The Archdiocese of São Paulo ( la, Archidioecesis Sancti Pauli in Brasilia) is a Latin Metropolitan

Archbishopric In 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 provinces were administratively associate ...

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 ...

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 ...

. The Archdiocese is currently headed by

Odilo Scherer Odilo Pedro Scherer (; born 21 September 1949) is a Brazilian cardinal of the Catholic Church, who has been the Archbishop of São Paulo since March 2007. He was made a cardinal in November 2007. In the international media, he was mentioned as a ...

since his appointment by

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

on 21 March 2007, an appointment that ended almost four decades of Franciscan leadership in the archdiocese: both predecessors, Cardinals

Paulo Evaristo Arns Paulo Evaristo Arns OFM (; 14 September 1921 – 14 December 2016) was a Brazilian prelate of the Catholic Church, who was made a cardinal and the Archbishop of São Paulo by Pope Paul VI, and later became cardinal protopriest. His ministr ...

and

Cláudio Hummes Cláudio Hummes, OFM (; born Auri Alfonso Hummes; 8 August 1934 – 4 July 2022) was a Brazilian prelate of the Catholic Church. He was prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy from 2006 to 2010, having served as Archbishop of Fortaleza fr ...

, belonged to that Order. Its

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

episcopal see, the Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora da Assunção e São Paulo, in the metropolis São Paulo, was dedicated to the Assumption of Mary on September 5, 1964. The city also has three

minor basilica In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...

s : Basílica de Nossa Senhora da Assunção, Basílica de Nossa Senhora do Carmo (both also Marian) and Basílica do Santíssimo Sacramento (dedicated to the Holly Sacrament).

History

* The Diocese of São Paulo was erected by

Pope Benedict XIV Pope Benedict XIV ( la, Benedictus XIV; it, Benedetto XIV; 31 March 1675 – 3 May 1758), born Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 17 August 1740 to his death in May 1758.Antipope ...

on 6 December 1745, on vast territory split off from the then Diocese of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro. * It lost territories on April 27, 1892 to establish the Diocese of Curitiba and on August 9, 1907 to establish the Diocese of Campanha. * It became a Metropolitan Archdiocese on June 7, 1908, having lost more territories to establish the Dioceses of

Botucatu Botucatu is a city in the southeastern region of Brazil and is located from São Paulo, the capital of the state of São Paulo. It has an estimated population of 148,130 (as of 2020) in an area of . It lies on the top of a plateau ( high). Botuca ...

Campinas Campinas (, ''Plains'' or ''Meadows'') is a Brazilian municipality in São Paulo State, part of the country's Southeast Region. According to the 2020 estimate, the city's population is 1,213,792, making it the fourteenth most populous Brazilian ...

Ribeirão Preto Ribeirão Preto (Portuguese pronunciation: �ibejˈɾɐ̃w ˈpɾetu is a municipality and a metropolitan area located in the northeastern region of São Paulo state, Brazil. Ribeirão Preto is the eighth-largest municipality in the State wi ...

, São Carlos do Pinhal and

Taubaté Taubaté is a medium-sized city in the State of São Paulo, in southeastern Brazil. Location Its strategic location between the two most important Brazilian cities (São Paulo away, and Rio de Janeiro away), connected to both by the Presiden ...

. * It lost further territories to establish more Dioceses :

Sorocaba Sorocaba () is a municipality in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Sorocaba is the eighth-largest city in the state of São Paulo. Outside the Greater São Paulo region, it ranks behind only Campinas, São José dos Campos and Ribeirão Preto. It ...

Santos,

Bragança Paulista Bragança Paulista is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population is 170,533 (2020 est.) in an area of 512.6 km². The elevation is 817 m. The city is famous for its traditional sausages, with several establishments c ...

Santo André Santo ('saint' in various languages) may refer to: People * Santo (given name) * Santo (surname) * El Santo, Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta (1917–1984), Mexican wrestler and actor * Bob Santo or Santo, stage name of Ghanaian comedian John Evans Kwadwo ...

, Metropolitan

Aparecida Aparecida is a Brazilian Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the state of São Paulo (state), São Paulo. It is located in the fertile valley of the River Paraíba do Sul on the southern (right) bank. It is part of the Metropolitan Region o ...

Diocese of Mogi das Cruzes The Roman Catholic Diocese of Mogi das Cruzes ( la, Dioecesis Crucismogiensis) is a diocese located in the city of Mogi das Cruzes in the Ecclesiastical province of São Paulo in Brazil. History * 9 June 1962: Established as Diocese of Mogi das ...

Jundiaí Jundiaí is a municipality in the state of São Paulo, in the Southeast Region of Brazil, located north of São Paulo. The population of the city is 423,006 (2020 est.), with an area of 431.21 km². The elevation is 761 m. The GDP of the ...

