Odilo Pedro Scherer (; born 21 September 1949) is a Brazilian

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, t ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

, who has been the

Archbishop of São Paulo 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 archdioc ...

since March 2007. He was made a

in November 2007. In the international media, he was mentioned as a possible contender to succeed

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 sovereig ...

in 2013. He also holds the position of Grand-Chancellor of the

Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo The Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo ( pt, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, PUC-SP), locally known as ''PUC'' or the ''Catholic University'' ('), is a private and non-profit Catholic university. It is one of the larg ...

( PUC-SP), one of the largest and most prestigious universities in

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 ...

Biography

Early life and ordination

Scherer is

German Brazilian German Brazilians (German: ''Deutschbrasilianer'', Hunsrik: ''Deitschbrasiliooner'', pt, teuto-brasileiros) refers to Brazilians of full or partial German ancestry. German Brazilians live mostly in the country's South Region, with a smaller bu ...

and was born on 21 September 1949 in

Cerro Largo, Rio Grande do Sul Cerro Largo is a municipality in the northwestern part of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. It occupies an area of 174.64 km² (67.43 sq mi) at 28º09'0" south 54º45'0" west, at an elevation of 211 m (692 ft) abo ...

, to Edwino and Francisca (née Steffens) Scherer. He is a nephew of Alfredo Scherer (1903–96), who was Cardinal Archbishop of Porto Alegre. His father's family emigrated from

Tholey Tholey () is a municipality in the district of Sankt Wendel, in Saarland, Germany. It is situated approximately west of Sankt Wendel, and north of Saarbrücken. History Local history The first traces of settlement in the area of today's Thol ...

Saarland The Saarland (, ; french: Sarre ) is a state of Germany in the south west of the country. With an area of and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, a ...

. His mother was also descended from immigrants from Saarland. After attending the minor and major seminaries in

Curitiba Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná in Brazil. The city's population was 1,948,626 , making it the eighth most populous city in Brazil and the largest in Brazil's South Region. The Curitiba Metropolitan area ...

, Scherer studied at the

Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná The Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná ( pt, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, PUCPR) is a private, not-for-profit Catholic university. The main campus is located in Curitiba, the capital city of the State of Paraná, Brazil. ...

and the

Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school ( pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

(from where he obtained his

Doctorate of Sacred Theology The Doctor of Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Doctor, abbreviated STD), also sometimes known as Professor of Sacred Theology (, abbreviated STP), is the final theological degree in the pontifical university system of the Roman Catholic ...

in 1991) in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

to the priesthood by Archbishop Armando Círio, OSI, on 7 December 1976.

Professor and curialist

He served as director and

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professo ...

at the

diocesan 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 ...

seminary of

Cascavel Cascavel is a municipality in the state of Paraná in Brazil. It is the fifth most populous city in the state with 332,333 residents, according to IBGE, a government agency. The distance to Curitiba, the state capital, is 491 kilometers by f ...

(1977–1978), the diocesan seminary of Toledo (1979–1982, 1993), and the Centro Interdiocesano de Teologia de Cascavel (1991–1993). Before doing

pastoral A pastoral lifestyle is that of shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. It lends its name to a genre of literature, art, and music (pastorale) that depict ...

work in Toledo from 1985 to 1988, Scherer taught

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. ...

at the Ciências Humanas Arnaldo Busatto (1980–1985), and

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

at the Instituto Teológico Paulo VI (1985). He then taught at the Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná until 1994. From 1994 to 2001, he was an official of the

Congregation for Bishops The Dicastery for Bishops, formerly named Congregation for Bishops (), is the department of the Roman Curia that oversees the selection of most new bishops. Its proposals require papal approval to take effect, but are usually followed. The Dic ...

in the Roman Curia, while serving as a Roman

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

and

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intelligence ...

during his spare time. During those years in Europe Scherer also on various occasions studied the

German language German ( ) is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Italian province of South Tyrol. It is also a ...

at the

Goethe-Institut The Goethe-Institut (, GI, en, Goethe Institute) is a non-profit German cultural association operational worldwide with 159 institutes, promoting the study of the German language abroad and encouraging international cultural exchange ...

Staufen im Breisgau Staufen im Breisgau ( High Alemannic: ''Staufe im Brisgau'') is a German town in the Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district of Baden-Württemberg. It had a population of approximately 8,300 in 2019. General The city of Staufen im Breisgau lies in t ...

Bishop and Archbishop

On 28 November 2001, Scherer was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of

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 GaW ...

and

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox a ...

of Novi. He received his

episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

on 2 February 2002, from Cardinal

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 f ...

, OFM, with Archbishops Armando Círio and Anuar Battisti serving as

co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches ...

