Henri Pinault

Henri-Marie-Ernest-Désiré Pinault (; 7 September 1904 – 24 February 1987) was the Roman Catholic bishop of Chengdu from 1949 until 1983, four years before his death.

Early life Pinault was born on 7 September 1904 into a family of farmers in Tinténiac deanery in Trévérien commune, Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France. In 1905, the Pinault family settled on a farm in Évran commune in the Côtes du Nord department of Brittany. The city was captured on 23 February 1933 by forces of the Chinese Communist Party during the Chinese Civil War and clergymen and Christians were forced to flee. On 28 December 1949, the city of Chengdu was captured by communist forces. In order to protect his fellow clergy members, Pinault took personal responsibility for the ownership of all church property. In December 1986, Pinault was hospitalized at Rennes with arteritis and underwent several surgeries. He returned home to Évran on 23 February, dying on 24 February, aged 82. He is buried next to his mother in a small cemetery in Évran.