French priest turned Filipino citizen honored

A Roman Catholic priest who renounced his French citizenship to become a Filipino citizen in 1974 was conferred yesterday the rank of Officier (officer) in the prestigious French Order of Legion of Honor (FOLH).

Fr. Pierre Tritz, now 92 and serving as chaplain of Hospital of Infant Jesus in Manila, officially received the medal and certificate of honor in a conferment ceremony at the Educational Research and Development Assistance (ERDA) Tech Foundation in Pandacan, Manila hosted by French Ambassador to the Philippines Gerard Chesnei, on behalf of French President Jacques Chirac.

Born on Sept. 19, 1914, Fr. Tritz has been the chaplain of the Hospital of Infant Jesus in Sampaloc, Manila since 1979.

He is the founder and president of ERDA, the Foundation for the Assistance to Hansenities (FAHAN), the ERDA Tech Foundation, and the Albert Schweitzer Association of the Philippines (ASAP), all non-government organizations that provide scholarship grants and other forms of assistance to over 33,000 children nationwide.

"The best way to break the cycle of poverty is to provide the poor technical training," the priest said in his acceptance speech.

Former President Corazon Aquino has dubbed Tritz as the "Mother Teresa of the Philippines."

For his work, Fr. Tritz was already given the title of Chevalier (Knight) of FOLH in 1996 as well as Chevalier of the National Order of Merit in France in 1993.

The FOLH, officially known as Legion d’Honneur in France, is an order of chivalry established on May 19, 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, the first Consul of the French Republic.

This order has five classes: Chevalier (Knight), Officier (Officer), Commandeur (Commander), Grand Officier (Grand Officer), and Grand Croix (Grand Cross). — Edu Punay