Alexandre do Nascimento

Alexandre do Nascimento (born 1 March 1925) is an Angolan Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Luanda from 1986 to 2001 and was made a cardinal in 1983.

His Eminence

Alexandre do Nascimento
Cardinal, Archbishop Emeritus of Luanda
ArchdioceseLuanda
Appointed16 February 1986
Term ended23 January 2001
PredecessorEduardo André Muaca
SuccessorDamião António Franklin
Other postsCardinal-Priest of San Marco in Agro Laurentino
Orders
Ordination20 December 1952
by Luigi Traglia
Consecration31 August 1975
by Giovanni De Andrea
Created cardinal2 February 1983
by Pope John Paul II
RankCardinal-Priest
Personal details
Birth nameAlexandre do Nascimento
Born (1925-03-01) 1 March 1925
Malanje, Portuguese Angola
NationalityAngolan
DenominationRoman Catholic
Previous post
Alma materPontifical Gregorian University
Mottoturres fortissima nomen domini
Coat of arms
Styles of
Alexandre do Nascimento
Reference styleHis Eminence
Spoken styleYour Eminence
Informal styleCardinal
SeeLuanda (emeritus)

Biography

Born in Malanje, do Nascimento studied at the seminaries in Banglas, Malanje, and Luanda before traveling to Rome in 1948 to study at the Pontifical Gregorian University, from where he obtained his baccalaureate in philosophy and his licentiate in theology. He was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Luigi Traglia on 20 December 1952, and then taught dogmatic theology at the Luanda seminary and served as chief editor of the Catholic newspaper O apostolado until 1956, whence he became preacher of the metropolitan cathedral.

In 1961, with the outbreak of the War of Independence, Nascimento was forced to enter exile in Lisbon. Whilst in Portugal, he did pastoral work, served as a counselor to the Movement of Teams of Our Lady, and studied civil law at the Classical University. Upon returning to Angola in 1971, he taught moral theology at the Pius XII Institute of Social Sciences, and served as an official of the archdiocesan curia of Lubango, secretary general of the Angolan Cáritas, and special assistant to students and former political prisoners.

On 10 August 1975, Nascimento was appointed the fourth bishop of Malanje by Pope Paul VI. He received his episcopal consecration on the following 31 August from Archbishop Giovanni De Andrea, with Archbishops Manuel Nunes Gabriel and Eduardo Muaca serving as co-consecrators. Nascimento was Vice-President of the Angolan Episcopal Conference from 1975 to 1981, and was named the third Archbishop of Lubango on 3 February 1977. Archbishop do Nascimento was kidnapped by guerrillas during a pastoral visit on 15 October 1982; he was later freed on 16 November of that same year after Pope John Paul II made an appeal for his release.

John Paul II created him Cardinal-Priest of S. Marco in Agro Laurentino in the consistory of 2 February 1983. He preached the Lenten spiritual exercises for the Pope and members of the Roman Curia in 1984. He was appointed the thirty-fourth Archbishop of Luanda on 16 February 1986 and resigned this post on 23 January 2001.

Nascimento was unable to participate in the 2005 papal conclave because he had just turned 80.

  • "do Nascimento Card. Alexandre". Holy See Press Office. Archived from the original on 4 September 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  • Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church
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