João Braz de Aviz
His Eminence João Braz de Aviz | ||
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Cardinal Prefect of the Reference style His Eminence | | |
Spoken style | Your Eminence | |
Informal style | Cardinal |
João Braz de Aviz (Brazilian Portuguese:
Early life and education
Aviz was born in
Priesthood
Aviz was ordained a priest 26 November 1972. He began his ministry as a parish priest in the
Episcopate
On 6 April 1994, he was appointed to the
Roman curia
On 4 January 2011, Aviz, not a member of a religious order, was appointed prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.[2][a] He is the fourth Brazilian to head a Vatican department.[b]
In February 2011, Aviz said he almost abandoned the seminary and the Catholic Church because of the ideological excesses that emerged in the early years of liberation theology. He said in an interview that "Personally, I lived with a lot of anguish during the years of the birth of liberation theology". He said he appreciated that liberation theology promoted the preferential option for the poor, which represents "the church's sincere and responsible concern for the vast phenomenon of social exclusion." He said consecrated men and women need to explore more deeply the mystery of God to strengthen their relationships with others.[3]
In July 2011, he referred to a breakdown in trust between the Vatican and many religious orders because of "some positions taken previously", referring to his predecessor, Cardinal Franc Rode, who decried a "crisis" in religious life following the Second Vatican Council (1962–65) which he believed to have fostered excessively liberalizing currents in some communities of religious. Braz said that he recognizes there are problems, but his main aim is to "rebuild trust" by approaching issues in a new way, "without preemptive condemnations" and "by listening to people's concerns."[4]
In his memoirs, published in 2022, Cardinal Rode recounts his astonishment at hearing of the appointment of Braz as his successor. The first to inform him of Braz was
Pope Benedict made him a cardinal on 18 February 2012,
On 16 December 2013, Pope Francis named him a member of the
On 4 March 2022, he was elevated to the rank of cardinal priest.[11]
Notes
- ^ Since 1973, prelates ordained for religious orders and for dioceses have alternated in holding the post of prefect of the congregation overseeing religious in the Catholic Church. In the past 100 years, 11 of the 18 prefects did not belong to a religious order.
- Congregation for Clergy from 2006 to 2010.[2]
References
- ^ Allen Jr., John L. (5 July 2011). "Vatican's point man for religious life: 'We've started to listen again'". National Catholic Reporter.
- ^ a b Allen Jr., John L. (6 January 2011). "New Vatican head of religious life comes without agenda". National Catholic Reporter.
- ^ Glatz, Carol (2 February 2011). "Liberation theology nearly drove Brazilian archbishop from church". Catholic News Agency. Archived from the original on 20 August 2016.
- ^ Allen, Jr., John L. (5 July 2011). "Vatican's point man for religious life: 'We've started to listen again'". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
- ISBN 978-961-278-503-1.
- ^ Otterman, Sharon (18 February 2012). "Dolan Among 22 New Cardinals, as Trend Favors Vatican Insiders". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
- ^ "Rinunce e Nomine" (in Italian). Sala Stampa della Santa Sede. 21 July 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
- ^ Heneghan, Tom (11 February 2013). "With Benedict resigning, can Latin American claim papacy?". Reuters. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
- ^ "Pope: Runners and riders". BBC. 8 March 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
- ^ "Pontifical Acts – 16 December". Vatican Network News. 16 December 2013. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ^ "Ordinary Public Consistory for the vote on some Causes for Canonization" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 4 March 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
External links
- "Aviz Card. João Braz de". Holy See Press Office. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2017.