TOGO : Archbishop Philippe Fanoko Kpodzro retired at 94
Archbishop Philippe Fanoko Kpodzro, the emeritus archbishop of Lomé, known for his political engagement in favor of change, passed away on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, at the age of 94. He had set the goal of achieving political alternation in Togo.
The Catholic Church in Togo is in mourning since the announcement of the death of Archbishop Philippe Fanoko Kpodzro on Tuesday, January 9. The archbishop will be remembered for his fight for political alternation, which he ultimately did not live to see.
In 2019, he formed the coalition called the Dynamic Monseigneur Kpodzro (DMK), with which he supported the candidacy of former Prime Minister of Togo, Gabriel Messan Agbeyome Kodjo, in the 2020 presidential election.
Following the election results, the « unsuccessful » candidate Agbéyomé Kodjo had declared himself the winner. The socio-political instability that ensued forced the archbishop to leave the country, initially settling in Accra, Ghana, before being transferred to Sweden.
Archbishop Kpodzro, a prominent figure in the Catholic Church who retired in 2007 and advocated for change for a long time, has left the world of the living, exiled from his native Togo. Born in 1930 in Tomégbé (Plateaux region, Wawa prefecture), Archbishop Kpodzro had been bishop of Atakpamé in 1976 and later became the archbishop of Lomé.
