The Ordinariate of Brazil for the faithful of the Eastern rite or Brazil of the Eastern Rite (

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

: Ordinariato para os Fiéis de Ritos Orientais no Brasil) is an ordinariate (

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

-like structure 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 ...

) for the

Eastern Catholics The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also called the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous ('' sui iuris'') particular churches of ...

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 ...

without proper jurisdiction of their own

particular church In metaphysics, particulars or individuals are usually contrasted with universals. Universals concern features that can be exemplified by various different particulars. Particulars are often seen as concrete, spatiotemporal entities as opposed to a ...

es ''

sui iuris ''Sui iuris'' ( or ) also spelled ''sui juris'', is a Latin phrase that literally means "of one's own right". It is used in both secular law and the Catholic Church's canon law. The term church ''sui iuris'' is used in the Catholic ''Code of Can ...

''. It is immediately exempt to the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

and its

Roman Congregation for the Oriental Churches The Dicastery for the Eastern Churches (also called Dicastery for the Oriental Churches), previously named Congregation for the Oriental Churches or Congregation for the Eastern Churches ( la, Congregatio pro Ecclesiis Orientalibus), is a dicaste ...

, not part of any

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United State ...

. The ordinariate is headquartered Rua Cosme Velho 470, 20241-090

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 ...

, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil and currently governed by Walmor Oliveira de Azevedo, (Latin) Metropolitan Archbishop of Belo Horizonte, but not vested in a particular see.

History

The Ordinariate was erected on 14 November 1951 with the papal decree ''Cum fidelium'' of the

Congregation for the Oriental Churches The Dicastery for the Eastern Churches (also called Dicastery for the Oriental Churches), previously named Congregation for the Oriental Churches or Congregation for the Eastern Churches ( la, Congregatio pro Ecclesiis Orientalibus), is a dicaste ...

, which gave effect to a decision ex audientia of

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...

took on 26 October 1950, as Ordinariato para os Fiéis de Ritos Orientais no Brasil. The same decree appointed the archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Jaime de Barros Câmara, as its first ordinary. On April 13, 1952 Barros Câmara inaugurated the ordinariate, appointed Francisco Nogueira Bessa as General Secretary of the same and created a system of general vicariates for the 3 major communities, each with its general guard: Elias Gorayeb for the Maronites, Archimandrite

Elias Coueter Elias Coueter (born 15 August 1896 in Damascus, Syria, - died on 16 June 1985) was bishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church and first eparch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Nossa Senhora do Paraíso em São Paulo for all Melkites in Br ...

for the Greek Melkites and Clemente Preima for the Ukrainians. Since the establishment of the ordinariate, several Eastern Catholic churches have erected proper ecclesiastical jurisdictions within Brazil, with members now falling under these new jurisdictions: * On 30 May 1962 for the faithful of the

Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church , native_name_lang = uk , caption_background = , image = StGeorgeCathedral Lviv.JPG , imagewidth = , type = Particular church (sui iuris) , alt = , caption = St. George's C ...

was erected an

Apostolic Exarchate An exarch (; from Ancient Greek ἔξαρχος ''exarchos'', meaning “leader”) was the holder of any of various historical offices, some of them being political or military and others being ecclesiastical. In the late Roman Empire and e ...

(today Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of São João Batista em Curitiba), ** which also got a suffragan, the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Imaculada Conceição in Prudentópolis * On 29 November 1971 were erected ** the

Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of São Paulo The Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of São Paulo ( pt, Eparquia Nossa Senhora do Líbano em São Paulo; la, Eparchia Dominae Nostrae Libanensis Sancti Pauli Maronitarum) is a Maronite Church ecclesiastical territory or eparchy of the Catholic Chu ...

for the faithful of the

Maronite Church The Maronite Church is an Eastern Catholic ''sui iuris'' particular church in full communion with the pope and the worldwide Catholic Church, with self-governance under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. The current head of the Maro ...

