SÅ“ur Emmanuelle

Sister Emmanuelle NDS, ( born November 16, 1908 in Brussels, † 20 October, 2008 Callian, southern France, birth name Marie -Madeleine Cinquin ) was a Belgian-French nun. She was called "mother of the garbage people of Cairo " because they lived for many years with the garbage children together in the slums of Cairo.

Life

Marie -Madeleine Cinquin, daughter of a Belgian family business, studied philosophy and theology in Istanbul and at the Sorbonne and received his doctorate several times. In 1929 she entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion a ( Notre Dame de Sion) and received the name Sister Emmanuelle. From 1930 she taught at the convent's schools " young ladies " in literature and philosophy in Istanbul, Tunis and Alexandria.

From 1971 to 1993 she lived in the slums of the Egyptian capital, Cairo, in the garbage settlement " Ezbeth -El - Nakhl ." After her return to France she struggled against poverty and disadvantage and was a guest on many talk shows. Contrary to the Magisterium of the Church, they promoted the use of contraception and advocated the possibility of marriage for priests.

Sr. Emmanuelle published numerous books; 2005 " Sister Emmanuelle, What is worth living appeared. The mother of the garbage people of Cairo ". She founded the charity Association Sœur Emmanuelle ( ASMAE ), the needs of people in Egypt, Sudan and Burkina Faso, supervised in Lebanon and Madagascar and supported. The ASMAE built several social centers with hospitals and schools.

2002 was appointed Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour Sr. Emmanuelle Jacques Chirac appointed commander and 2008 by Nicolas Sarkozy. In 2005 Sister was awarded the Grand Officer of the Belgian Order of the Crown Emmanuelle. A few weeks before her 100th birthday, she died in the night of October 20, 2008 in the southern French retirement home of their order.