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, the diocese he led had between 701,000
and 958,000 Roman Catholics, or almost 75% of the population.
Early life and formation
Ferreira da Silva was born on 17 May 1961.
The son of Sebastião Ferreira da Silva and Ana Ferreira da Silva, he joined the diocesan seminary
Nossa Senhora das Dores in
Campanha
Campanha is a town ''(município)'' in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. In 2020 its population was estimated at 16,762 inhabitants. The town is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Campanha
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Campanha ...
in 1975. He graduated with a degree in philosophy from the São José diocesan seminary, in
Três Corações and in
theology at the
Sagrado Coração de Jesus Theological Institute, in
Taubaté. He also completed undergraduate courses in social studies and history at the
Vale do Rio Verde University, in Três Corações. He holds a master's degree in philosophy from the
Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He was ordained on 1 January 1987.
Episcopate
On 9 March 2005 he was named by
Pope John Paul II to be
titular Bishop of
Giufos and as an auxiliary bishop of
Sao Paulo, Brazil.
He received his episcopal ordination in the city of Cristina on 13 May of that same year,
at the hands of Bishop
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 ...
. He also served as vicar general of the Archdiocese of São Paulo, moderator of the Metropolitan Curia of São Paulo and advisor to the Movements and Lay Associations, catechesis in the Archdiocese of São Paulo and seminars of the Archdiocese and of Vocation Ministry. His episcopal motto is ''Holiness in Truth and Charity''. He was the responsible bishop for the
Ipiranga Episcopal Region.
On 26 September 2012 he was named by
Pope Benedict XVI to the diocesan bishop of Sao Jose do Rio Preto.
He was installed as the ordinary on 16 November 2012.
The Vatican investigated allegations of misconduct against the bishop in 2018, in particular his failure to investigate priests accused of sexual misconduct against children.
Resignation and removal
On 18 August 2021,
Pope Francis removed Ferreira da Silva as bishop after a sexual scandal, when he submitted his resignation to the Pope.
On 13 August 2021, a video leaked to the public "in which he is seen semi-naked with another man."
Ferreira da Silva admitted publicly that the video was authentic and had been taped by him.
The bishop claims it was
leaked by someone he knew.
Ferreira da Silva was replaced by
Moacir Silva, archbishop of Ribeirao Preto as
apostolic administrator ''sede vacante''.
References
External links
GCatholic.org Diocese website (Portuguese)
1961 births
Living people
21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Brazil
Roman Catholic bishops of São José do Rio Preto
São José do Rio Preto, Roman Catholic Diocese of
Catholic religious scandals
Sex scandals in Brazil
Religious controversies in Brazil
{{Catholic Church in Brazil, state=collapsed