Eugênio de Araújo Sales
Encyclopedia
Eugênio de Araújo Sales is, as of 2011, the longest-serving cardinal
in the Roman Catholic Church
, having been elevated by Pope Paul VI
on April 28, 1969. He served as archbishop
of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro for thirty years until his resignation was accepted in 2001, when he had already passed the maximum age for voting in a papal conclave
. He is currently the Cardinal Protopriest of the Holy Roman Church.
, Brazil
to a prominent upper-class family: his father, Celso Dantas Sales, was a judge
in the Court of Appeals of the State of Rio Grande do Norte. Eugenio Sales did humanistic studies as a teenager and entered the minor seminary at Natal
in 1936. After spending one year in the minor seminary, Sales graduated to the major seminary at Fortaleza
, where he prepared to the priesthood from 1937 to 1943.
He was ordained to the priesthood on November 21, 1943, and spent the following decade in pastoral work in the Archdiocese of Natal.
of Thibica and auxiliary Bishop
of Natal on June 1, 1954. Sales was consecrated a Bishop on August 15, 1954.
On January 9, 1962, Pope bl. John XXIII named Sales Apostolic Administrator
of Natal, and on July 9, 1964 Pope Paul VI transferred him to the Primatial See of São Salvador da Bahia also as Apostolic Administrator sede plena.
Bishop Sales attended all the sessions of the Second Vatican Council
between 1962 and 1965.
On October 29, 1968, Sales, until then Apostolic Administrator, was appointed Metropolitan Archbishop São Salvador da Bahia
, becoming ex officio the Primate of Brazil.
.
Cardinal Sales, then Metropolitan Archbishop of Salvador and Primate of Brazil was appointed papal legate to the Brazilian National Eucharistic Congress held in 1970 and in that capacity he presided over the said gathering, that took place in Brasília, the Nation's capital.
On 13 March 1971, Pope Paul VI transferred Sales to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro. Cardinal Sales took posession of his new See on 27 March 1971. In 1972 Sales received the additional responsibility of Ordinary to the Faithful of Oriental Rite in Brazil without their own Ordinary.
As a Cardinal-elector, Sales participated
in the August and October 1978 conclaves.
Sales led the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Saint Sebastian of Rio de Janeiro for thirty years, between 1971 and 2001.
In the Roman Curia, Cardinal Sales was appointed a member of the Council of Cardinals for the Study of the Organizational and Economic Problems of Holy See in 1981.
While serving as Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Cardinal Sales attended the II Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in 1971, the III General Conference of the Latin American Episcopate in 1979, the Extraordinary Consistory (plenary meeting of the College of Cardinals) also in 1979, the V Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, the Extraordinary Consistory of 1982, the VI Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, in 1983, the Extraordinary Consistory of 1985 and the Second Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, also in 1985, the 4th General Conference of the Latin American Episcopate, in 1992.
Chosen by Pope John Paul II, he served as president-delegate of the Special Synod of Bishops for America that was held in 1997.
In addition to his service as papal legate a latere in 1970 and of his legation as president delegate of the Special Assembly for America of the Synod of Bishops in 1997, Cardinal Sales also served as Special Papal Envoy on three occasions: the first was when, in 1991, he presided over the 12th National Eucharistic Congress of Brazil held in the city of Natal; his second appointment as special papal envoy came after his retirement as Archbishop of Rio, when he represented the Pope during the celebrations held in Aparecida marking three events: the centennial of the Coronation of the image of Our Lady Aparecida by mandate of Pope St. Pius X in 1904, the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, and a renewed Papal Coronation of the image of Our Lady Aparecida, performed by Cardinal Sales on behalf of Pope Jonh Paul II; the triple celebration took place on 8 September, 2004. Sales' third mission as special papal envoy was performed when he travelled to Braga, Portugal, and there presided, on 8 December 2004 over celebrations commemorating the centennial of the coronation of the image of Our Lady of Sameiro and the sesquicentennial of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.
As of july 2011, Pope Benedict XVI held three days of prayer and reflection, each on the eve of an ordinary public consistory for the creation of new Cardinals. Although those days of prayer and reflection were not convoked as formal extraordinary consistories, all members of the College of Cardinals (electors and non-electors) were summoned to attend the meetings, together with the prelates that were about to be raised to the cardinalate. Cardinal Sales attended all three of those meetings, on 23 March 2006, 23 November 2007 and 19 November 2010.
As is the normal practice, by mandate of the Holy See, Sales, now Archbishop emeritus
, continued to govern the See of Rio de Janeiro as Apostolic Administrator
from the acceptance of his resignation on July 25, 2001 until the installation of his successor on September 22, 2001. Sales's transition to retirement was completed on October 3, 2001 when his resignation to the office of Ordinary to the Faithful of Oriental Rite in Brazil without their own Ordinary was accepted by Pope John Paul II.
