Carlos Carmelo Vasconcellos Motta
Encyclopedia
Carlos Carmelo Vasconcellos Motta (July 16, 1890, Bom Jesus do Amparo
, archdiocese of Mariana
, Minas Gerais
, Brazil
– September 18, 1982, Aparecida
, São Paulo
, Brazil) 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 Brazil underwent tremendous expansion, involving the development of many new movements that were to develop after he had largely disappeared from the scene.
Originally from a small village in the state of Minas Gerais
, the future Cardinal gained his education in the local seminary in the city of Mariana. He was ordained in 1918, and spent much of the next fifteen years in the state capital of Belo Horizonte
as a seminary rector. He became a bishop in 1932, but only of a titular
see. His first proper appointment as a diocesan bishop was to the Archdiocese of São Luis
in the remote state of Maranhão
three years later, but Motta attracted no wider attention until he was promoted to Brazil's most pretigious see in São Paulo
in 1944.
With his appointment as a cardinal after Pope Pius XII
felt for the first time in his pontificate that a consistory
was feasible (due to the hositilities caused by World War II
, it was argued, a consistory was impossible between 1939 and 1945), Motta became effectively the leader of the Church in Brazil for the next twenty years or so until a new generation of leaders (Sales, Arns
, Lorscheider
) emerged. In this role, Cardinal Motta was faced with the difficult task of what policy to take when confronted with widespread anguish at the great social inequality so characteristic of Brazil. In the 1950s, he became the first archbishop in the Catholic Church to regularly hold episcopal synods - something that became regular practice after Vatican II. Amongst his closest pupils was the latterly famous Hélder Câmara
. he was the effective leader of the First General Conference of South American Bishops in 1955.
On the other side, Motta had to contend with the ultra-right-wing group Tradition, Family and Property
, which aimed to win him over with a still-extant letter in 1956. Regarded as a quiet man who did not like publicity, Motta's reply has characteristically not survived.
Motta attended the sessions of the Second Vatican Council
and was transferred to the see of Aperecida in 1964. His role in the Church declined significantly after this, however, as new generations of Church leaders contended with the problems of Brazil's 1964 military coup.
He participated in the conclave
s of 1958
and 1963
but lost his right to participate in further conclaves on January 1, 1971 as a result of Pope Paul VI
's motu proprio
Ingravescentem aetatem. When he died in 1982, Cardinal Motta was the longest-serving cardinal in the Church. He was the third-last surviving cardinal elevated by Pope Pius XII behind Paul-Émile Léger and Giuseppe Siri, and the last surviving cardinal elevated in the 1946 consistory.
Bom Jesus do Amparo
Bom Jesus do Amparo is a Brazilian municipality located in the state of Minas Gerais. The city belongs to the mesoregion Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte and to the microregion of Itabira.-See also:* List of municipalities in Minas Gerais...
, archdiocese of Mariana
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mariana
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mariana is an archdiocese located in the city of Mariana in Brazil.-History:* December 6, 1745: Established as Diocese of Mariana from the Diocese of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro...
, Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
– September 18, 1982, Aparecida
Aparecida
Aparecida is a Brazilian city and municipality in the state of São Paulo. It is located in the fertile valley of the River Paraíba do Sul on the southern bank. The population in 2004 was 35,754 and the area of the municipality is 121.232 km²...
, São Paulo
São Paulo (state)
São Paulo is a state in Brazil. It is the major industrial and economic powerhouse of the Brazilian economy. Named after Saint Paul, São Paulo has the largest population, industrial complex, and economic production in the country. It is the richest state in Brazil...
, Brazil) was a long-serving cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
. Until Eugênio de Araújo Sales
Eugênio de Araújo Sales
Eugênio de Araújo Sales is, as of 2011, the longest-serving cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church, having been elevated by Pope Paul VI on April 28, 1969. He served as archbishop of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro for thirty years until his resignation was accepted in 2001, when he had already...
surpassed him in 2005, he was the longest-serving Brazilian cardinal, and during his cardinalate the Church in Brazil underwent tremendous expansion, involving the development of many new movements that were to develop after he had largely disappeared from the scene.