. He was made Secretary General of the Brazilian

Episcopal Conference An episcopal conference, sometimes called a conference of bishops, is an official assembly of the bishops of the Catholic Church in a given territory. Episcopal conferences have long existed as informal entities. The first assembly of bishops to ...

in 2003. In this way, he also became the Grand-Chancellor of the

( PUC-SP).

Cardinal

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 sovereig ...

named Scherer as the seventh

on 21 March 2007. He replaced Cardinal Hummes, who was made

Prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

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 regardi ...

. His appointment brought an end to almost four decades of

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

leadership of the archdiocese; before Hummes,

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 mini ...

led the diocese for 28 years. Scherer accompanied Pope Benedict for a great part of his visit to Brazil in May 2007, which was largely held in the former's see of

, and he delivered a speech during a ceremony to celebrate the Pope's arrival. On 17 October 2007, the Pope announced that he would make Scherer a

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, t ...

. Scherer was elevated to the

College of Cardinals The College of Cardinals, or more formally the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. its current membership is , of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Cardinals are app ...

in the

consistory Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church * Consistor ...

St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal e ...

on 24 November 2007, becoming

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 ...

of Sant'Andrea al Quirinale. On 12 June 2008, he was appointed by Benedict as a member of the

. On 5 January 2011, he was appointed among the first members of the newly created Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation. On 30 November 2013, he was named a Member of the

Congregation for Catholic Education , type = Congregation , seal = Coat of arms Holy See.svg , seal_size = 100px , seal_caption = Coat of arms of the Holy See , logo = , picture =Via della Conciliazione din Roma1.jpg , picture_caption = Palazzo delle Congregazioni in Piazza ...

by Pope Francis.

Coronavirus pandemic

During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, Cardinal Scherer as Archbishop of São Paulo defended that churches remain open, but with a greater number of liturgical celebrations per day, in an attempt to prevent large gatherings. Later, he declared the suspension of celebrations with the people.

Views

General outlook

Scherer is considered to be theologically

moderate Moderate is an ideological category which designates a rejection of radical or extreme views, especially in regard to politics and religion. A moderate is considered someone occupying any mainstream position avoiding extreme views. In American ...

. He is one of just a handful of cardinals that use modern social media routinely.

Evangelization

According to a 23 July 2010, article by the website of the Catholic

Zenit News Agency ZENIT was a non-profit news agency that reported on the Catholic Church and matters important to it from the perspective of Catholic doctrine. Its motto was "the world seen from Rome." The agency suspended operations at the end of 2020, citing the ...

, Cardinal Scherer thinks there is an "evangelization deficit" around the globe today, which is why Pope Benedict established a new division of the Roman Curia to deal with that issue. Cardinal Scherer was quoted in the article as saying that the Pope "brings all to understand that this ew evangelizationis an objective of his, and that it must be the attitude of the Church worldwide, to respond to the challenges launched by the present 'change of age in the history of humanity.'"

Abortion

Cardinal Scherer asked Brazilians that if the country's Supreme Court legalizes abortion for fetus' with

anencephaly Anencephaly is the absence of a major portion of the brain, skull, and scalp that occurs during embryonic development. It is a cephalic disorder that results from a neural tube defect that occurs when the rostral (head) end of the neural tube ...

, what will be the next group ‘incompatible with life’ to be eliminated?

Liberation theology

He once criticized

liberation theology Liberation theology is a Christian theological approach emphasizing the liberation of the oppressed. In certain contexts, it engages socio-economic analyses, with "social concern for the poor and political liberation for oppressed peoples". I ...

's use of "

Marxism Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...

as a tool of analysis," but supported its focus on

social injustice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals f ...

and

poverty Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse

(as fully in keeping with established, orthodox Catholic doctrine on these issues).

Secularism in Brazil

Cardinal Scherer has argued that removing crucifixes in public places would not be in the best interests of Brazilian secularism.

Priests and the liturgy

In reference to the popular Brazilian priest

Marcelo Rossi Marcelo Rossi (born 20 May 1967) is a Brazilian Catholic priest widely known and popular in the country for his novel approaches to ministering to the faithful. He is also a writer and a singer, and uses music intensely in his Masses, has recor ...

, Scherer stated that, "Priests aren't showmen. ...The

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different ele ...

is not to be transformed into a show".

References

External links

* *
Twitter account of Dom Odilo Scherer
4 March 2013 , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Scherer, Odilo 1949 births Living people Brazilian cardinals Brazilian people of German descent 21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Brazil Cardinals created by Pope Benedict XVI People from Rio Grande do Sul Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Members of the Congregation for the Clergy Members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre Roman Catholic bishops of São Paulo Roman Catholic archbishops of São Paulo