Catholic Welfare Action in the French Overseas Territories Between Decolonization and the Cold War

Catholic welfare organizations became key actors in the political and social transformation of French Africa during the transition from empire to independence. Challenging interpretations that portray Catholic humanitarianism primarily in terms of religious decolonization, institutional rupture, or disinterested philanthropy, this article argues that Catholic social action was reconfigured as a strategy for preserving ecclesiastical influence through welfare, technical expertise, and the formation of local elites. Drawing on previously unexplored documentation from the archives of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith (Propaganda Fide) and the Secretariat of State, the study reconstructs how Catholic Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs), including the Secrétariats sociaux d'Outre-mer and Ad Lucem, adapted their structures and methods to the political challenges of decolonization and the geopolitical imperatives of the Cold War. Rather than retreating alongside the dismantling of the French colonial empire, Catholic organizations increasingly invested in social welfare, vocational training, education, housing, labour mediation, and humanitarian relief as instruments for maintaining a lasting presence within emerging African societies. Faced with the perceived threats of Marxist expansion, Arab nationalism, and the growing influence of Islam, the Vatican and Catholic social organizations promoted the creation of indigenous Catholic elites capable of assuming positions of responsibility in civil society while remaining embedded within transnational ecclesiastical networks. The article demonstrates that these initiatives did not simply represent a humanitarian response to the social consequences of decolonization. They formed part of a broader strategy through which Catholic organizations sought to redefine their relationship with postcolonial states by combining charitable action with technical expertise, social planning, and political mediation. Particular attention is devoted to the role of welfare organizations during the Algerian War, including relief activities for displaced populations and detainees in the camps de regroupement, as well as to the relationship between humanitarian agencies such as Secours Catholique and Pax Christi and the diplomatic priorities of the Holy See. Rather than marking a clear break with the colonial order, Catholic welfare emerged as a reconfigured instrument of influence through which the Church sought to preserve its social, political, and cultural presence while reshaping, rather than abandoning, the institutional and transnational networks inherited from the imperial era.