, native_name_lang = pt , image = Lisboa_May_2013-1.jpg , imagewidth = 200px , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Saint Mary Major, the seat of the Cardinal-Patriarch of Lisbon , abbreviation = , type = National polity , main_classification = Catholic , orientation = Christianity , scripture = Bible , theology =

Catholic theology Catholic theology is the understanding of Catholic doctrine or teachings, and results from the studies of theologians. It is based on canonical scripture, and sacred tradition, as interpreted authoritatively by the magisterium of the Catholic ...

, polity = , governance = Episcopal Conference of Portugal , structure = , leader_title = Pope , leader_name =

Francis Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places * Rural M ...

, leader_title1 = Primate , leader_name1 =

Jorge Ortiga Jorge Ferreira da Costa Ortiga CGIH (born 5 March 1944) is a Portuguese prelate of the Catholic Church. He was Archbishop-Primate of Braga from 1999 to 2021. Biography He was born in the Brufe neighborhood of Vila Nova de Famalicão Municipalit ...

, leader_title2 = Patriarch of Lisbon , leader_name2 = Manuel III , leader_title3 = Apostolic Nuncio , leader_name3 = Ivo Scapolo , fellowships_type = , fellowships = , fellowships_type1 = , fellowships1 = , division_type = , division = , division_type1 = , division1 = , division_type2 = , division2 = , division_type3 = , division3 = , associations = , area = Portugal , language = Portuguese, Latin , headquarters =

Lisbon Cathedral The Cathedral of Saint Mary Major ( pt, Santa Maria Maior de Lisboa or ''Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Mary Major''), often called Lisbon Cathedral or simply the Sé ('), is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Lisbon, Portugal. The oldest churc ...

, origin_link = , founder =

St. Peter of Rates Peter of Rates ( pt, Pedro de Rates), also known in English as Peter of Braga, is traditionally considered to be the first bishop of Braga between the years AD 45 and 60. Tradition says he was ordered to preach the Christian faith by James t ...

, founded_date = 44 A.D. , founded_place =

Lusitania Lusitania (; ) was an ancient Iberian Roman province located where modern Portugal (south of the Douro river) and a portion of western Spain (the present Extremadura and the province of Salamanca) lie. It was named after the Lusitani or Lusita ...

, Roman Empire , separated_from = , parent = , merger = , absorbed = , separations = , merged_into = , defunct = , congregations_type = , congregations = , members = , ministers_type = , ministers = , missionaries = , churches = , hospitals = , nursing_homes = , aid = , primary_schools = , secondary_schools = , tax_status = , tertiary = , other_names = , publications = , website
Episcopal Conference of Portugal
, slogan = , logo = , footnotes = The Portuguese Catholic Church, or Catholic Church in Portugal, is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in communion with the Pope in Rome, under the

Portuguese Episcopal Conference The Portuguese Episcopal Conference ( pt, Conferência Episcopal Portuguesa) is a collective body of the national church and the administration of the Roman Catholic Church in Portugal. The Portuguese Episcopal Conference performs certain pastoral ...

. The Catholic Church is the world's largest

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

organisation. It is Portugal's largest religion and its former state religion, and has existed in the territory since the Iberian Peninsula was ruled by the Roman Empire. There are an estimated nine million baptised Catholics in Portugal (84% of the population) in twenty dioceses, served by 2789 priests. Although a large number wish to be baptized, married in the church, and receive last rites, only 19% of the national population attend Mass and take the sacraments regularly. In 2010, the average age of priests was 62. In 2012 88% of the Portuguese population considered themselves Catholic in a commissioned survey of religious attitudes sponsored by a Christian organization.

History

Western Christianity was introduced to

, what is now Portugal under the Roman Empire in the first half of the first millennium AD. The present-day Portuguese state was founded in 1139 by King Afonso Henriques during the '' Reconquista'', in which the Christian kingdoms of the northern Iberian Peninsula reconquered the South from the Cordoba Caliphate of the

Sunni Muslim Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word ''Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagree ...

Moors. Crusaders from other Catholic realms aided the reconquest, which Portugal finished in 1249 with the conquest of Algarve. After the

Fall of Constantinople The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city fell on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 53-day siege which had begun o ...

to the

Sunni Caliphate A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...

of Ottoman Turks,

Portuguese discoveries Portuguese maritime exploration resulted in the numerous territories and maritime routes recorded by the Portuguese as a result of their intensive maritime journeys during the 15th and 16th centuries. Portuguese sailors were at the vanguard of Eu ...

in the Age of Exploration, would lead to the establishment of the Portuguese Empire from the early 15th century onwards, spreading Catholicism to Portuguese colonies in Ceuta on the Barbary coast of North Africa,

Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the List of sov ...

, the East Indies in Asia, and South America. The

Lusophone Lusophones ( pt, Lusófonos) are ethnic group, peoples that speak Portuguese language, Portuguese as a native language, native or as common second language and nations where Portuguese features prominently in society. Comprising an estimated 270 m ...

countries of Angola, Brazil,

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

, Mozambique,

São Tomé and Príncipe São Tomé and Príncipe (; pt, São Tomé e Príncipe (); English: " Saint Thomas and Prince"), officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe ( pt, República Democrática de São Tomé e Príncipe), is a Portuguese-speaking i ...

