Damião António Franklin (August 6, 1950 – April 28, 2014) was an

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...

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 ...

. He was the fifth Archbishop of Luanda.

Biography

Damião Franklin was born in Cabinda,

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

, and

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

to the priesthood in June 1978. On May 29, 1992, he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of

Luanda Luanda () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city in Angola. It is Angola's primary port, and its major Angola#Economy, industrial, Angola#Culture, cultural and Angola#Demographics, urban centre. Located on Angola's northern Atl ...

and

Titular 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 Catholic, Eastern Orthodox ...

of ''

Falerone Falerone is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Fermo, in the Italian region of the Marche, southeast of Urbisaglia. History Almost nothing is known of the ancient town (called ''Falerio'') except from inscriptions. From the remains of its bui ...

''. He received his

episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

on the following July 12 from Alexandre Cardinal do Nascimento, with Archbishop Eduardo Muaca and

Félix del Blanco Prieto Félix del Blanco Prieto (15 June 1937 – 10 April 2021) was a Spanish prelate of the Catholic Church who spent his career in the diplomatic service of the Holy See, including stints heading the missions in countries such as Angola and Malta amo ...

serving as co-consecrators. Franklin was later named Archbishop of Luanda on January 23, 2001. He also serves as

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

of the

Episcopal Conference An episcopal conference, sometimes called a conference of bishops, is an official assembly of the bishops of the Catholic Church in a given territory. Episcopal conferences have long existed as informal entities. The first assembly of bishops to ...

of Angola-

São Tomé São Tomé is the capital and largest city of the Central African island country of São Tomé and Príncipe. Its name is Portuguese for " Saint Thomas". Founded in the 15th century, it is one of Africa's oldest colonial cities. History Álvar ...

. He has lamented the corruption in his country, saying, "Much of Angola's wealth goes on weapons. Some goes on extravagance like this new presidential palace which is hardly ever used. Huge sums simply vanish, into private hands." In parallel, he was the

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of the

Catholic University of Angola The Catholic University of Angola (''Universidade Católica de Angola'', UCAN) is a Catholic institution in Angola's capital of Luanda. On 7 August 1992, the government of Angola allowed the Angolan Catholic Church to establish its own university. ...

. Before the 2008 legislative election, the first election in

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

since the 1992 election that sparked the second phase of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, the Archbishop stated, "The best way to avoid war is to do the elections in an unquestionably free, just and transparent manner. It is important for political parties to continue collaborating with churches with the view to sensitize the society for a greater turnout in the electoral process." He served as a secretary to Peter Cardinal Turkson at the special Synod of Bishops for

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

in October 2009. Franklin died on April 28, 2014.

References

1950 births 2014 deaths 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Angola 21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Angola People from Luanda People from Cabinda Province Roman Catholic archbishops of Luanda {{Angola-bio-stub