Academic career
Nuno Brás da Silva Martins graduated in Theology from the Faculty of Theology of the Portuguese Catholic University in 1985. Five years later he earned his master's degree in Systematic Theology under the guidance of José IV, GCC and with the thesis ''The Christian life as an extension of the incarnation. Theology of Christian existence in the pastoral works of Cardinal Cerejeira''''.'' He later received his doctorate in Fundamental Theology in 1999, by the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, with the thesis: ''Christ perfect communicator. Theological reading for an interdisciplinary investigation on the communicative phenomenon'', guided by Archbishop Rino Fisichella. Apart from this Portuguese teaching positions, Bishop Martins has also taught at the Pontifical University of Salamanca, in 1996, and at the Pontifical Gregorian University, between 1999 and 2005. Since 2009 he became member of the Scientific Society of the Portuguese Catholic University.Ecclesiastic career
Martins, first big role within the Catholic Church start in 1993 when he was appointed member of the educational team of the Olivais Major Seminary of Christ the King. Between 2005 and 2011 he would becomeBishop of Funchal
On January 12, 2019, Bishop Martins is elected by Pope Francis as Bishop of Funchal, succeeding António III. Upon knowing of his appointment Bishop Martins told the press that he felt "a mixture of fear and confidence. Fear because I am aware of my limitations; confidence because I know that Jesus will always be with me and not abandon me." A feeling he would later reiterate his mixed feeling in an interview given to RTP Madeira on February 14. Two days after his appointment was made public by the Holy See, the President of the Republic congratulated Bishop Martins. In his official statement the Portuguese president said that the appointment "fills all Portuguese, believers and non-believers with joy". He arrived at Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport on February 15, 2019, where he was greeted by his predecessor before kissing the ground following the custom set by Pope John Paul II. Shortly after his arrival, Bishop Martins gave an interview to the Madeiran media surrounded by António III and Teodoro I. On this interview Bishop Martins highlighted that his mission, as Bishop of Funchal, given by Pope Francis was " to build a Christian community and evangelize". When asked about Madeira's economy and how the Diocese could help, he highlighted the cultural contribution of the Catholic Church to the Autonomous Region and how the religious cultural patrimony could be used in the region's favour to promote Christian religious tourism. As for the sex abuse scandal surrounding Father Anastácio Alves, Bishop Martins told the press, on his arrival to the island, that he will adopt the own way oTaking Office
On Sunday, February 17, Bishop Martins officially took office as Bishop of Funchal in a ceremony held in the Cathedral of Funchal. In his first= Meetings with Regional and Local authorities
= * Official meeting with the Representative of the Republic, Irineu Barreto; *Official meeting with the President of the Legislative Assembly of Madeira, Tranquada Gomes; *Official meeting with the President of the Regional Government, Miguel Albuquerque; * Official meeting with the Mayor of Funchal, Paulo Cafôfo;= "Reconnaissance" visits
= On the first months, shortly after taking office, Bishop Nuno, started a series of semi-formal visits around the Autonomous Regions of Madeira to better know the pastoral needs of the diocese. Such visits included: *4-day Pastoral Visit to the parishes of Porto Santo Island; * Visit to the Sacred Art Museum of Funchal; * Meeting with priests responsible for the parishes located in the northern municipalities of Madeira Island; * Meeting with priests responsible for the parishes located in the Machico and Santa Cruz municipalities; * Meetings with Catholic schools and institutions around Madeira Island;= Priest Giselo Andrade Case
= Following the Priest Giselo Andrade's case and his assignment to the Communications and Media Office of the diocese by his predecessor Bishop Carrilho, Bishop Martins opted to remove Father Giselo from the Permanent Secretariat of the Diocese following his cabinet reshuffle.Diocese's coat of arms
On March 23, 2019, the Bishop Nuno announced through the diocese's Facebook page and on a historical note on the diocese's website the adoption of the diocese's coat of arms. The coat of arms was designed by Miguel Pinto-Correia following the economist's open letter to the bishop, published in the regional newspaper, suggesting that the Diocese should adopt a coat of arms on 600th anniversary of the discovery of600th Anniversary of the Discovery of Madeira
OnEpiscopal Conference of Portugal
As a diocesan member of the Episcopal Conference of Portugal, Bishop Martins participates in the following bodies within the Conference: * Member of Commission for Christian Education and Doctrine of Faith (2017-2020); * Member of Commission for Culture, Cultural Assets and Media (2017-2020);Healthcare