, and Timor-Leste all have Catholic majorities as a result. The Primate of the East Indies based in the Portuguese Goa of early- modern India was part of the Portuguese Empire in the East, and a significant

Latin Christian , native_name_lang = la , image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran , caption = Archbasilica of Saint Joh ...

minority remains in the Indian subcontinent, the most prominent of which are Goan Catholics. Bombay East Indian Christians,

Mangalorean Christians Mangalorean Catholics ( kok, Kōdiyālcheñ Kathōlikā) are an ethno-religious community of Latin Catholics in India typically residing in the Diocese of Mangalore in the erstwhile South Canara area, by the southwestern coast of present-day Kar ...

& Latin Christians of Malabar are also among the lesser-known New Christian converts in the Eastern hemisphere. In 1910, the Portuguese Republic abolished the policy of having the Latin Church as the

state religion A state religion (also called religious state or official religion) is a religion or creed officially endorsed by a sovereign state. A state with an official religion (also known as confessional state), while not secular state, secular, is not n ...

, in favour of secularism. However, the right-wing

Salazar regime The ''Estado Novo'' (, lit. "New State") was the corporatist Portuguese state installed in 1933. It evolved from the ''Ditadura Nacional'' ("National Dictatorship") formed after the ''coup d'état'' of 28 May 1926 against the democratic but ...

from 1932 to 1974 re-established Catholicism as the state religion, which had repercussions such as the Annexation of Goa and Damaon, after which the system was subsequently disestablished along with the regime.

Organization

Within Portugal, the hierarchy consists of

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

s and bishops. At the top of the hierarchy is the archbishop who is known as the Patriarch of Lisbon. The remainder of the dioceses of Portugal, each headed by a bishop, includes: *

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

(with the dignity of Patriarchate) ** Angra ** Funchal ** Guarda ** Leiria-Fátima ** Portalegre-Castelo Branco ** Santarém ** Setúbal * Braga ** Aveiro ** Bragança-Miranda ** Coimbra ** Lamego ** Porto ** Viana do Castelo ** Vila Real ** Viseu * Évora ** Beja ** Faro

Sites

Portugal is also the location of one of the major Catholic

shrines A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy sacred space, space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor worship, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, Daemon (mythology), daem ...

and

Marian Marian may refer to: People * Mari people, a Finno-Ugric ethnic group in Russia * Marian (given name), a list of people with the given name * Marian (surname), a list of people so named Places *Marian, Iran (disambiguation) * Marian, Queensla ...

pilgrimage sites, in the world famous city of Fátima, honoring

Our Lady of Fátima Our Lady of Fátima ( pt, Nossa Senhora de Fátima, ); formally known as Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Fátima) is a Catholic title of Mary, mother of Jesus, based on the Marian apparitions reported in 1917 by three shepherd children at the Cov ...

. The northern city of Braga is an important Catholic center. A Portuguese saying which lists characteristics of different cities states that "Braga prays". Besides the Cathedral of Braga, it also has the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte and the

Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sameiro The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sameiro or Sanctuary of Sameiro () is a sanctuary and Marian shrine in Espinho, in the surroundings of the city of Braga, Portugal. History Its construction was initiated in the 19th century, by Father Marti ...

. One of the routes on the

Way of St. James The Camino de Santiago ( la, Peregrinatio Compostellana, "Pilgrimage of Compostela"; gl, O Camiño de Santiago), known in English as the Way of St James, is a network of pilgrims' ways or pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the Twelve Apostle ...

, a major Catholic pilgrimage to the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in

Galicia Galicia may refer to: Geographic regions * Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain ** Gallaecia, a Roman province ** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia ** The medieval King ...

, Spain, is the Portuguese route ( pt, Caminho Português), starting from

and spanning 610 km. Among those who have taken it was Queen

Elizabeth of Portugal Elizabeth of Aragon, more commonly known as Saint Elizabeth of Portugal, T.O.S.F. (1271 – 4 July 1336; ''Elisabet'' in Catalan, ''Isabel'' in Aragonese, Portuguese and Spanish), was queen consort of Portugal, a tertiary of the Franciscan Or ...

, who was canonized, in the 14th century.

Portuguese Popes

Two popes have been born in what is now Portugal, although only the latter was ever a subject of a country by that name. Damasus I was born in what is now Portugal in 306, and his reign as pope from 366 to 384 saw the Scriptures translated to Latin. He is now a Saint, with his feast celebrated on December 11. Pedro Julião, born in

around 1215, led the church as Pope

John XXI Pope John XXI ( la, Ioannes XXI; – 20 May 1277), born Pedro Julião ( la, Petrus Iulianus), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 September 1276 to his death on 20 May 1277. Apart from Damasus I (from ...

from 1276 to 1277.

Gallery

File:Siege of Lisbon by Roque Gameiro.jpg, The Siege of Lisbon in 1147, part of the Reconquista ( Crusades) File:Cristo Rei (36211699613).jpg, The National Sanctuary of Christ the King File:Virgen de Fátima.JPG,

is the greatest Marian devotion in Portugal File:Pope Damasus I.jpg, Pope Saint Damasus I was from Roman

, now Portugal File:Pope John XXI.jpg, Pope John XXI, born in

in c. 1215

References