[2] After studying philosophy at the Jesuit formation in Vals-près-le-Puy, two years at Collège Libermann in Douala, and studying theology in Fourvière, Madelin was ordained a priest of the Society of Jesus in 1967.

After earning a doctorate in political science,[3][4] he chaired the Centre Sèvres in Paris from 1985 to 1991, when he was appointed national chaplain of the Mouvement chrétien des cadres et dirigeants.

Madelin succeeded Jean-Yves Calvez as editor-in-chief of the Catholic journal Études.

He worked as a lecturer at Sciences Po,[5] and was a member of the Catholic Office of Information and Initiative for Europe.

Henri Madelin died on 8 April 2020 in Lille at the age of 83 during the pandemic due to COVID-19.