La Croix du Bénin

La Croix du Bénin is a Beninese Catholic weekly newspaper founded in January 1946 by Père Jean-Louis Caër, a missionary priest of the Society of African Missions. Originally named La Croix au Dahomey, it began as a monthly bulletin of Catholic doctrine and information. It is the oldest newspaper in Benin and is believed to be one of the longest continuously published periodicals in Francophone Africa. The paper covers religious topics, the life of the Church in Benin and worldwide, as well as political and social issues. Its motto is "Justice, Vérité, Miséricorde" (Justice, Truth, Mercy). It is authorized by Benin's High Authority for Audiovisual and Communication (HAAC). The publication became biweekly on 1 January 1963 and faced severe censorship and seizures during the Marxist-Leninist regime of the People's Republic of Benin (1974–1989), when its content was deemed "counter-revolutionary." It adopted a new logo and revised its content in January 2006, and became a weekly on 11 January 2008. In September 2010 it launched a monthly youth supplement, Croix Junior, run by a team of students. In late 2010 it established its own publishing house, Éditions La Croix du Bénin. La Croix du Bénin is printed at Imprimerie Notre Dame in Cotonou and appears every Friday. It has a print run of 3,500 copies and about 600 subscribers in Benin and abroad (Africa, Europe, and America). Thanks to parish networks that distribute it after Sunday Masses, it is one of the few Beninese newspapers circulated throughout the entire country. It is also available at some newsstands and bookshops. The newspaper is owned by the Catholic Church in Benin and is led by a publication director; past directors include Père Jean-Louis Caër, Père Joseph Guérin, Père Paul Falcon, Père François-Xavier Brégaint, Père Pierre Guégaden, Père Christophe Adimou, Père Maurice Grenot, Ernest Mihami, Barthélemy Assogba Cakpo, Père André S. Quenum, Abbé Crépin M. Acapovi, Père Serge N. Bidouzo, and Père Michaël S. Gomé (since 2021).

La Croix du Bénin was founded in January 1946 as La Croix au Dahomey by Père Jean-Louis Caër, a missionary priest of the Society of African Missions. It began as a monthly bulletin of Catholic doctrine and information. The publication has never been interrupted since 1946, despite a name change from La Croix au Dahomey to La Croix du Bénin following the country's renaming from Dahomey to Benin in 1975. This makes it the oldest newspaper in Benin and probably the only publication in Francophone Africa that has appeared for so long without interruption. Initially monthly, it became biweekly on 1 January 1963. The newspaper weathered all the turbulences the country experienced, with particularly difficult moments during the period 1974–1989 under the People's Republic of Benin. During that era, its existence was severely tested, as the revolutionary regime's censorship ignored its status as a confessional newspaper and seized editions whose content was deemed "counter-revolutionary." In January 2006, La Croix adopted a new logo. At the same time, its content was revised overall, and several new sections were created. On 11 January 2008, the newspaper became a weekly. On 1 September 2010, La Croix du Bénin launched the first issue of its monthly supplement Croix Junior, run by a team of students. In late 2010, La Croix du Bénin established its own publishing house, "Éditions La Croix du Bénin." The newspaper is printed at Imprimerie Notre Dame in Cotonou and appears every Friday. It has a print run of 3,500 copies and about 600 subscribers in Benin and elsewhere in Africa, Europe, and America. Through the relay of Benin's parishes, which distribute the newspaper after Sunday Masses, La Croix du Bénin is one of the few Beninese newspapers to be circulated throughout the entire country. It is also available in some newsstands and bookshops. The successive publication directors of the newspaper are: Père Jean-Louis Caër (1946), Père Joseph Guérin (1946–1947), Père Paul Falcon (1948–1952), Père François-Xavier Brégaint (1952–1953 and 1954–1958), Père Pierre Guégaden (1953–1954), Père Christophe Adimou (1958–1960), Père Maurice Grenot (1960–1966), Ernest Mihami (1966–1975), Barthélemy Assogba Cakpo (1975–2004), Père André S. Quenum (2004–2014), Abbé Crépin M. Acapovi (January 2015–2018), Père Serge N. Bidouzo (2018–2021), and Père Michaël S. Gomé (2021–present).

• 2010

  Launches monthly youth supplement Croix Junior.

• 2010

  Establishes publishing house Éditions La Croix du Bénin.

• 2008

  Becomes a weekly newspaper.

• 2006

  Adopts a new logo and revises content, creating several new sections.

• 1975

  Renamed La Croix du Bénin after the country changes its name from Dahomey to Benin.

• 1963

  Becomes biweekly.

• 1946

  Founded as La Croix au Dahomey by Père Jean-Louis Caër.

Catholic weekly newspaper of record in Benin, known for its longevity and nationwide distribution through parish networks.

• La Croix du Bénin weekly newspaper

  Catholic weekly newspaper covering religion, politics, and society.

• Croix Junior

  Monthly youth supplement launched in September 2010, run by students.

• Éditions La Croix du Bénin

  Publishing house established in late 2010.

1. 1La Croix du Bénin - Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2La Croix du Bénin - Wikipédiafr.wikipedia.org