Joaquim Arcoverde de Albuquerque Cavalcanti (January 17, 1850 – April 18, 1930) was a Brazilian prelate of the

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 ...

, who served as Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro from 1897 to 1930. He was made a cardinal in 1905, the first cardinal born in Latin America.

Biography

Early life and ministry

Arcoverde was born into a prominent family in

Cimbres Pesqueira (formerly known as Cimbres) is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Pernambuco. It had an estimated population in 2020 according to the IBGE, of 67,735. Its area is 980.876 km². History The municipality was created in 1762 u ...

, province of

Pernambuco Pernambuco () is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.6 million people as of 2020, making it List of Brazilian states by population, sev ...

, in the

Northeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

of Brazil. He showed an early vocation for the priesthood but the absence of local seminaries meant that he did all his studies prior to becoming a priest in Rome. However, after being ordained in 1874, Arcoverde returned to Olinda to become rector of the new seminary there. He was nominated a bishop by

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...

in 1888 but refused; however, when Pope Leo, obviously believing very firmly in his ability, nominated him again three years later to the diocese 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 Goi ...

he accepted his nomination very willingly.

Archbishop

In 1897 Arcoverde was promoted to the archiepiscopal see of

São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

, then clearly the highest position on the Latin American Church. Pope Pius X made him a cardinal in his second

consistory Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church * Consistor ...

on December 11, 1905. He was the first cardinal born in Latin America. He was only the second cardinal to serve as ordinary of a diocese located in the Southern Hemisphere behind

Francis Patrick Moran Patrick Francis Cardinal Moran (16 September 183016 August 1911) was the third Roman Catholic Archbishop of Sydney and the first cardinal appointed from Australia. Early life Moran was born at Leighlinbridge, County Carlow, Ireland, on 16 Se ...

, the Irish-born Archbishop of Sydney who had been elevated in 1885. Arcoverde was the first cardinal to be born in the Southern Hemisphere. He participated in the

conclave A papal conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a bishop of Rome, also known as the pope. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church. Co ...

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...

but did not attempt to reach Rome in time for the 1922 conclave, due to ill health.Catholic Hierarchy
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Death

Arcoverde led the See of Rio de Janeiro for more than 30 years, until his death in 1930, although in his later years (from 1921 onwards), due to failing health, he was aided by a coadjutor archbishop. He died in Rio de Janeiro, then the Brazilian capital.

References

External links

Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arcoverde de Albuquerque Cavalcanti, Joaquim Brazilian cardinals 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Brazil 19th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Brazil 1850 births 1930 deaths People from Pernambuco Cavalcanti family Cardinals created by Pope Pius X Roman Catholic bishops of São Paulo Roman Catholic archbishops of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro Roman Catholic bishops of Goiás