At the death of Pope John Paul II, Sales was the second-longest-serving cardinal in the Church and as such, although at 84 unable to vote in the 2005 conclave, he played an important role in the pre-conclave discussions. He presided one of the funeral Masses for John Paul II during the Novemdiales (nine days of mourning for the deceased Pope) as senior Cardinal-Priest present in Rome during the 2005 sede vacante
. Also in that capacity, Sales was present in the first and third (non-public) parts of the Funeral of Pope John Paul II
, and was one of those who signed the rogito (the parchment containing biographical data that was placed inside the papal coffin). Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan
, the then Cardinal Protopriest, was ill and was not present in Rome during the days of the sede vacante. As the next Cardinal in the order of precedence, Cardinal Sales therefore performed the duties of the Protopriest at that time. Cardinal Kim did manage to arrive for the installation of the new Roman Pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI.
Since the death of Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan on February 16, 2009, Sales became both the Cardinal protoprete and also the longest serving living Cardinal of the Catholic Church. On 28 April 2009, Sales completed 40 years as a member of the College of Cardinals.
On 8 November 2010 the Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro held celebrations to commemorate the Cardinal's 90th birthday; by the time of his 90th birthday, Sales was already the last living Cardinal created in the Consistory of 28 April 1969. He is thus the last living person to have been raised to the Cardinalate before the entry into force of the modern form of the Mass promulgated by Pope Paul VI with the Constitution Missale Romanum.
Although retired, Sales still engages in pastoral activities. As of March 2011, Sales still kept the commitment of writing a weekly article on a topic of Faith or morals, that is published in the O Globo newspaper, and as of that time he was still often seen celebrating Mass on Sundays or other holy days in the parish church of Our Lady of Peace in the neighbourhood of Ipanema
. That parish church is adjacent to a Church owned office building where Sales maintains an office.
In May 2011 the 90 year old Cardinal stopped publishing his weekly articles in the O Globo newspaper (he had written weekly articles for the newspaper for 40 years, since his installation as Archbishop of Rio in 1971) and, on his recommendation, the current Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Orani João Tempesta
, was invited by the owners of the newspaper to continue the religious articles and agreed to assume that task. Cardinal Sales' last article was published on 25 April 2011.
's reining in of theological dissent, Sales became the Church in Brazil's most prominent voice against what he saw as dissent from Catholic moral teaching in the country. In the 1990s he made many efforts to become a cultural leader in this struggle: going so far as to oppose the traditional Carnival in Rio de Janeiro
with a "festival of prayer" which he saw as opposing trends towards sexual libertinism in modern Brazil.
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
in the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, having been elevated by Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
on April 28, 1969. He served as archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro for thirty years until his resignation was accepted in 2001, when he had already passed the maximum age for voting in a papal conclave
Papal conclave
A papal conclave is a meeting of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a Bishop of Rome, who then becomes the Pope during a period of vacancy in the papal office. The Pope is considered by Roman Catholics to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and earthly head of the Roman Catholic Church...
. He is currently the Cardinal Protopriest of the Holy Roman Church.
Early life and ordination
Sales was born in Acari, Rio Grande do NorteRio Grande do Norte
Rio Grande do Norte is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern region of the country, occupying the northeasternmost tip of the South American continent. Because of its geographic position, Rio Grande do Norte has a strategic importance. The capital and largest city is Natal...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
to a prominent upper-class family: his father, Celso Dantas Sales, was a judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
in the Court of Appeals of the State of Rio Grande do Norte. Eugenio Sales did humanistic studies as a teenager and entered the minor seminary at Natal
Natal, Rio Grande do Norte
-History:The northeastern tip of South America, Cabo São Roque, to the north of Natal and the closest point to Europe from Latin America, was first visited by European navigators in 1501, in the 1501–1502 Portuguese expedition led by Amerigo Vespucci, who named the spot after the saint of the day...
in 1936. After spending one year in the minor seminary, Sales graduated to the major seminary at Fortaleza
Fortaleza
Fortaleza is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeastern Brazil. With a population close to 2.5 million , Fortaleza is the 5th largest city in Brazil. It has an area of and one of the highest demographic densities in the country...
, where he prepared to the priesthood from 1937 to 1943.
He was ordained to the priesthood on November 21, 1943, and spent the following decade in pastoral work in the Archdiocese of Natal.
Bishop
Pope Pius XII appointed Sales to the Episcopate, naming him titular BishopTitular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Thibica and auxiliary Bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of Natal on June 1, 1954. Sales was consecrated a Bishop on August 15, 1954.
