Joseph Malula

Joseph-Albert Malula was born in Léopoldville on December 12, 1917. Ordained to the priesthood in 1946, Malula proclaimed his vision of an authentic African Church: 'An African Church in an African society.' In 1964, he was elevated to Archbishop of Kinshasa and created Cardinal by Pope Paul VI in 1969.

Malula developed the 'Zaire Use'—the only inculturated liturgical rite approved by the Vatican since the Council of Trent, integrating traditional African sacred dance, drums, and ancestor veneration into the Mass. When Mobutu launched his radical 'Authenticité' campaign, Malula defended religious independence, enduring exile before returning triumphant.