José Cardoso Sobrinho is the Archbishop Emeritus of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Olinda e Recife

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Olinda e Recife is an archdiocese located in the cities of Olinda and Recife in Brazil.-History:* 1614: Established as Territorial Prelature of Pernambuco from the Diocese of São Salvador da Bahia de Todos os Santos...

 of the cities of Olinda

Olinda

Olinda is a historic city in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco, located on the country's northeastern Atlantic Ocean coast, just north of Recife and south of Paulista...

 and Recife

Recife

Recife is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Brazil with 4,136,506 inhabitants, the largest metropolitan area of the North/Northeast Regions, the 5th-largest metropolitan influence area in Brazil, and the capital and largest city of the state of Pernambuco. The population of the city proper...

 in 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...

ian state of Pernambuco

Pernambuco

Pernambuco is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. To the north are the states of Paraíba and Ceará, to the west is Piauí, to the south are Alagoas and Bahia, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. There are about of beaches, some of the most beautiful in the...

.

He joined the Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Carmelites

The Order of the Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel or Carmelites is a Catholic religious order perhaps founded in the 12th century on Mount Carmel, hence its name. However, historical records about its origin remain uncertain...

 in 1957 and was appointed bishop of Paracatu

Paracatu

Paracatu may refer to:*Paracatu, Minas Gerais, a city and a municipality in Minas Gerais state, Brazil*Paracatu River, a river near the city of Paracatu...

 in 1979. Sobrinho is the successor of Don Helder Camara

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....

 and had the task of un-doing the influence of liberation theology

Liberation theology

Liberation theology is a Christian movement in political theology which interprets the teachings of Jesus Christ in terms of a liberation from unjust economic, political, or social conditions...

 in that region of Brazil.

2009 excommunication

In 2009, Sobrinho excommunicated, or rather declared excommunicated (since according to canon law, latae sententiae

Latae sententiae

Latæ sententiæ is a Latin term used in the canon law of the Catholic Church meaning literally "given sentence".Officially, a latae sententiae penalty follows automatically, by force of the law itself, when the law is contravened....

 excommunication is automatic), the mother and doctors of a 9 year-old girl for carrying out an abortion

Abortion

Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...

 on the girl's twin fetuses, after she was raped by her own stepfather, something that had been happening since she was six years old. The affair shocked the Brazilian government and provoked disgust from President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , known popularly as Lula, served as the 35th President of Brazil from 2003 to 2010.A founding member of the Workers' Party , he ran for President three times unsuccessfully, first in the 1989 election. Lula achieved victory in the 2002 election, and was inaugurated as...

.

Speaking for the Holy See, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re defended the action.

Regarding his statement that excommunication had been incurred, Sobrinho stated:
A letter written by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , previously known as the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition , and after 1904 called the Supreme...

 was released in the aftermath of the controversy in order to re-affirm Church teaching on procured abortion and assure the public that this teaching had not changed and could not be changed.

Retirement

His resignation was accepted having reached the canonical age limit after turning 75 in 2008. His successor is Antônio Fernando Saburido, previously Bishop of Sobral

Roman Catholic Diocese of Sobral

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sobral is a diocese located in the city of Sobral in the Ecclesiastical province of Fortaleza in Brazil.-Leadership:* Bishops of Sobral ** Bishop Fernando Antônio Saburido, O.S.B....

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