| Type: | Michel Mouïsse |
| Honorific-Prefix: | His Eminence |
| Michel-Pierre-Marie Mouïsse | |
| Church: | Catholic Church |
| See: | Bishop of Diocese of Périgueux and Sarlat (emeritus) |
| Term: | Bishop of the Diocese of Périgueux and Sarlat |
| Term Start: | March 5, 2004 |
| Term End: | June 18, 2014 |
| Predecessor: | Gaston Poulain |
| Successor: | Philippe Mousset |
| Ordination: | December 18, 1966 |
| Consecration: | May 7, 2000 |
| Consecrated By: | Louis Dufaux |
| Birth Name: | Michel-Pierre-Marie Mouïsse |
| Birth Date: | October 31, 1939 |
| Birth Place: | Mazamet (Tarn) |
| Nationality: | French |
| Religion: | Roman Catholic |
| Previous Post: | Auxiliary bishop of Grenoble (2000-2004)Titular bishop of Lambæsis (2000-2004) |
| Motto: | Servir, ne pas être servi |
| Coat Of Arms: | Template-Bishop.svg |
Michel Mouïsse (born October 31, 1939, in Mazamet, Tarn) is a French Catholic bishop.
After his formation for the priesthood at the regional seminary of Toulouse in the 1960s, Michel Mouïsse was ordained a priest for the diocese of Albi on December 18, 1966. He began his career as a diocesan chaplain for several Catholic youth movements, then trained seminarians in Toulouse before moving on to various diocesan positions in the 1980s and 1990s.
After being appointed auxiliary bishop of Grenoble and titular bishop of Lambæsis on March 10, 2000, Michel Mouïsse was consecrated bishop on May 7 by Louis Dufaux. However, he left this position on March 5, 2004, when he was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Périgueux and Sarlat. Later, in 2014, as bishop emeritus of the Diocese, he joined the team of priests of the Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde in Marseille.
Michel Pierre Marie[1] Mouïsse was born on October 31, 1939, in Mazamet, and was the oldest child of Julien Mouïsse, a woodworker, and Suzanne Hiriar.
He studied at the Notre Dame primary school in Mazamet, the collège in Barral de Castres, the lycée at Saint-Théodard in Montauban, where he obtained his baccalauréat, and then at the University of Toulouse.[2] [3]
In 1960, Michel Mouïsse entered the seminary of Albi until 1964. After his military service, he continued his formation for the priesthood at the major seminary in Toulouse.[4]
He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Albi[5] on December 18, 1966.
He served as curate of the parish of Saint-Jacques de Villegoudou in Castres.
Michel Mouïsse (alongside his father) has supported the local rugby team of Mazamet since his early childhood. He played as an amateur at school, at university, in the army, and at the seminary. Then, he became captain and coach of the Castres Olympique[12] [13] [14] reserve team.
After his ordination, he continued playing the sport for another eight years and left the club at the age of thirty-five.
He regularly reads Midi Olympique and one of his favorite rugby writers is Denis Tillinac.
After moving to the Episcopal see of Périgueux, he supported the Club Athlétique Périgueux Dordogne.
In 2010, amid the global economic crisis, Michel Mouïsse called for a "burst of humanity and fraternity" and greater social justice.[15]
See main article: Rabaa massacre. In January 2011, with the Middle East amid the Arab Spring, Michel Mouïsse called for peace and dialogue in this part of the world.[16]
In the face of the silence of the French media, on September 10, 2013, Michel Mouïsse addressed the Diocese of Périgueux and Sarlat and the local press under the title ("A deafening silence") to raise public awareness of the violence against Christians in the East and the multiple destructions of their places of worship on August 14.
This caused a stir, after being circulated on social networks, along with a photograph of the bishop, and used "for partisan purposes".[17] [18]
In the 2014 municipal elections, according to Christian Foucher[19] (the bishopric's communications director), the modified statement was written by the National Front, with passages "against the socialists" and others inciting to "total war" against "jihadist fanatics,"
On February 4, 2015, a press release (claiming to be written by the bishop) was posted on several extremist websites, denouncing the complicity of the media and the "famous intellectual and political elites" in the attacks on Christian places of worship in Egypt. However, Michel Mouïsse denies this claim, calling it a "hoax".