(

Antiochene Rite Antiochene Rite or Antiochian Rite refers to the family of liturgies originally used by the Patriarchate of Antioch. Liturgies in the Antiochene Rite The Antiochian Rite, or the Antiochian Rite family, consists of Apostolic Liturgies includin ...

) ** the

Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Nossa Senhora do Paraíso em São Paulo Eparchy of Nossa Senhora do Paraíso em São Paulo ( la, Eparchia Dominae Nostrae Paradisi Sancti Pauli Graecorum Melkitarum) is an eparchy located in the city of São Paulo in the Ecclesiastical province of São Paulo in Brazil. Territory and ...

for the

Melkite Greek Catholic Church el, Μελχιτική Ελληνική Καθολική Εκκλησία , image = Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Damascus, Syria.jpg , imagewidth = 200px , alt = , caption = , abbreviatio ...

Byzantine Rite The Byzantine Rite, also known as the Greek Rite or the Rite of Constantinople, identifies the wide range of cultural, liturgical, and canonical practices that developed in the Eastern Christianity, Eastern Christian Church of Constantinople. Th ...

). * On 3 July 1981 was erected ** the Armenian Catholic Apostolic Exarchate of Latin America and Mexico, with cathedral see in São Paulo; also covering Mexico and Uruguay (with co-cathedral in Montevideo).

Territory and statistics

The ordinariate includes all the faithful of the eastern rite of Brazil without their own jurisdiction. Its seat was the city of Rio de Janeiro, but its current headquarters is the city of Belo Horizonte, because since 2010 its ordinary is the metropolitan archbishop of Belo Horizonte Walmor Oliveira de Azevedo. Previously, the previous 3 ordinary were archbishops of Rio de Janeiro and the headquarters was in this city. As per 1998 it pastorally served 10,000 baptized Eastern Catholic Brazilians in 4 parishes with 5 priests (2 diocesan, 3 religious) and 3 lay religious brothers.

Parishes

At present it only attends Syriac Catholic faithful, who have a parish, but the small communities of Italian-Albanian and Russian faithful dispersed and the faithful of other rites are insignificant in number and dispersed. Although the 2016 Pontifical Yearbook mentions the existence of 4 parishes in the Ordinariate, but there is only one Eastern Catholic parish in Belo Horizonte, known as Igreja do Sagrado Coração de Jesus dos Siríacos Católicos, whose parish priest, George Rateb Massis, is the Syriac Catholic vicar of the ordinariate. The Capela Nossa Senhora da Anunciação of Ipiranga in

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 GaWC a ...

belonged since 1954 to the Ordinariate as a Russian Catholic mission, but after the death in 2005 of its parish priest, João Stoisser, its few remnant faithful passed in 2013 to be part of the Moscow Patriarchate of the

Russian Orthodox Church , native_name_lang = ru , image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg , imagewidth = , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia , abbreviation = ROC , type ...

together with the chapel. A small community of Italo-Albanian Byzantine rite used the Igreja de Nossa Senhora Aparecidahorariodemissa.com.br
/ref> in Riachuelo in Rio de Janeiro until the death in 2002 of the parish priest Atanasio Accursi. Since then the mission has dispersed.

Ordinaries

(all

Roman Rite The Roman Rite ( la, Ritus Romanus) is the primary liturgical rite of the Latin Church, the largest of the ''sui iuris'' particular churches that comprise the Catholic Church. It developed in the Latin language in the city of Rome and, while dist ...

) ;''Ordinaries of Brazil of the Eastern Rite'' *

Jaime de Barros Câmara Jaime de Barros Câmara (July 3, 1894–February 18, 1971) was a Brazilian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro from 1943 to 1971, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1946 ...

(November 14, 1951 – February 18, 1971 deceased), while Metropolitan Archbishop 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 ...

(Brazil) (1943.07.03 – 1971.02.18), created

Cardinal-Priest A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

Ss. Bonifacio ed Alessio The Basilica dei Santi Bonifacio e(d) Alessio is a basilica, rectory church served by the Somaschans, and titular church for a cardinal-priest on the Aventine Hill in the third prefecture of central Rome, Italy. It is dedicated to Saint Bonifac ...

