing that his health was failing, had requested Rome to give him a coadjutor. He died before getting a definitive answer. Six months after his death, Rome appointed Morel as his successor.

==As bishop==
Mgr. Morel received his episcopal consecration at the hands of Mgr. [[Hugues-Madelain Bottero]], M.E.P., Bishop of Kumbakonam on 21 September 1909. At that time, High caste Christians of Pondicherry were, as revolt against the authority, did not participate in the consecration event. The reason for the revolt was that the out-castes (Parias) wanted equal rights and demanded the removal of segregation of seats which were reserved for high caste peoples by hereditary. This situation was very discouraging to the new bishop. Calm was restored only after 1913.<ref name='hpm'>{{cite book|last1=P. A.|first1=Sampath Kumar|author-link=P. A. Sampath Kumar|last2=Carof|first2=André|title=History of Pondicherry Mission: An Outline (a translation from French)|year=1999|publisher=Department of Christian Studies, University of Madras|location=Chennai|pages=236–259}}</ref>

During its years of episcopate Mgr. Morel worked specially, with the help of Fr. Gavan Duffy, to organize and to improve the training of teachers in the schools of the diocese, and to increase the vocation in the diocese.

In 1914, at the outbreak of the First World War, some missionaries were mobilized, and several posts lost their incharge. Mgr. Morel did not hesitate to become parish priest himself and settled in Villupuram until the end of the war in 1918. After the war he resumed his Episcopal duties in Pondicherry which included visits to parishes, confirmations, consecration of new chapels, churches, opening schools etc.

==Resignation and death==
[[File:Tomb of Elie-Jean-Joseph Morel.jpg|thumbnail|left|Tomb of Mgr. Elie-Jean-Joseph Morel]]
But in 1919, he believed his duty to resign because of his health. He was suffering with [[cataract]]s. Mgr. [[Auguste-Siméon Colas]] succeeded him.

Wanting to spend his time usefully, he became chaplain of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny on the mountain of Yerkaud. This lasted a time, and he was forced to retire at St. Martha hospital, Bangalore, which was recently built by Mgr. Colas, for sick and aged missionaries. During the absence of Mgr. Despatures, Bishop of Bangalore, Mgr. Morel served by giving a few confirmations in the diocese.

But his strength quickly declined and after receiving the last sacraments and after two days of agony, he died 15 June 1948, eighteen years after his resignation. His body was transferred to Pondicherry, where the funeral mass was said in the cathedral. His body is buried next to his predecessor Mgr. Gandy, in the cemetery adjacent to [[Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Pondicherry]].<ref name='mep'/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-rel|ca}}

{{s-new|creation}}
{{s-tul|title=Archbishop of Cotrada|years=28 October 1955 – 24 October 1968 }}
{{s-aft|after=[[Hugo Bressane de Araújo]]}}

{{s-bef|before=[[Joseph-Adolphe Gandy]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore|Archbishop of Pondicherry]]|years=11 May 1909 – 16 August 1929 }}
{{s-aft|after=[[Auguste-Siméon Colas]]}}

{{s-end}}

{{RC Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morel, Elie-Jean-Joseph}}
[[Category:1862 births]]
[[Category:1948 deaths]]
[[Category:Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore]]
[[Category:20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in India]]
[[Category:Paris Foreign Missions Society missionaries]]
[[Category:French Roman Catholic missionaries]]
[[Category:French Roman Catholic bishops in Asia]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic archbishops of Pondicherry and Cuddalore]]
[[Category:People from French India]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic missionaries in India]]

Elie-Jean-Joseph Morel - Revision history

DwainKilgore21 at 15:12, 9 March 2026