Roman Catholic Diocese of Funchal
Encyclopedia
The Diocese of Funchal
was created originally on January 12, 1514, through the bull
Pro excellenti præeminentia of Pope Leo X
, following the elevation of Funchal
from a village
to the status of town
(cidade), by King Manuel I of Portugal
(royal mandate of August 21, 1508). The new diocese was dependent on (suffragan) the Archdiocese of Lisbon
.
Nineteen years later, on January 31, 1533, it was elevated to Archiepiscopal rank, becoming during twenty two years, the largest Metropolitan Archdiocese (territorial) in the world, where it had the following suffragan dioceses: Azores, Brazil, Africa and Goa. The first (and only) Archbishop was D. Martinho of Portugal (with the title of Primate
). On July 3, 1551, a restructuring of the dioceses of Portugal and the Portuguese empire, led to the extinction of the Archdiocese of Funchal and its return to status as a diocese. In 1570, Funchal was made a suffragan of Archdiocese of Lisbon (later Patriarchate), as it remains today.
None of the first three bishops appointed ever physically visited to Madeira; only the fourth, Frei Jorge de Lemos, went to take personally the Cathedra of bishop.
Until the 20th century, the bishops of Funchal used the title of Bishops of Madeira, of Porto Santo, of Desertas and of Arguim. The seat of the Diocese of Funchal is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption (Sé Catedral de Nossa Senhora da Assunção)
.
On March 8, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI
appointed José Cavaco Carrilho as Bishop of Funchal, until then Auxiliary Bishop of Porto
.
Funchal
Funchal is the largest city, the municipal seat and the capital of Portugal's Autonomous Region of Madeira. The city has a population of 112,015 and has been the capital of Madeira for more than five centuries.-Etymology:...
was created originally on January 12, 1514, through the bull
Papal bull
A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it....
Pro excellenti præeminentia of Pope Leo X
Pope Leo X
Pope Leo X , born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, was the Pope from 1513 to his death in 1521. He was the last non-priest to be elected Pope. He is known for granting indulgences for those who donated to reconstruct St. Peter's Basilica and his challenging of Martin Luther's 95 Theses...
, following the elevation of Funchal
Funchal
Funchal is the largest city, the municipal seat and the capital of Portugal's Autonomous Region of Madeira. The city has a population of 112,015 and has been the capital of Madeira for more than five centuries.-Etymology:...
from a village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
to the status of town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
(cidade), by King Manuel I of Portugal
Manuel I of Portugal
Manuel I , the Fortunate , 14th king of Portugal and the Algarves was the son of Infante Ferdinand, Duke of Viseu, , by his wife, Infanta Beatrice of Portugal...
(royal mandate of August 21, 1508). The new diocese was dependent on (suffragan) the Archdiocese of Lisbon
Patriarch of Lisbon
The Patriarch of Lisbon is an honorary title possessed by the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Lisbon.The first patriarch of Lisbon was D. Tomás de Almeida, who was appointed in 1716 by Pope Clement XI...
.
Nineteen years later, on January 31, 1533, it was elevated to Archiepiscopal rank, becoming during twenty two years, the largest Metropolitan Archdiocese (territorial) in the world, where it had the following suffragan dioceses: Azores, Brazil, Africa and Goa. The first (and only) Archbishop was D. Martinho of Portugal (with the title of Primate
Primate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
). On July 3, 1551, a restructuring of the dioceses of Portugal and the Portuguese empire, led to the extinction of the Archdiocese of Funchal and its return to status as a diocese. In 1570, Funchal was made a suffragan of Archdiocese of Lisbon (later Patriarchate), as it remains today.
None of the first three bishops appointed ever physically visited to Madeira; only the fourth, Frei Jorge de Lemos, went to take personally the Cathedra of bishop.
Until the 20th century, the bishops of Funchal used the title of Bishops of Madeira, of Porto Santo, of Desertas and of Arguim. The seat of the Diocese of Funchal is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption (Sé Catedral de Nossa Senhora da Assunção)
Cathedral of Funchal
The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption in Sé, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Funchal, which encompasses all of the Autonomous Region of Madeira. The late fifteenth-century cathedral is one of the few structures that survives virtually intact since...
.
On March 8, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
appointed José Cavaco Carrilho as Bishop of Funchal, until then Auxiliary Bishop of Porto
Porto
Porto , also known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal and one of the major urban areas in the Iberian Peninsula. Its administrative limits include a population of 237,559 inhabitants distributed within 15 civil parishes...
.
Bishops of Funchal
- 3. D. Frei Gaspar (I) do Casal (1551-1556)
- 4. D. Frei Jorge de Lemos (1556-1569)
- 5. D. Frei de Távora (1569-1573)
- 6. D. Jerónimo (I) Barreto (1573-1585)
- 7. D. Luís (I) de Figueiredo e Lemos (1585-1608)
- 8. D. Frei Lourenço de Távora (1610-1617)
- 9. D. Jerónimo (II) Fernando (1619-1650)
- 10. D. Frei Gabriel de Almeida (1670-1674)
- 11. D. Frei António (I) Teles da Silva (1674-1682)
- 12. D. Estêvão Brioso de Figueiredo (1683-1689)
- 13. D. Frei José (I) de Santa Maria (1690-1696)
- 14. D. José (I) de Sousa Castelo Branco (1698-1725)
- 15. D. Frei Manuel (I) Coutinho (1725-1741)
- 16. D. Frei João (I) do Nascimento (1741-1753)
- 17. D. Gaspar (II) Afonso da Costa Brandão (1756-1784)
- 18. D. José (III) da Costa Torres (1784-1796)
- 19. D. Luís (II) Rodrigues Vilares (1796-1811)
- 20. D. João (II) Joaquim Bernardino de Brito (1817-1819)
- 21. D. Francisco (I) José Rodrigues de Andrade (1821-1838)
- 22. D. José (IV) Xavier de Cerveira e Sousa (1844-1849)
- 23. D. Manuel (II) Martins Manso (1849-1858)
- 24. D. Patrício Xavier de Moura (1859-1872)
- 25. D. Aires de Ornelas e VasconcelosAires de Ornelas e VasconcelosAires de Ornelas e Vasconcelos was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Goa.He was born September 18, 1837 in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, a son of Aires de Ornelas e Vasconcelos Esmeraldo Rolim de Moura and wife Augusta Correia Vasques Salvago de Brito de Olival...
(1872-1874) - 26. D. Manuel (III) Agostinho Barreto (1876-1911)
- 27. D. António (II) Manuel Pereira Ribeiro (1914-1957)
- 28. D. Frei David de Sousa, O.F.M. (1957-1965)
- 29. D. João (III) António da Silva Saraiva (1965-1972)
- 30. D. Francisco (II) Antunes Santana (1974-1982)
- 31. D. Teodoro de Faria (1982-2007)
- 32. D. José Cavaco Carrilho (2007 - present)
External links
- Diocese do Funchal - Catholic Hierarchy
- Diocese do Funchal - gcatholic
- Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption - gcatholic
- Diocese do Funchal - Catholic Encyclopedia