Brazilian Cardinal Lorscheider, defender of poor, dies at 83
Dec 26, 2007
Brazilian Cardinal Aloisio Lorscheider, known as an advocate for the poor and one of Latin America's most influential churchmen, died at age 83.
Brazilian Cardinal Lorscheider, defender of poor, dies at 83
By John Thavis
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS, 12/24/2007) -- Brazilian Cardinal Aloisio Lorscheider, known as an advocate for the poor and one of Latin America's most influential churchmen, died at age 83.
Pope Benedict XVI, in a condolence telegram, praised the cardinal for his "constant and generous dedication" in Brazilian dioceses and at the Vatican, where he was a member of several congregations.
Cardinal Lorscheider died Dec. 23 in a hospital in Porto Alegre, Brazil. He reportedly had experienced heart problems for some time.
A Franciscan known for his simple spirit and his dedication to social justice, Cardinal Lorscheider served as president of the Brazilian bishops' conference and the Latin American bishops' council, CELAM, in the 1970s.
In 1978, he was said to have been considered as a papal candidate in the conclave that elected Pope John Paul II.
Born Oct. 8, 1924, to parents descended from German immigrants, he entered the Franciscan minor seminary when he was 9 years old and made his solemn vows at the age of 21. He was ordained a priest in 1948 went to Rome to study dogmatic theology.
He returned to Brazil to teach theology at a Franciscan seminary and was called to Rome in 1958 for a second period of studies and lecturing. He was appointed bishop of Santo Angelo in 1962 and in 1973 was made archbishop of Fortaleza in northeastern Brazil. In 1976, Pope Paul VI named him a cardinal.
Pope John Paul transferred him from Fortaleza to the smaller Archdiocese of Aparecida in 1995. He retired as archbishop in 2004.
Cardinal Lorscheider was a prominent voice at several sessions of the Synod of Bishops in Rome and in the 1970s was a member of the synod's general council.
Known as a defender of the poor, he was a strong critic of Brazil's military government. At a Vatican-sponsored event in 1979, he said Christians have a fundamental and prophetic role in human promotion and development.
"The commitment of Christians must tend to bring to birth a mentality of service which permits real participation in all the sectors of human life," he said.
When a fellow Franciscan theologian, Father Leonardo Boff, was called to the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 1984 to explain his positions on liberation theology, Cardinal Lorscheider went with him.
The cardinal defended Father Boff's writings, and he later criticized the Vatican for not consulting with the Brazilian bishops' doctrinal commission before taking disciplinary action against the theologian.
In 1994, Cardinal Lorscheider was briefly held hostage with 12 others by prison escapees, before being released unharmed. He said he had prayed for and forgiven the group of prisoners who had seized him at knife-point.
His death leaves the College of Cardinals with 199 members. Of that number, 120 are under age 80 and therefore eligible to vote in a conclave.
Brazilian Cardinal Lorscheider, defender of poor, dies at 83