Birth. July, 1916, Pass, diocese of Yopougon, Ivory Coast.

Education. Studied at the Seminary of Abidjan; and at the Catholic Institute, Paris.

Priesthood. Ordained, May 1, 1947. Faculty member of Minor Seminary of Bingerville and director of the Pre-Seminary École de Petit Clerics, 1947-1956. Pastoral ministry in Abidjan, 1956-1957. Further studies, Paris, 1957-1959. Counselor of the Catholic Action, Abidjan, 1959-1960.

Episcopate. Elected metropolitan archbishop of Abidjan, April 5, 1960. Consecrated, May 8, 1960, patriarchal Vatican basilica, by Pope John XXIII, assisted by Napoléon-Alexandre La Brie, titular bishop of Ilta, national director of the Pontifical Missionary Work of Canada, French sector, and by Fulton John Sheen, titular bishop of Cesariana, auxiliary of New York, national director of the Pontifical Missionary Work of the United States of America. In the same ceremony were consecrated future Cardinals Paul Zoungrana, M.Afr., archbishop of Ouagadougou; Jérôme Rakotomalala, archbishop of Tananarive; and Peter Poreku Dery, bishop of Wa. His episcopal motto was Ut omnes unum sint. Attended the Second Vatican Council, 1962-1965. Attended the First Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 29 to October 29, 1967; the First Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, October 11 to 28, 1969; the Second Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 30 to November 6, 1971; the Third Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 27 to October 26, 1974; the Fifth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 26 to October 25, 1980.

Cardinalate. Created cardinal priest in the consistory of February 2, 1983; received the red biretta and the title of S. Crisogono, February 2, 1983. Attended the Sixth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, September 29 to October 28, 1983; the Second Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City, November 24 to December 8, 1985. Resigned the pastoral government of the archdiocese, December 19, 1994. Lost the right to participate in the conclave when turned eighty years of age, July 1996. He was the first cardinal from Ivory Coast.

Death. October 5, 1997, Abidjan. Buried in Saint Paul du Plateau metropolitan cathedral, Abidjan.

Bibliography. Grah Mel, Frédéric. Bernard Yago, le cardinal inattendu. s.l. : Presses des universités de Côte d'Ivoire, 1998; Lébry, Léon Francis. Bernard Cardinal Yago : passioné de Dieu et de l'homme. Abidjan : NEI : Fraternité Matin, 1997.