Servant of God Léo Tarcísio Gonçalves Pereira, SCJ (

Delfim Moreira Delfim Moreira da Costa Ribeiro (; 7 November 1868 – 1 July 1920) was a Brazilian politician who served as tenth president of Brazil. Biography He was born in Minas Gerais state to a Portuguese father and to a Portuguese Brazilian mother wh ...

, state of

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...

, October 9, 1961 –

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...

, January 4, 2007), better known as Father Léo, was a Brazilian priest of the Congregation of Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ( Dehonian).

Biography

Son of Joaquim Mendes and Maria Nazaré. He joined the

Catholic Charismatic Renewal The Catholic Charismatic Renewal is a movement within the Catholic Church that is part of the wider charismatic movement across historic Christian churches. The Renewal has been described as a "current of grace". It began in 1967 when Cath ...

(CCR) in 1983 and, on October 12, 1995, founded the Bethânia Community, which today has more than thirty members and five houses throughout Brazil, which aim to welcome and offer treatment to drug addicts, alcoholics and HIV carriers, as well as abandoned minors. In 2002 he was given the title of honorific citizen of

Curitiba Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná in Brazil. The city's population was 1,948,626 , making it the eighth most populous city in Brazil and the largest in Brazil's South Region. The Curitiba Metropolitan area ...

, state of Paraná. Father Léo not only was a priest and preacher, but also a singer, composer, presenter and writer. He had a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

mind - a preeminent Catholic voice among

Conservatism in Brazil Conservatism in Brazil designates the movement originated from certain cultural traditions of Brazil, as well as the relationship with Portuguese- Iberian cultural roots and diverse influences. The movement received influences from Roman heritage a ...

- but an informal communication

style Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to: * Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable * Design, the process of creating something * Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...

Cancer

In April 2006, Father Léo began a cancer treatment he had and, even weakened, was present at the event "Hosana Brasil 2006", of the Canção Nova Community, in December, much downplayed by the treatment.

Death

On January 4, 2007, he died at the Hospital das Clínicas in

, victim of a generalized infection as a result of an incurable cancer in the lymphatic system (

lymphoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). In current usage the name usually refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enla ...

Canonization process

He is a Servant of God.

Beatification

In 2020 it was announced that his

beatification Beatification (from Latin ''beatus'', "blessed" and ''facere'', "to make”) is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their nam ...

process started.{{Cite web , date=2020-02-21 , title=Beatificação do Padre Léo fortalece turismo religioso da região , url=https://portal.brusque.sc.gov.br/noticias/beatificacao-do-padre-leo-fortalece-turismo-religioso-da-regiao/ , access-date=2022-06-29 , website=Município de Brusque , language=pt-br

References

21st-century Brazilian Roman Catholic priests 1961 births 2007 deaths Brazilian Servants of God