The Archdiocese of Porto Alegre ( la, Archidioecesis Portalegrensis in Brasilia) is a Latin Rite Metropolitan Archbishopric of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, , ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative_units_of_Brazil#List, fifth-most-populous state and the List of Brazilian st ...

state, southernmost

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. The Archdiocese's mother church and Metropolitan seat of its

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

is the Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady Mother of God in

Porto Alegre Porto Alegre (, , Brazilian ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of 1,488,252 inhabitants (2020) makes it the List of largest cities in Brazil, twelfth most populous city in the country ...

. Archbishop Emeritus Dadeus Grings was succeeded by the current incumbent, Archbishop Jaime Spengler, who was appointed on 18 September 2013 by

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

, and installed on 15 November 2013.

History

* It was erected as the Diocese of São Pedro do Rio Grande by

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

on 7 May 1848, on territory split off from the Diocese of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro. * It was elevated by

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of C ...

on 15 August 1910 to the rank of a Metropolitan archdiocese/ Portalegren(sis) in Brasilia (Latin), having lost territories to establish Diocese of Pelotas, Diocese of Santa Maria and Diocese of Uruguaiana. * Lost territories on 1934.09.08 to establish the Diocese of Caxias and

Territorial Prelature of Vacaria The Roman Catholic Diocese of Vacaria ( la, Dioecesis Vaccariensis) is a diocese located in the city of Vacaria in the Ecclesiastical province of Passo Fundo in Brazil. History * 8 September 1934: Established as Territorial Prelature of Vacaria ...

* 1957.01.18: Gained territory back from above Territorial Prelature of Vacaria * Lost territories repeatedly : on 1959.06.20 to establish Diocese of Santa Cruz do Sul, on 1959.08.15 to above Diocese of Caxias, on 1971.02.01 to above Diocese of Caxias do Sul, on 1980.02.02 to establish the Diocese of Novo Hamburgo, as its suffragan, on 1999.11.10 to establish the Diocese of Osorio, as its suffragan, and on 2008.07.02: to establish the Diocese of Montenegro, as its suffragan * It enjoyed a Papal visit from

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

in July 1980.

Statistics

As per 2014, it pastorally served 2,547,000 Catholics (74.4% of 3,423,000 total) on 13,530 km² in 156 parishes and 739 missions with 359 priests (203 diocesan, 156 religious), 59 deacons, 1,450 lay religious (341 brothers, 1,109 sisters) and 44 seminarians.

Ecclesiastical province

Besides administering his own Archbishopric, the Metropolitan supervises the following

Suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...

Sees : * Roman Catholic Diocese of Caxias do Sul *

Roman Catholic Diocese of Montenegro The Roman Catholic Diocese of Montenegro ( la, Dioecesis Nigromontana) is a suffragan Latin diocese in the Ecclesiastical province of its mother see, the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Porto Alegre (in the state capital) in Rio Grande do Sul state ...

, its daughter *

Roman Catholic Diocese of Novo Hamburgo The Roman Catholic Diocese of Novo Hamburgo ( la, Dioecesis Novohamburgensis) is a diocese located in the city of Novo Hamburgo in the Ecclesiastical province of Porto Alegre in Brazil. History * 2 February 1980: Established as Diocese of Novo H ...

, its daughter * Roman Catholic Diocese of Osório, its daughter

Bishops

Episcopal ordinaries, and current auxiliary bishops

;''Suffragan Bishops of São Pedro do Rio Grande'' * Feliciano Rodrigues de Araujo Prates (1851.05.05 – death 1858.05.27) * Sebastião Dias Laranjeira (1860.09.28 – death 1888.08.13) *

Cláudio Gonçalves Ponce de Leon Claudio is an Italian and Spanish first name. In Portuguese it is accented Cláudio. In Catalan and Occitan it is Claudi, while in Romanian it is Claudiu. Origin and history Claudius was the name of an eminent Roman gens, the most important me ...

, Lazarists (C.M.) (1890.06.26 – 1910.08.15 ''see below''), previously Bishop of

Goiás Goiás () is a Brazilian state located in the Center-West region. Goiás borders the Federal District and the states of (from north clockwise) Tocantins, Bahia, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso. The state capital is Goiânia. ...

(Brazil) (1881.05.13 – 1890.06.26) **

Coadjutor Bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co ...

: João Antônio Pimenta (1906.02.21 – 1911.03.07), Titular Bishop of Pentacomia (1906.02.21 – 1911.03.07); next Bishop of

Montes Claros Montes Claros is a city located in northern Minas Gerais state, in Brazil. The population is 413,487 (2020 est.) in an area of . It was made a seat of a municipality in 1831 and attained city status in 1857. History The region was originally in ...

