René Marie Albert Dupont
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His Excellency René Marie Albert Dupont | |
|---|---|
| Bishop Emeritus of Andong | |
 Dupont in 2014 | |
| Archdiocese | Daegu |
| Diocese | Andong |
| Appointed | 29 May 1969 |
| Term ended | 6 October 1990 |
| Predecessor | First |
| Successor | Ignatius Pak Sok-hi |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 29 June 1953 |
| Consecration | 25 July 1969 by Stephen Kim Sou-hwan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 September 1929 Saint-Jean-le-Blanc, Loiret, France |
| Died | 10 April 2025 (aged 95) Andong, South Korea |
René Marie Albert Dupont (2 September 1929 – 10 April 2025) was bishop emeritus of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Andong.[1][2][3]
Dupont was born on 2 September 1929, in Saint-Jean-le-Blanc, Loiret, France,[1][2] near Orleans.[3]
He was ordained a priest of the Society for Foreign Missions of Paris on 29 June 1953.[1][2][3] He arrived in the Republic of Korea in 1954.[3] According to the Yonhap Korean news agency, he "devoted his life to pastoral work in rural South Korea," as a priest and bishop, and "was dispatched to South Korea shortly after the 1950–53 Korean War and dedicated more than 70 years to serving rural communities through his pastoral mission".[4]
Dupont was appointed bishop of Andong on 29 May 1969.[1][3] He received episcopal ordination the following 25 July.[1][2] His Principal Consecrator was Stephen Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan, Archbishop of Seoul, with Co-Consecrators Bishop Victorinus Youn Kong-hi, Bishop of Suwon, and Archbishop John Baptist Sye Bong-Kil, the Archbishop of Daegu (Taegu).[2]
On 6 October 1990, he retired as diocesan bishop.[1][2][3] Dupont continued to serve the rural area of South Korea until poor health required him to go to hospital,[4] a total of 70 years.[3] In 2019, he was granted an honorary Korean nationality "in recognition of his efforts in rural education and community development for more than 60 years".[5] In 2022, he was the subject of a documentary film and moved into a retirement home.[6]
Dupont died of a cerebral infarction in Andong, on 10 April 2025, at the age of 95.[1][4]