, Campo Limpo,

Osasco Osasco () is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in São Paulo State, Brazil, located in the Greater São Paulo and ranking 5th in population among São Paulo municipalities. According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, ...

, Santo Amaro and São Miguel Paulista. * It enjoyed papal visits from

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

in July 1980 and

in May 2007.

Bishops

Ordinaries

;''Bishops of São Paulo'' * Bernardo Rodrigues Nogueira (1745–1748 ) * Antônio da Madre de Deus Galvão, O.F.M. (1750–1764) * Manuel da Ressurreição, O.F.M. (1771–1789) * Miguel da Madre de Deus da Cruz, O.F.M. (1791–1795), appointed

Archbishop of Braga The Archdiocese of Braga ( la, Archidioecesis Bracarensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Portugal. It is known for its use of the Rite of Braga, a use of the liturgy distinct from the Roman R ...

(Portugal) * Mateus de Abreu Pereira (1795–1824) * Manuel Joaquim Gonçalves de Andrade (1827–1847) * Antônio Joaquim de Melo (1851–1861) * Sebastião Pinto do Rego (1861–1868) * Lino Deodato Rodrigues de Carvalho (1871–1894) *

Joaquim Arcoverde de Albuquerque Cavalcanti Joaquim Arcoverde de Albuquerque Cavalcanti (January 17, 1850 – April 18, 1930) was a Brazilian prelate of the Catholic Church, who served as Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro from 1897 to 1930. He was made a cardinal in 1905, the first cardinal b ...

(1894–1897), appointed Archbishop of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro (

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

in 1905) * Antônio Cândido Alvarenga (1898–1903 * José de Camargo Barros (1903–1906) * Leopoldo Duarte e Silva (1906–1908) ;''Archbishops of São Paulo'' * Leopoldo Duarte e Silva (1908–1938) * José Gaspar d'Afonseca e Silva (1939–1943) * Cardinal

Carlos Carmelo de Vasconcelos Motta Carlos Carmelo Vasconcellos Motta (16 July 1890 – 18 September 1982) was a long-serving cardinal. Until Eugênio de Araújo Sales surpassed him in 2005, he was the longest-serving Brazilian cardinal, and during his cardinalate the Church in Br ...

(1944–1964), appointed Archbishop of Aparecida * Cardinal

Agnelo Rossi Agnelo Rossi (4 May 1913 – 21 May 1995) was a Brazilian Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals. Biography Rossi was born on 4 May 1913 in Joaquim Egidio, Brazil, in the Dio ...

(1964–1970), appointed Prefect of

Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: * Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administr ...

and later President of

Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See The Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA; it, Amministrazione del Patrimonio della Sede Apostolica, link=no) is the office of the Roman Curia that deals with the "provisions owned by the Holy See in order to provide the fun ...

* Cardinal

, O.F.M. (1970–1998) * Cardinal

, O.F.M. (1998–2006), appointed Prefect of the

Congregation for the Clergy The Dicastery for the Clergy, formerly named Congregation for the Clergy (; formerly the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy and Sacred Congregation of the Council), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia responsible for overseeing matters regardin ...

* Cardinal

(2007–present)

Coadjutor Bishops

* Joaquim Arcoverde de Albuquerque Cavalcanti (1892–1894); future Cardinal * Antônio Maria Alves de Siqueira (1957-1966), did not succeed to see; appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Campinas, Sao Paulo

Auxiliary Bishops

* José Gaspar d'Afonseca e Silva (1935–1939), appointed Archbishop here * Antônio Maria Alves de Siqueira (1947-1957), appointed Coadjutor here *

Paulo Rolim Loureiro Paulo is a Portuguese, Spanish, Swiss, and Italian masculine given name equivalent to English Paul. Notable people with the name include: * Paulo Jr. *Paulo Jr. (footballer) * Paulo Almeida, Brazilian footballer * Paulo André Cren Benini (born 1 ...

(1948-1962), appointed Bishop of Mogi das Cruzes, Sao Paulo *

Antônio Ferreira de Macedo Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular mal ...

, C.SS.R. (1955-1964), appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Aparecida, Sao Paulo * Vicente Angelo José Marchetti Zioni (1955-1964), appointed Bishop of Bauru, Sao Paulo *

Romeu Alberti Given name Romeu is a Portuguese masculine given name, a variant of Romeo. People with this name include: * Romeu Almeida (born 1974), retired Portuguese footballer * Romeu Beltrão (1913-1977), Brazilian physician, educator, historian and paleon ...

(1964-1965), appointed Bishop of Apucarana, Parana in 1965 *

Gabriel Paulino Bueno Couto In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብ� ...

