Marcel Manoël was the president of the National Council of the Reformed Church in France from his election in 2001 until his retirement in 2010.

Early life and education

He was born in 1945 in Saint-Jean-du-Gard

Saint-Jean-du-Gard

Saint-Jean-du-Gard is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.-History:This city of the Cévennes, first mentioned in a 12th century papal bull , was very much influenced by Protestantism in the 16th century and became the Mecca of the camisards' resistance.Thanks to the silk industry,...

. He is married to Christiane Manen, teacher. They have three children and four grandchildren.
He studied theology in Montpellier

Montpellier

-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....

, Lausanne

Lausanne

Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...

 and Geneva

Geneva

Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...

.

Ministry

Marcel Manoël was a pastor in Brazzaville

Brazzaville

-Transport:The city is home to Maya-Maya Airport and a railway station on the Congo-Ocean Railway. It is also an important river port, with ferries sailing to Kinshasa and to Bangui via Impfondo...

 and a teacher at the École pastorale du Congo (1968–1972). Nominated pastor in Nancy (1972–1973), pastor in Bangui

Bangui

-Law and government:Bangui is an autonomous commune of the Central African Republic. With an area of 67 km², it is by far the smallest high-level administrative division of the CAR in area but the highest in population...

, Central African Republic

Central African Republic

The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...

 (1973–1977). Pastor in Clermont-Ferrand

Clermont-Ferrand

Clermont-Ferrand is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of 140,700 . Its metropolitan area had 409,558 inhabitants at the 1999 census. It is the prefecture of the Puy-de-Dôme department...

 (1977–1978). President of the Regional Council of the Reformed Church in France for Centre-Alpes-Rhône from 1988-1996. Pastor in Nîmes

Nîmes

Nîmes is the capital of the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and is a popular tourist destination.-History:...

, Oratoire parish from 1996-2001. He was a member of the National Council of the Reformed Church in France from 1986–1990, co-president of the Comité mixte catholique-protestant in France from 1992–1998 and is a current member of the central committee of the World Council of Churches

World Council of Churches

The World Council of Churches is a worldwide fellowship of 349 global, regional and sub-regional, national and local churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service. It is a Christian ecumenical organization that is based in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland...

 (appointed 1998).

External links

Letter addressed by Marcel Manoël to the president of France on the occasion of the debate about national identity

National identity

National identity is the person's identity and sense of belonging to one state or to one nation, a feeling one shares with a group of people, regardless of one's citizenship status....

(December 2009).