(Brazil) (1911.03.07 – 1943.07.20) ;''Metropolitan Archbishops of Porto Alegre'' *

, Lazarists (C.M.) (''see above'' 1910.08.15 – retired 1912.01.09), emeritate as Titular Archbishop of

Anazarbus Anazarbus ( grc, Ἀναζαρβός, medieval Ain Zarba; modern Anavarza; ar, عَيْنُ زَرْبَة) was an ancient Cilician city. Under the late Roman Empire, it was the capital of Cilicia Secunda. Roman emperor Justinian I rebuilt ...

(1912.01.09 – death 1924.05.26) * João (Batista) Becker (1912.01.09 – 1946.12.30), previously Bishop of Santa Catarina (Brazil) (1908.05.03 – 1912.08.01) *

Alfredo Scherer Alfredo Vicente Scherer (5 February 1903–9 March 1996) was a German-Brazilian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Porto Alegre, Brazil from 1946 to 1996, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1969. Biography ...

(1946.12.30 – 1981.08.29), Cardinal in 1969; previously Titular Bishop of Hemeria (1946.06.13 – 1946.12.30) as Auxiliary Bishop of Porto Alegre (1946.06.13 – 1946.12.30) * João Colling (1981.08.29 – retired 1991.07.17), died 1992; previously Titular Bishop of Corone (1949.12.12 – 1951.03.23) as Auxiliary Bishop of Santa Maria (Brazil) (1949.12.12 – 1951.03.23), Bishop of

Passo Fundo Passo Fundo is a municipality in the north of the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. It is named after its river. It's the twelfth largest city in the state with an estimated population of 204,722 inhabitants living in a total municipa ...

(Brazil) (1951.03.23 – 1981.08.29) * Altamiro Rossato,

Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer The Redemptorists officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer ( la, links=no, Congregatio Sanctissimi Redemptoris), abbreviated CSsR,is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brother ...

(Redemptorists, C.Ss.R.) (1991.07.17 – retired 2001.02.07)); died 13 May 2014; previously Bishop of Marabá (Brazil) (1985.12.08 – 1989.03.15),

Coadjutor Archbishop The term coadjutor (or coadiutor, literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coadj ...

of Porto Alegre (1989.03.15 – succession 1991.07.17) *

Dadeus Grings Dadeus Grings (born 7 September 1936) is a Roman Catholic bishop who is the current ordinary of the archdiocese of Porto Alegre. He also serves as the chancellor of the Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul. Grings was ordained a priest on 23 ...

(2001.02.07 – retired 2013.09.18); previously Bishop of

São João da Boa Vista São João da Boa Vista (; "Saint John of the Good View" in English) is a municipality in the state of São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Brazil. The population in 2020 was 91,771 and the area is . The elevation is . The foundation history The city ...

(Brazil) (1991.01.23 – 2000.04.12), Coadjutor Archbishop of Porto Alegre (2000.04.12 – succession 2001.02.07) *

Jaime Spengler Jaime is a common Spanish and Portuguese male given name for Jacob (name), James (name), Jamie, or Jacques. In Occitania Jacobus became ''Jacome'' and later ''Jacme''. In east Spain, ''Jacme'' became ''Jaime'', in Aragon it became ''Chaime'', and i ...

(18 September 2013– ...), previously Titular Bishop of Patara (2010.11.10 – 2013.09.18) as Auxiliary Bishop of Porto Alegre (2010.11.10 – 2013.09.18) ** Auxiliary Bishop (2015.01.07 – ...) Leomar Antônio Brustolin, Titular Bishop of

Tigava :''See Leistarcha scitissimella for the moth species also known as Tigava scitissimella'' Tigava was an ancient Roman-Berber town and bishopric in Roman Africa, which remains a Latin Catholic titular see. It corresponds with the modern locality of ...

** Auxiliary Bishop (2015.12.30 – ...) Aparecido Donizete de Souza, Titular Bishop of Macriana minor ** Auxiliary Bishop (2016.01.27 – ...) Adilson Pedro Busin, C.S., Titular Bishop of

Guardialfiera Guardialfiera is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Campobasso in the Italian region Molise, located about northeast of Campobasso. It sits on a hilltop overlooking Lake Guardialfiera, which was created as a result of the damming of ...

** Auxiliary Bishop (2019.04.10 - ...) Darley José Kummer, Titular Bishop of

Elvas Elvas () is a Portuguese municipality, former episcopal city and frontier fortress of easternmost central Portugal, located in the district of Portalegre in Alentejo. It is situated about east of Lisbon, and about west of the Spanish fortress ...