On January 9, 1962, Pope bl. John XXIII named Sales Apostolic Administrator
Apostolic Administrator
An apostolic administrator in the Roman Catholic Church is a prelate appointed by the Pope to serve as the ordinary for an apostolic administration...
of Natal, and on July 9, 1964 Pope Paul VI transferred him to the Primatial See of São Salvador da Bahia also as Apostolic Administrator sede plena.
Bishop Sales attended all the sessions of the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
between 1962 and 1965.
On October 29, 1968, Sales, until then Apostolic Administrator, was appointed Metropolitan Archbishop São Salvador da Bahia
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of São Salvador da Bahia
The Archdiocese of São Salvador da Bahia is part of the Roman Catholic Church in Brazil. The Archbishop of São Salvador da Bahia also carries the title Primate of Brazil...
, becoming ex officio the Primate of Brazil.
Cardinal
On the consistory of 28 April 1969, Pope Paul created Archbishop Sales a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church. On 30 April 1969 Cardinal Sales received his red birretta and the title of Cardinal-Priest of S. Gregorio VIISan Gregorio VII
The Church of Saint Gregory VII is a Roman Catholic parish church on the Via del Cottolengo , Rome dedicated to Saint Gregory VII. It was built by Mario Paniconi and Giulio Pediconi from 1960 to 1961, to serve a parish erected by Pope Pius XII in 1952...
.
Cardinal Sales, then Metropolitan Archbishop of Salvador and Primate of Brazil was appointed papal legate to the Brazilian National Eucharistic Congress held in 1970 and in that capacity he presided over the said gathering, that took place in Brasília, the Nation's capital.
On 13 March 1971, Pope Paul VI transferred Sales to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro. Cardinal Sales took posession of his new See on 27 March 1971. In 1972 Sales received the additional responsibility of Ordinary to the Faithful of Oriental Rite in Brazil without their own Ordinary.
As a Cardinal-elector, Sales participated
Cardinal electors in Papal conclaves, August and October 1978
The following were the cardinal electors in the papal conclaves of August and October 1978. Arranged by region , and within each alphabetically .Because there was such a brief period between the two conclaves, the lists of electors...
in the August and October 1978 conclaves.
Sales led the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Saint Sebastian of Rio de Janeiro for thirty years, between 1971 and 2001.
In the Roman Curia, Cardinal Sales was appointed a member of the Council of Cardinals for the Study of the Organizational and Economic Problems of Holy See in 1981.
While serving as Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Cardinal Sales attended the II Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in 1971, the III General Conference of the Latin American Episcopate in 1979, the Extraordinary Consistory (plenary meeting of the College of Cardinals) also in 1979, the V Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, the Extraordinary Consistory of 1982, the VI Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, in 1983, the Extraordinary Consistory of 1985 and the Second Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, also in 1985, the 4th General Conference of the Latin American Episcopate, in 1992.
Chosen by Pope John Paul II, he served as president-delegate of the Special Synod of Bishops for America that was held in 1997.
In addition to his service as papal legate a latere in 1970 and of his legation as president delegate of the Special Assembly for America of the Synod of Bishops in 1997, Cardinal Sales also served as Special Papal Envoy on three occasions: the first was when, in 1991, he presided over the 12th National Eucharistic Congress of Brazil held in the city of Natal; his second appointment as special papal envoy came after his retirement as Archbishop of Rio, when he represented the Pope during the celebrations held in Aparecida marking three events: the centennial of the Coronation of the image of Our Lady Aparecida by mandate of Pope St. Pius X in 1904, the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, and a renewed Papal Coronation of the image of Our Lady Aparecida, performed by Cardinal Sales on behalf of Pope Jonh Paul II; the triple celebration took place on 8 September, 2004. Sales' third mission as special papal envoy was performed when he travelled to Braga, Portugal, and there presided, on 8 December 2004 over celebrations commemorating the centennial of the coronation of the image of Our Lady of Sameiro and the sesquicentennial of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.
As of july 2011, Pope Benedict XVI held three days of prayer and reflection, each on the eve of an ordinary public consistory for the creation of new Cardinals. Although those days of prayer and reflection were not convoked as formal extraordinary consistories, all members of the College of Cardinals (electors and non-electors) were summoned to attend the meetings, together with the prelates that were about to be raised to the cardinalate. Cardinal Sales attended all three of those meetings, on 23 March 2006, 23 November 2007 and 19 November 2010.