As Bishop of Funchal, Nuno Brás is engaged in several public healthcare programs of which the Diocese heads in partnership with the Regional Government of Madeira.Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God
Together with the Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God, the diocese is responsible for providing pastoral care for the patients of the Institute of the Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God located in Funchal, since 1924 and inaugurated by the''Dragoeiro'' Alzheimer Unit
In September 2021, the diocese, together with the parish of São Bento ( Ribeira Brava) and in partnership with the Regional Government, inaugurated the ''Dragoeiro'' Alzheimer Unit. The projected head by Fr. Bernardino Trindade, took seven years to be built, and cost a million euros, of which 800 thousand were financed by European funds. The unit has the capacity to receive 63 patients (18 inpatients and 45 in the day centre) from all over Madeira. The Regional Government aims for the unit is to become a national reference in the Alzheimer's patients continuous care.Teaching
Shortly after taking up office as Bishop of Funchal, Nuno Brás decided that, in partnership with the Theological School of Funchal, he would teach "Introduction to Christianity" and "Revelation, Faith's Foundation" as after-work courses open to anyone interested.Vocations crisis
Madeira, as the rest of Portugal, has faced a huge decrease of clergyman, between 2009 and 2014, the country has lost more than 600 priests. Nuno I inherited from this predecessors a vocations crisis. The Diocese of Madeira faces a shortage of those wishing to consecrate their lives as clergy to the Catholic Church. Nuno I has stated that “in the 90s we were a flourishing island in quantity and quality of vocations, but suddenly, in the space of 20 years, vocations ceased to exist”. In the bishop's opinion vocations thrive in living Christian communities, in communities which have groups of young people who are enthusiastic about the Christian life, where good catechists are present, where there's a strong parish community and priests who lead their parishes and lives by example.COVID-19
Caritas Emergency Fund
During the early months of the COVID-19 in Madeira Nuno I rapidly activated the Social Emergency Fund run by the local branch of Caritas with the aim of helping those who have "proven to have been affected, in social and economic terms” the pandemic. The fund of five hundred thousand Euros resulted from a cooperation agreement with the Regional Secretariat for Social Inclusion and Citizenship and aimed to financially support families' “food and fixed costs, medication and consultations, housing and rent and schooling”.Religious Services
The Regional Government of Madeira enacted, through= Childbirth Masses
= The traditional Childbirth Masses were also subject to strict sanitary regulations by the Diocese under Nuno I rule. Having in mind the subsequent deaths related with COVID-19, after Summer, the bishop coordinated the Diocese's regulations with those of the Regional Government of Madeira and forbade the traditional after mass gatherings, meals and celebrations that occur after the religious services.Centenary of Charles of Austria
During his tenure as Bishop of Funchal, Nuno Brás was responsible for the catholic celebration of centenary of the death of the Emperor-King Charles I of Austria, who died in Madeira. Brás considered the late Emperor as an "example and intercessor", highlighting his efforts for peace, "at a time when war is invading Europe". The celebrations involved not only the Diocese, but also the Regional Government of Madeira and the Hungarian Embassy in Lisbon, the latter being a patron of a musical concert led by the Madeira Classical Orchestra. These celebrations were attended by Archdukes Karl von Habsburg and Ferdinand von Habsburg and extended imperial family.Views
Education
In one of his masses as Auxiliary Bishop of Lisbon, Bishop Martins, invited catholic religious teachers to be "pilgrims of God". According to hisChurch child abuse scandal
As Auxiliary Bishop of the Patriarchate of Lisbon and following the McCarrick case andVirgin Mary
On the diocese's online newspaper Bishop Martins wrote that the Virgin Mary was the woman in the likeness of Christ. In his theological article he stated that the Virgin Mary was physically and spiritually similar to Christ:"That, physically, she was similar to her Son, it is not surprising. And no, I am not mistaken: even physically, it is the Virgin who is similar to her Son, because it was in his image that everything was created! But it is much more than that: everything about the Virgin Mary is like Jesus. Because she is his perfect, finished disciple: the disciple who follows the Lord through the dusty paths of Galilee and Judea; the disciple standing at the cross; the disciple who was given the mission to care for other disciples forever, throughout history. The Virgin Mary (of course she is a Virgin, even physically, because that is the sign that the One who was born of her is truly God, and she is all of God and for God!) has the form of Jesus Christ."