(1946.02.22 – 1971.02.18), Military Vicar of

(1950.11.06 – 1963.11.09), President of National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (1958–1964) ** Auxiliary Bishop

(1960.11.25 – 1971.11.29) ** Auxiliary Bishop

José Romão Martenetz José Romão Martenetz (born ''Roman Martynets''; uk, Йосиф (Роман) Мартинець) (7 February 1903, Lviv, present Ukraine – 23 February 1989, Curitiba, Brazil) was a bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of São João Batista ...

O.S.B.M. The Order of Saint Basil the Great ( uk, Чин Святого Василія Великого, translit=Chyn Sviatoho Vasyliia Velykoho; la, Ordo Sancti Basilii Magni, abbreviated OSBM), also known as the Basilian Order of Saint Josaphat, is ...

(1958.05.10 – 1962.05.30) ** Auxiliary Bishop João Chedid, O.M.M. (1956.05.04 – 1971.11.29) (later Archbishop) *

Eugênio Sales Eugênio de Araújo Sales (8 November 1920 – 9 July 2012) was a cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church, having been elevated by Pope Paul VI on 28 April 1969. He served as archbishop of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro for thirty years unti ...

(July 22, 1972 – October 3, 2001 withdrawn), while Cardinal-Priest of

S. Gregorio VII S is the nineteenth letter of the English alphabet. S may also refer to: History * an Anglo-Saxon charter's number in Peter Sawyer (historian), Peter Sawyer's, catalogue Language and linguistics * Long s (ſ), a form of the lower-case letter s ...

(1969.04.30 – death 2012.07.09), Metropolitan Archbishop of above São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro (1971.03.13 – 2001.07.25), became

Protopriest of College of Cardinals The Protopriest of the College of Cardinals ( it, protopresbitero, and, rare, it, protoprete) in the College of Cardinals, is the first Cardinal-Priest in the order of precedence, hence directly after the Cardinal-bishops. This title is always ...

(2009.02.16 – 2012.07.09) *

Eusébio Scheid Eusébio Oscar Scheid S.C.J. (8 December 1932 – 13 January 2021) was a Brazilian prelate of the Catholic Church who was Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro from 2001 to 2009. He was raised to the rank of cardinal in 2003. He was previously Bisho ...

, SCI (October 3, 2001 – July 28, 2010 resigned), while Metropolitan Archbishop of above São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro (2001.07.25 – retired 2009.02.27), created Cardinal-Priest of

(2003.10.21 004.06.14– ...) * Walmor Oliveira de Azevedo, (28 July 2010 – ...), while Metropolitan Archbishop of

Belo Horizonte Belo Horizonte (, ; ) is the sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population around 2.7 million and with a metropolitan area of 6 million people. It is the 13th-largest city in South America and the 18th-largest in the Americas. The metropol ...

(Brazil) (2004.01.28 – ...).

Auxiliary bishops

, O.S.B.M. (1958-1962), appointed Apostolic Exarch of Brazil *

(1960-1971), appointed Bishop of Nossa Senhora do Paraíso em São Paulo (Melkite Greek), Sao Paulo *

Francis Mansour Zayek Archbishop Francis Mansour Zayek (Arabic: فرنسيس منصور الزايك ; born October 18, 1920, Manzanillo, Cuba – died on September 14, 2010) was a prelate of the Maronite Church. He was the founding eparch of the Maronite Catholic Ep ...

(1962-1966), appointed Bishop of United States of America (Maronite) * João (Jean) Chedid, O.M.M. (1968-1971), appointed Bishop of Nossa Senhora do Líbano em São Paulo (Maronite), Sao Paulo

References

External links

GCatholic, with Google map - data for all sections

{{authority control Eastern Catholicism in Brazil Ordinariates for Eastern Catholic faithful Christian organizations established in 1951 Roman Catholic dioceses in Brazil 1951 establishments in Brazil