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Home / Awards / Servitor Pacis Award / 1999 THE SERVITOR PACIS AWARD RECIPIENTS 1999 - Philippe Morillon Born 24 October 1935 in Casablanca, Général Philippe Morillon is currently the president of L’Envol, a non-profit organization dedicated to the care of sick children in Europe. He was president of the French Interministerial Coordinating Committee for the 12th World Youth Day held in Paris in 1997. From 1954 to 1995, he served as an officer in the French Army, retiring with the rank of Army General. Married and the father of three children, Général Morillon has been a career officer since his admission to the French military academy, Ecole Militaire de Saint-Cyr. In 1992, first as a major general and then as a lieutenant general, he was successively deputy commander and commander of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) in the former Yugoslavia. The French Government made him a Commander of the National Order of Merit in 1988 and Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor in 1993. Throughout this remarkable career, his dedication to the teachings of the Catholic Church has been exemplary. His three books, Croire et Oser (To Believe and To Dare), Paroles de Soldat (Words of a Soldier), and most recently Mon Credo (My Creed), reflect a deep attachment to the Catholic faith at the civilian, military and spiritual levels. As a soldier, whether he was a student at the academy or an officer in the middle of a conflict, Général Morillon has always considered courage in combat as a manifestation of being created in the image of God and as a means of identifying with Christ’s death on the cross. For example, during his tenure with UNPROFOR in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1992, his first mission was to escort convoys providing humanitarian relief, to protect depots and to provide assistance to the most vulnerable populations. His second mission involved the implementation of the peace plan negotiated in Geneva, and his third mission centered on the prevention of ethnic cleansing in the area. When the Dayton Accord was signed on 14 December 1995, Général Morillon retired from the army, knowing that the sacrifices of the UNPROFOR troops and of those working in international organizations had not been made in vain. The sense of duty to prevent the slaughter of innocents had moved him and others to heed the Holy Father’s call to stop the escalation of violence and exclusion in the Balkans. As a true believer in the role of international organizations and the Catholic Church, he also keeps in mind the words of the Psalmist: “Love and truth shall meet, justice and peace shall kiss” (Psalm 85). In this sense, he has truly deserved to be called “Général Courage.” As the president of the French Interministerial Coordinating Committee for the World Youth Day, he continued to apply the principles he had developed in his military career as a servant of France and as a committed Catholic. Coordinating activities between Church authorities in France, the Pontifical Council for the Laity and the government was a tremendous task. For instance, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims needed accommodations and the sites for celebrations had to be chosen with particular care. His blend of military planning skills along with the patience brought by his Christian faith were clearly placed at the service of the Church. For his exemplary work as a true soldier of Christ, particularly in bringing peace to Bosnia-Herzegovina and order to the festivities of the youth in Paris, the Path to Peace Foundation is pleased to bestow upon Général Philippe Morillon the title of “Servitor Pacis” - Servant of Peace.
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