Pierre Claverie

Pierre-Lucien Claverie was a French Roman Catholic prelate who was a professed member from the Order of Preachers and served as the Bishop of Oran from 1981 until his murder. Claverie was French but being born in French Algeria meant that he viewed himself as a true Algerian; he was committed to ecumenism and dialogue with the Islamic faith and dreamed of a peaceful co-existence with Muslims in an independent Algeria. He likewise was noted for his studies on Islamic culture and his mastering of classical Arabic which he even taught to those Muslims who understood the common popular language rather than its classical origins. Claverie was also a prolific writer on dialogue which he made the core focus of his episcopal life.