Retirement
In accordance with Canon Law, Sales tendered his resignation from the See of Rio de Janeiro when he became 75 years old in 1995, and he reiterated the letter of resignation a few times in the succeeding years, but Pope John Paul II only accepted Sales' resignation on 25 July 2001. Sales had already completed 80 years of age in the previous year, and had thus lost, since 8 November 2000 the right to take part in a Papal Conclave and his membership in the Dicasteries of the Roman Curia. The fact that he was allowed to continue serving as Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro after that milestone was extremely unusual.As is the normal practice, by mandate of the Holy See, Sales, now Archbishop emeritus
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
, continued to govern the See of Rio de Janeiro as Apostolic Administrator
Apostolic Administrator
An apostolic administrator in the Roman Catholic Church is a prelate appointed by the Pope to serve as the ordinary for an apostolic administration...
from the acceptance of his resignation on July 25, 2001 until the installation of his successor on September 22, 2001. Sales's transition to retirement was completed on October 3, 2001 when his resignation to the office of Ordinary to the Faithful of Oriental Rite in Brazil without their own Ordinary was accepted by Pope John Paul II.
At the death of Pope John Paul II, Sales was the second-longest-serving cardinal in the Church and as such, although at 84 unable to vote in the 2005 conclave, he played an important role in the pre-conclave discussions. He presided one of the funeral Masses for John Paul II during the Novemdiales (nine days of mourning for the deceased Pope) as senior Cardinal-Priest present in Rome during the 2005 sede vacante
Sede vacante
Sede vacante is an expression, used in the Canon Law of the Catholic Church, that refers to the vacancy of the episcopal see of a particular church...
. Also in that capacity, Sales was present in the first and third (non-public) parts of the Funeral of Pope John Paul II
Funeral of Pope John Paul II
The funeral of Pope John Paul II was held on 8 April 2005, six days after his death on 2 April. The funeral was followed by the novemdiales devotional in which the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches observe nine days of mourning....
, and was one of those who signed the rogito (the parchment containing biographical data that was placed inside the papal coffin). Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan
Stephen Kim Sou-hwan
Stephen Kim Sou-hwan was a senior Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and the former Archbishop of Seoul, South Korea...
, the then Cardinal Protopriest, was ill and was not present in Rome during the days of the sede vacante. As the next Cardinal in the order of precedence, Cardinal Sales therefore performed the duties of the Protopriest at that time. Cardinal Kim did manage to arrive for the installation of the new Roman Pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI.
Since the death of Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan on February 16, 2009, Sales became both the Cardinal protoprete and also the longest serving living Cardinal of the Catholic Church. On 28 April 2009, Sales completed 40 years as a member of the College of Cardinals.
On 8 November 2010 the Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro held celebrations to commemorate the Cardinal's 90th birthday; by the time of his 90th birthday, Sales was already the last living Cardinal created in the Consistory of 28 April 1969. He is thus the last living person to have been raised to the Cardinalate before the entry into force of the modern form of the Mass promulgated by Pope Paul VI with the Constitution Missale Romanum.
Although retired, Sales still engages in pastoral activities. As of March 2011, Sales still kept the commitment of writing a weekly article on a topic of Faith or morals, that is published in the O Globo newspaper, and as of that time he was still often seen celebrating Mass on Sundays or other holy days in the parish church of Our Lady of Peace in the neighbourhood of Ipanema
Ipanema
For other uses, see Ipanema . For the British rock band, see Ipanema .Ipanema is a neighborhood located in the southern region of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between Leblon and Arpoador...
. That parish church is adjacent to a Church owned office building where Sales maintains an office.
In May 2011 the 90 year old Cardinal stopped publishing his weekly articles in the O Globo newspaper (he had written weekly articles for the newspaper for 40 years, since his installation as Archbishop of Rio in 1971) and, on his recommendation, the current Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Orani João Tempesta
Orani João Tempesta
Orani João Tempesta O. Cist. is the current Metropolitan Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro.He was appointed to that office by Pope Benedict XVI on 27 February 2009, and took possession of the See on 19 April 2009....
, was invited by the owners of the newspaper to continue the religious articles and agreed to assume that task. Cardinal Sales' last article was published on 25 April 2011.
Human rights violations
As Archbishop of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro from 1971, Sales protested the many human rights violations in Brazil during the period of military rule that lasted until 1985. His work supporting those tortured by the regime in this era has been only recently noted by historians of Brazil.Fight against dissent
Following the fall of the military dictatorship and Pope John Paul IIPope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
's reining in of theological dissent, Sales became the Church in Brazil's most prominent voice against what he saw as dissent from Catholic moral teaching in the country. In the 1990s he made many efforts to become a cultural leader in this struggle: going so far as to oppose the traditional Carnival in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
with a "festival of prayer" which he saw as opposing trends towards sexual libertinism in modern Brazil.
External links
- Biography
- http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bdearaujo.html
- Secret Dialogues: Church-State Relations, Torture, and Social Justice in Authoritarian Brazil