Originally from a small village in the state of Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
, the future Cardinal gained his education in the local seminary in the city of Mariana. He was ordained in 1918, and spent much of the next fifteen years in the state capital of Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte is the capital of and largest city in the state of Minas Gerais, located in the southeastern region of Brazil. It is the third largest metropolitan area in the country...
as a seminary rector. He became a bishop in 1932, but only of a titular
Titular (Catholicism)
In Roman Catholicism, a titular can be:*the cardinal who holds a titulus, one of the main churches of Rome. Such holders were initially by tradition native-born Romans . The first church in Rome to have a non-Italian titular was Santi Quattro Coronati: Dietrich of Trier was appointed titular in...
see. His first proper appointment as a diocesan bishop was to the Archdiocese of São Luis
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of São Luís do Maranhão
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of São Luís do Maranhão is an archdiocese located in the city of São Luís do Maranhão in Brazil.-History:* August 30, 1677: Established as Diocese of São Luís do Maranhão from the Diocese of Olinda...
in the remote state of Maranhão
Maranhão
Maranhão is a northeastern state of Brazil. To the north lies the Atlantic Ocean. Maranhão is neighbored by the states of Piauí, Tocantins and Pará. The people of Maranhão have a distinctive accent...
three years later, but Motta attracted no wider attention until he was promoted to Brazil's most pretigious see in São Paulo
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of São Paulo
The Archdiocese of São Paulo is a major see in the Roman Catholic Church in Brazil. The Diocese of São Paulo was erected by Pope Benedict XIV on 6 December 1745. It became an Archdiocese on 7 June 1908...
in 1944.
With his appointment as a cardinal after Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
felt for the first time in his pontificate that a consistory
Consistory
-Antiquity:Originally, the Latin word consistorium meant simply 'sitting together', just as the Greek synedrion ....
was feasible (due to the hositilities caused by World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, it was argued, a consistory was impossible between 1939 and 1945), Motta became effectively the leader of the Church in Brazil for the next twenty years or so until a new generation of leaders (Sales, Arns
Paulo Evaristo Arns
Paulo Evaristo Arns O.F.M. is the Cardinal Archbishop Emeritus of São Paulo.-Early life and education:...
, Lorscheider
Aloísio Lorscheider
Aloísio Leo Arlindo Lorscheider, O.F.M. was a prominent cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church in Brazil during the 1970s and 1980s...
) emerged. In this role, Cardinal Motta was faced with the difficult task of what policy to take when confronted with widespread anguish at the great social inequality so characteristic of Brazil. In the 1950s, he became the first archbishop in the Catholic Church to regularly hold episcopal synods - something that became regular practice after Vatican II. Amongst his closest pupils was the latterly famous Hélder Câmara
Hélder Câmara
Dom Hélder Pessoa Câmara was Roman Catholic Archbishop of Olinda and Recife.He was known as the 'Bishop of Corum' and took a clear position with the urban poor....
. he was the effective leader of the First General Conference of South American Bishops in 1955.
On the other side, Motta had to contend with the ultra-right-wing group Tradition, Family and Property
Tradition, Family and Property
Tradition, Family, and Property is a movement of civic organizations of Traditional Catholic inspiration.The first TFP was founded by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira in Brazil in 1960, and he remained president of the Brazilian TFP's national council until his death in 1995....
, which aimed to win him over with a still-extant letter in 1956. Regarded as a quiet man who did not like publicity, Motta's reply has characteristically not survived.
Motta attended the sessions of the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
and was transferred to the see of Aperecida in 1964. His role in the Church declined significantly after this, however, as new generations of Church leaders contended with the problems of Brazil's 1964 military coup.
He participated in the conclave
Papal conclave
A papal conclave is a meeting of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a Bishop of Rome, who then becomes the Pope during a period of vacancy in the papal office. The Pope is considered by Roman Catholics to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and earthly head of the Roman Catholic Church...
s of 1958
Papal conclave, 1958
The Papal conclave of 1958 occurred following the death of Pope Pius XII on 9 October 1958 in Castel Gandolfo, after a 19-year pontificate. The conclave to elect his successor commenced on 25 October and ended three days later, on 28 October, after eleven ballots. The cardinal electors chose Angelo...
and 1963
Papal conclave, 1963
The Papal conclave of 1963 was convoked following the death of Pope John XXIII on June 3 of that same year in the Apostolic Palace. After the cardinal electors assembled in Rome, the conclave to elect John's successor began on June 19 and ended two days later, on June 21, after six ballots. The...
but lost his right to participate in further conclaves on January 1, 1971 as a result of Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
's motu proprio
Motu proprio
A motu proprio is a document issued by the Pope on his own initiative and personally signed by him....
Ingravescentem aetatem. When he died in 1982, Cardinal Motta was the longest-serving cardinal in the Church. He was the third-last surviving cardinal elevated by Pope Pius XII behind Paul-Émile Léger and Giuseppe Siri, and the last surviving cardinal elevated in the 1946 consistory.