Venezuela crisis
Bishop Martins set as one of his main priorities upon taking office the care and looking after of those Madeirans and second-generation Madeirans that are fleeing from Venezuela as consequence of Maduro's regime. On this issue he has stated that "it is necessary to welcome those who need help. Then it will also be important to develop cooperation with the Caritas of Venezuela, as an institution that is necessarily credible to support the people of Madeira and beyond, who are experiencing very difficult times."Homosexuality
When interviewed on March 2, 2019, Bishop Martins admitted that homosexuals can be "good Christians". Further to this he stated that "God loves you in this situation of yours. And because he loves you, he invites you to convert. He invites you to change". He clarified that he views homosexuality as a condition and as such Jesus Christ invites all Christians to internally convert. The bishop's views were heavily criticized by Madeira Pride, the region'sAbortion
Bishop Martins is a critic of the abortion laws in Portugal and the possibility of the legalization ofEuthanasia
In February 2020, following the debate in the Assembly of the Republic to approve the euthanasia in Portugal, Bishop Nuno Brás ordered all priest to give sermons against euthanasia and all parishes to distribute leaflets explaining the concepts of assisted death and of the“Whether it is a passing disease, a chronic illness, or a very serious illness, in which it seems that the whole world is fleeing from us, we Christians want to become aware, we want to say that we are not alone, we want to realize that God is with us, that He never leaves us ”
Political views
Demographics
In 2019, Bishop Martins expressed his concern for the lack of a young population in the Autonomous Region of Madeira and a "frightening" low number of births. He also pointed out that young people who exist at any given moment, go to the mainland to attend university and lose their roots acquired in Madeira, implying lack of economic opportunities.Regionalisation
Bishop Martins was against the“I was decidedly opposed to regionalization, when it was the referendum. At this moment, I am wondering if regionalization is not the opportunity that regions in the interior of the continent could seize for development and for the resolution of problems that they objectively have... egionalizationwas the way that the Madeirans found to claim before the national government an increase in their standard of living, a set of improvements that would otherwise always be difficult... Regionalization, in the specific case of Madeira, meant that there was development, improvement of living standards, with the Madeirans becoming aware of their own identity - with some pride, I must say - of their specificity and of what they can give to the whole of Portugal."
2019 Regional Elections
During theCoat of Arms
Bibliography
Throughout his career Bishop Martins has edited several book and contributed to scientific publications on theology.Published Books
* ''A vida cristã como extensão da encarnação. Teologia da existência cristã nas Obras Pastorais do Cardeal Cerejeira'', Lisboa, Rei dos Livros - UCP, 1992. * ''Cristo o comunicador perfeito. Delineamento de uma teologia da comunicação à luz da Instrução Pastoral'' Communio et progressio, Lisboa, Didaskalia, 2000. * ''Introdução à Teologia'', Lisboa, UCP, 2003.Articles in Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
* «Revelação (Teol.)», in ''Verbo. Enciclopédia Luso-brasileira de cultura: edição séc. XXI'', vol. 25, Lisboa-S. Paulo, Verbo, 1998–2003, 385–390. * «Teologia fundamental», in ''Verbo. Enciclopédia Luso-brasileira de cultura: edição séc. XXI'', vol. 27, Lisboa-S. Paulo, Verbo, 1998–2003, 1329–1330. * «Tradição (Teol.)», in ''Verbo. Enciclopédia Luso-brasileira de cultura: edição séc. XXI'', vol. 28, Lisboa-S. Paulo, Verbo, 1998–2003, 531–534. * «Teología. II. Método Teológico», in C. IZQUIERDO (ed.), ''Diccionario de Teología'', Pamplona, EUNSA, 2006, 941–946.Other Published Works
* «Podemos acreditar em quem tem fé?», ''Novellae Olivarum'' 21 (1997) 33–38. * «''In honorem''. O Professor João António de Sousa», ''Didaskalia'' XXVIII (1998) 211–214. * «Mil anos de teologia: ao ritmo da Igreja e do mundo», ''Lumen Veritatis'' 6 (1999) 2.5. * «ICNE: Um dom do Espírito Santo», ''Novellae Olivarum'' 32 (2006) 49–56. * «Um ano centrado na Palavra de Deus», ''Novellae Olivarum'' 35 (2007) 7-22. * «A atenção aos tempos novos na vida do evangelizador», ''Novellae Olivarum'' 35 (2007) 79–93. * «Desafios da cultura contemporânea ao sacerdote e à Igreja. Intervenção III», in V SIMPÓSIO DO CLERO DE PORTUGAL, ''Presbitério em comunhão. Ao serviço da comunhão eclesial'', Lisboa, Paulinas, 2007, 126–130. * «Introdução», in D. ANTÓNIO RIBEIRO, ''Imagens vivas de Cristo Pastor. O ministério ordenado na Igreja'', Lisboa, UCP, 2008, 5–13. * «A Palavra de Deus na formação sacerdotal», ''Novellae Olivarum'' 36 (2008) 10–22. * «Deitar-vos-ão no regaço uma boa medida, calcada, sacudida, transbordante (Lc 6,38)», ''Novellae Olivarum'' 37 (2008) 11–28. * «Presenças sacramentais de Cristo», ''Novellae Olivarum'', 39 (2009) 17–35. * «Formar Padres sábios e santos», ''Novellae Olivarum,'' 41 (2010) 19–34. * «O celibato sacerdotal: que razões?», ''Novellae Olivarum'', 41 (2010) 35–64. * «D. José Policarpo e a formação sacerdotal», ''Novellae Olivarum'', 42 (2011) 17–29. * «Prefácio», in D. ANTÓNIO RIBEIRO, ''Vida religiosa: a radicalidade do amor por Jesus'', Lisboa, UCP, 2011, 5–7.References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bras, Nuno 1963 births Living people People from Lisbon District Catholic University of Portugal alumni Academic staff of the Pontifical University of Salamanca 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Portugal