| Type: | Cardinal |
| Honorific Prefix: | His Eminence |
| Jean Margéot | |
| Bishop Emeritus of Port-Louis | |
| Church: | Roman Catholic Church |
| Diocese: | Port-Louis |
| See: | Port-Louis |
| Appointed: | 6 February 1969 |
| Term End: | 15 February 1993 |
| Predecessor: | Daniel Liston |
| Successor: | Maurice Piat |
| Other Post: | Cardinal-Priest of San Gabriele Arcangelo all'Acqua Traversa (1988-2009) |
| Ordination: | 17 December 1938 |
| Ordained By: | Francesco Marchetti Selvaggiani |
| Consecration: | 4 May 1969 |
| Consecrated By: | Paolo Mosconi |
| Cardinal: | 25 June 1988 |
| Created Cardinal By: | Pope John Paul II |
| Rank: | Cardinal-Priest |
| Birth Name: | Jean Margéot |
| Birth Date: | 3 February 1916 |
| Birth Place: | Quatre-Bornes, Mauritius |
| Death Place: | Filles de Marie Convent, Bonne-Terre, Vacoas, Mauritius |
| Buried: | Port-Louis Cathedral |
| Parents: | Joseph Margéot |
| Previous Post: | President of the Episcopal Conference of the Indian Ocean (1986-89) |
| Alma Mater: | Pontifical Gregorian University |
| Motto: | Non ministrari sed ministrare |
Jean Margéot (3 February 1916 – 17 July 2009) was Mauritian Roman Catholic priest, bishop and cardinal.
A native of Quatre-Bornes, Mauritius, Jean Margéot attended Collège Père Laval before attending the Royal College Curepipe. He travelled to Rome for further religious studies. Margéot was ordained a priest on 17 December 1938 at Basilica Saint-Jean-de-Latran in Rome.[1]
He was consecrated as Bishop of the Diocese of Port-Louis on 4 May 1969 and served until 15 February, 1993. He was President of the Conférence Episcopale de l'Océan Indien from 1986–1989.
Margéot was named a cardinal by Pope John Paul II on 28 June 1988 becoming Cardinal-Priest of San Gabriele Arcangelo all'Acqua Traversa, the first cardinal from Mauritius. Following his death in 2009 at the age of 93, Margéot was lauded by Pope Benedict XVI in a public statement.
Following the 1968 Mauritian riots Jean Margéot worked to reconcile the racial and religious tensions which existed at the time of the island's Independence.[2] In the 1960s he was the founder of Action Familiale which assisted in managing rising population growth-rate.[3] In more recent times Cardinal Jean Margéot's main contributions have been the holistic training of clergy and his followers.[4] He is also credited for appeasing public anger during the 1999 Mauritian riots following the murder in custody of Kaya (Mauritian musician).[5] Pope Benedict paid tribute to Margéot especially for having promoted the importance of the family in a stable society.[6]
Jean Margéot published several books including "Civilisation Mauricienne Et Valeurs Morales : Lettre Pastorale de Careme 1993" [7] and "Le voyage intérieur : Dialogues sur la prière et la méditation" in 2007.[8]
A period of national mourning was announced throughout Mauritius and sporting events were suspended when Cardinal Jean Margéot died.[9] In recognition of the contribution of Cardinal Jean Margéot a new training institute was named Institut Cardinal Jean Margéot in 2009.[10] It specialises in Catholic education and is located at Maison de Carné along Célicourt Antelme street in Rose Hill.[11] The main bus terminal of Beau Bassin-Rose Hill was also named Place Cardinal Jean Margéot in honour of the high priest.[12] [13]