, O. Carm. (1965-1966), appointed Bishop of Jundiaí, Sao Paulo *

, O.F.M. (1966-1970), appointed Archbishop here (Cardinal in 1973) *

Bruno Maldaner Bruno Maldaner (August 4, 1924 – November 16, 2008) was a Brazilian Bishop for the Catholic Church. Maldaner was ordained a Priest at the age of 26 and appointed Auxiliary Bishop of São Paulo, Brazil and Titular Bishop of Aquae in Mauretania on ...

(1966-1971), appointed Bishop of Frederico Westphalen, Rio Grande do Sul *

José Thurler José Thurler (19 June 1913–23 April 1992) was a Brazilian Roman Catholic bishop. Thurler was born in Brazil and was ordained to the priesthood in 1942. He served as bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Chapecó, Brazil, from 1959 to 1962 ...

(1966-1992) *

Lucas Moreira Neves Lucas Moreira Neves O.P. (16 September 1925 – 8 September 2002) was a Brazilian Cardinal Bishop and Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops. Biography Moreira Neves was born in São João del Rei, in Minas Gerais state, Brazil. He was orda ...

, O.P. (1967-1974), appointed Vice President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity; future Cardinal *

Benedito de Ulhôa Vieira Benedito de Ulhôa Vieira, (October 9, 1920 – August 3, 2014) was a Brazilian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Vieira was born in Mococa Mococa is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population is 68,980 (2020 est.) ...

(1971-1978), appointed Archbishop of Uberaba, Minas Gerais * Angélico Sândalo Bernardino (1974-2000), appointed Bishop of Blumenau, Santa Catarina *

Mauro Morelli Mauro Morelli (17 September 1935 – 9 October 2023) was a Brazilian Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Duque de Caxias from 1981 to 2005. Morelli died on 9 October 2023, at the age of 88.Joel Ivo Catapan Joel or Yoel is a name meaning "Yahweh Is God" and may refer to: * Joel (given name), origin of the name including a list of people with the first name. * Joel (surname), a surname * Joel (footballer, born 1904), Joel de Oliveira Monteiro, Brazili ...

, S.V.D. (1974-1999) *

Francisco Manuel Vieira Francisco Manuel Vieira (29 October 1925 – 23 December 2013) was a Brazilian Catholic bishop. Vieira was born in the portuguese town of Rio Tinto (Gondomar) and was ordained in Brazil to the priesthood in 1952. He served as titular bishop of ...

(1974-1989), appointed Bishop of Osasco, Sao Paulo * Antônio Celso Queiroz (1975-2000), appointed Bishop of Catanduva, Sao Paulo * Luciano Pedro Mendes de Almeida, S.J. (1976-1988), appointed Archbishop of Mariana, Minas Gerais * Fernando José Penteado (1979-2000), appointed Bishop of Jacarezinho, Parana * Alfredo Ernest Novak, C.SS.R. (1979-1989), appointed Bishop of Paranaguá, Parana * Décio Pereira (1979-1997), appointed Bishop of Santo André, Sao Paulo *

Antônio Gaspar Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular mal ...

(1982-2000), appointed Bishop of Barretos, Sao Paulo * Gil Antônio Moreira (1999-2004), appointed Bishop of Jundiaí, Sao Paulo *

Odilo Pedro Scherer Odilo Pedro Scherer (; born 21 September 1949) is a Brazilian cardinal of the Catholic Church, who has been the Archbishop of São Paulo since March 2007. He was made a cardinal in November 2007. In the international media, he was mentioned as ...

(2001-2007), appointed Archbishop here (Cardinal later in the year) * Benedito Beni dos Santos (2001-2006), appointed Bishop of Lorena, Sao Paulo *

Manuel Parrado Carral Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name) * Manuel (Fawlty Towers), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Charlie Manuel, manager of the Philadelphia Phillies * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * Manu ...

(2001-2008), appointed Bishop of São Miguel Paulista, Sao Paulo * Pedro Luiz Stringhini (2001-2009), appointed Bishop of Franca, Sao Paulo * José Benedito Simão (2001-2009), appointed Bishop of Assis, Sao Paulo * José María Pinheiro (2003-2005), appointed Bishop of Bragança Paulista, Sao Paulo *

Tomé Ferreira da Silva Tomé Ferreira da Silva (born 17 May 1961) was a Roman Catholic prelate and is a priest in the Latin Rite. He was Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of São José do Rio Preto from 16 November 2012 until 18 August 2021. When ordained a bishop, t ...

(2005-2012), appointed Bishop of São José do Rio Preto, Sao Paulo * Joaquim Justino Carreira (2005-2011), appointed Bishop of Guarulhos, Sao Paulo * João Mamede Filho, O.F.M. (2006-2010), appointed Bishop of Umuarama, Parana * Tarcísio Scaramussa, S.D.B. (2008-2014), appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Santos, Sao Paulo *

Milton Kenan Júnior Milton may refer to: Names * Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname) ** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet * Milton (given name) ** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Free t ...