Coadjutor bishops

* João Antônio Pimenta (1906-1911), did not succeed to see; appointed Bishop of Montes Claros * Altamiro Rossato, C.SS.R. (1991-2001) *

(2000-2001)

Previous auxiliary episcopate, in reverse chronological order

:BIOS TO ELABORATE & WORK IN ** Auxiliary Bishop:

Agenor Girardi Agenor Girardi, Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, M.S.C. (2 February 1952 – 8 February 2018) was a Roman Catholic bishop. Girardi was ordained to the priesthood in 1982 in the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. He served as auxiliary bishop ...

, M.S.C. (2010.12.22 – 2015.05.06), appointed Bishop of União da Vitória, Parana ** Auxiliary Bishop: Remídio José Bohn (2006.01.18 – 2011.12.28), appointed Bishop of Cachoeira do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul ** Auxiliary Bishop::

, O.F.M. (2010.11.10 - 2018.09.18), appointed Archbishop here ** Auxiliary Bishop:

Alessandro Carmelo Ruffinoni Alessandro Carmelo Ruffinoni is the retired bishop of Caxias do Sul and a Scalabrinian priest. Biography Born in Piazza Brembana in 1943, fourth of five children, he completed his studies between Rezzato and Cermenate. He entered the Scal ...

, C.S. (2006.01.18 – 2010.06.16), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul ** Auxiliary Bishop: Jacinto Inácio Flach (2003.11.12 – 2009.09.16), appointed Bishop of Criciúma, Santa Catarina ** Auxiliary Bishop: Eduardo Benes de Sales Rodrigues (1998.03.11 – 2001.01.10), appointed Bishop of Lorena, Sao Paulo; future Archbishop ** Auxiliary Bishop: José Clemente Weber (1994.03.23 – 2004.06.15), appointed Bishop of Santo Ângelo, Rio Grande do Sul ** Auxiliary Bishop: Osvino José Both (1990.06.26 – 1995.11.22), appointed Bishop of Novo Hamburgo, Rio Grande do Sul; future Archbishop ** Auxiliary Bishop: Thadeu Gomes Canellas (1983.11.19 – 1999.11.10), appointed Bishop of Osório, Rio Grande do Sul ** Auxiliary Bishop: José Mário Stroeher (1983.03.25 – 1986.08.08), appointed Bishop of Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul ** Auxiliary Bishop: Urbano José Allgayer (1974.02.05 – 1982.02.04), appointed Bishop of Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul ** Auxiliary Bishop: Antônio do Carmo Cheuiche, O.C.D. (1971.05.05 – 2001.06.27) ** Auxiliary Bishop: José Ivo Lorscheiter (1965.11.12 – 1974.02.05), appointed Bishop of Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul ** Auxiliary Bishop: Edmundo Luís Kunz (1955.08.01 – 1988.09.12) ** Auxiliary Bishop: Alfredo Vicente Scherer (1946.06.13 - 1946.12.30), appointed Archbishop here

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

* Luiz Felipe de Nadal, appointed Bishop of Uruguaiana, Rio Grande do Sul in 1955 *

Zeno Hastenteufel Zeno ( grc, Ζήνων) may refer to: People * Zeno (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Philosophers * Zeno of Elea (), philosopher, follower of Parmenides, known for his paradoxes * Zeno of Citium (333 – 264 BC), ...

, appointed Bishop of Frederico Westphalen, Rio Grande do Sul in 2001 *

Jacinto Bergmann The Archdiocese of Pelotas ( la, Archidioecesis Pelotensis) is a Roman Catholic archdiocese located in the city of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul. Before being elevated to an archdiocese in its own right on April 13, 2011, it was part of the eccles ...

, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul in 2002 *

Liro Vendelino Meurer Liro may refer to: * Liro, Benin *A village on the Vanuatuan island of Paama The Liro is the name of two streams in the Italian region of Lombardy. *The Liro (Como) of the Province of Como, which runs through the Valle San Iorio and enters Lake Co ...

, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Passo Fundo in 2009 *

Rodolfo Luís Weber Rodolfo is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Rodolfo (footballer, born 1992), Brazilian footballer Rodolfo José da Silva Bardella *Rodolfo Albano III, Filipino politician * Rodolfo Vera Quizon Sr. (1928-2012), Filipino actor ...

, appointed Prelate of Cristalândia in 2009 * Silvio Guterres Dutra, appointed Bishop of Vacaria, Rio Grande do Sul in 2018

References

Sources and external links

GCatholic.org, with Google map & - satellite photo - data for all sections
* * {{authority control Porto Alegre Religious organizations established in 1848 1848 establishments in Brazil Archdiocese of Porto Alegre Porto Alegre, Archiodese Porto Alegre, Archiodese