(2009-2014), appointed Bishop of Barretos, Sao Paulo *

Edmar Perón Edmar may refer to: * Edmar Bernardes, former Brazilian footballer * Edmar Halovskyi de Lacerda, Brazilian-Ukrainian footballer * Edmar Japiassú Maia, former Brazilian footballer * Edmar Lacerda da Silva, Brazilian footballer * Edmar Victoriano, fo ...

(2009-2015), appointed Bishop of Paranaguá, Parana *

Júlio Endi Akamine Júlio Endi Akamine, S.A.C. (Garça, November 20, 1962) is a Brazilian Catholic archbishop. He is the current metropolitan archbishop of Sorocaba. Akamine is the first Japanese Brazilian named bishop in Brazil. He was auxiliary bishop of São Pau ...

, S.A.C. (2011-2016), appointed Archbishop of Sorocaba, Sao Paulo *

Sérgio de Deus Borges Bishop Sérgio de Deus Borges (born 4 September 1966) is a Brazilian Roman Catholic prelate, who served as an Auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of São Paulo and the Titular Bishop of Zarzis, Gergis since 27 June 2012 and was an A ...

(2012-2019), appointed Bishop of Foz do Iguaçu, Parana *

Devair Araújo da Fonseca Ryan (formerly known as Devar ("Devair" as a misprint)) is an unincorporated community in Inyo County, California. A former mining community and company town, Ryan is situated at an elevation of in the Amargosa Range, northeast of Dante's V ...

(2014-) * José Roberto Fortes Palau (2014-2019), appointed Bishop of Limeira, Sao Paulo * Carlos Lema Garcia (2014-) *

Eduardo Vieira dos Santos Eduardo is the Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese form of the male given name Edward. Another version is Duarte (name), Duarte. It may refer to: Association football * Eduardo Bonvallet, Chilean football player and spor ...

(2014-) * Luiz Carlos Dias (2016-) *

José Benedito Cardoso José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

(2019-) * Jorge Pierozan (2019-) * Ângelo Ademir Mezzari, R.C.J. (2020-

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

* José Marcondes Homem de Melo, appointed Bishop of Belém do Pará in 1906 * Francisco de Campos Barreto, appointed Bishop of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul in 1911 * Sebastião Leme da Silveira Cintra, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro in 1911; future Cardinal * Benedito Paulo Alves de Souza, appointed Bishop of Espírito Santo in 1918 *

Manuel da Silveira d’Elboux Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name) * Manuel (Fawlty Towers), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Charlie Manuel, manager of the Philadelphia Phillies * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * M ...

, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Ribeirão Preto in 1940 *

Antônio de Castro Mayer Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22 ...

, appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Campos, Rio de Janeiro in 1948 *

José Lafayette Ferreira Álvares José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

, appointed Bishop of Bragança Paulista, Sao Paulo in 1971 *

Geraldo Majella Agnelo Geraldo Majella Agnelo (born 19 October 1933) is a Brazilian Roman Catholic Cardinal. He is Archbishop Emeritus of São Salvador da Bahia and Primate Emeritus of Brazil. Early life and ordination Agnelo was born in Juiz de Fora. He was ordained ...

, appointed Bishop of Toledo, Parana in 1978; future Cardinal * Antônio Carlos Rossi Keller, appointed Bishop of Frederico Westphalen, Rio Grande do Sul in 2008 *

José Aparecido Gonçalves de Almeida José Aparecido Gonçalves de Almeida (born 21 July 1960) is a Brazilian Roman Catholic bishop. He had previously served as Under-Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts. Gonçalves de Almeida was born in the city of Ourinhos. H ...

(priest here, 1986-1989), appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Brasília, Distrito Federal in 2013

Province

Its

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 ...

comprises the Metropolitan's own Archdiocese and these

Suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...

bishoprics, mostly Latin too, ''but also a few Eastern Catholic, notably

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 ...

: * Diocese of Campo Limpo * Diocese of Guarulhos *

* Diocese of Osasco * Diocese of Santo Amaro * Diocese of Santo André *

Diocese of Santos The Roman Catholic Diocese of Santos ( la, Dioecesis Santosensis) is a diocese located in the city of Santos in the Ecclesiastical province of São Paulo in Brazil. History * 4 July 1924: Established as Diocese of Santos from the Metropolitan A ...

* Diocese of São Miguel Paulista *'' Maronite Eparchy of Nossa Senhora do Líbano em São Paulo'' *'' Eparchy of Nossa Senhora do Paraíso em São Paulo

References

Sources and external links

*
GCatholic.org with incumbent biography links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sao Paulo, Archdiocese Roman Catholic dioceses in Brazil Roman Catholic ecclesiastical provinces in Brazil Religious organizations established in 1745 Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 18th century 1745 establishments in Brazil