Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Fortaleza

Archdiocese of Fortaleza

*Archidioecesis Fortalexiensis*

Arquidiocese de Fortaleza
Archdiocese of Fortaleza; Archidioecesis Fortalexiensis; Arquidiocese de Fortaleza
	Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Joseph
Location
Country	Brazil
Ecclesiastical province	Fortaleza
Statistics
Area	14,813 km2 (5,719 sq mi)
Population; - Total; - Catholics (including non-members)	(as of 2006); 3,487,000; 2,466,000 (70.7%)
Information
Rite	Latin Rite
Established	6 June 1854 (167 years ago)
Cathedral	Cathedral of St Joseph in Fortaleza
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Metropolitan Archbishop	José Antônio Aparecido Tosi Marques
Auxiliary Bishops	Rosalvo Cordeiro de Lima ; Valdemir Vicente Andrade Santos ; Júlio César Souza de Jesus
Bishops emeritus	Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus; Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus
Website
	www.arquidiocesedefortaleza.org.br

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Fortaleza (Latin: Archidioecesis Fortalexiensis) is an archdiocese located in the city of Fortaleza in Brazil.

History[]

On June 6, 1854, it was established by Pope Pius IX, as the Diocese of Ceará from the Diocese of Olinda. Formerly a part of the Diocese of Pernambuco, the district was erected into a separate diocese, suffragan to the Archdiocese of Bahia. João Guerino Gomes was named as first bishop but did not accept the appointment. Father Gomes, who was famous in his day both as an orator and as a philosopher, died in 1859. The first bishop, Luis Antonio dos Santos, founded the diocesan seminaries at Fortaleza and Crato, and, for the education of girls, the College of the Immaculate Conception, besides building the church of the Sacred Heart at Fortaleza.^[1] On November 10, 1915, it was promoted as the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Fortaleza.

Special churches[]

Basílica São Francisco das Chagas, Canindé

Bishops[]

Bishops of Ceará
- (28 September 1860 – 13 March 1881), appointed Archbishop of São Salvador da Bahia
- (9 August 1883 – 14 September 1912)
- Manoel da Silva Gomes (16 September 1912 – 10 November 1915)
Archbishops of Fortaleza
- (10 November 1915 – 24 May 1941)
- Antônio de Almeida Lustosa, S.D.B. (19 July 1941 – 16 February 1963)
- (10 May 1963 – 26 March 1973)
- Aloísio Lorscheider, O.F.M. (26 March 1973 – 12 July 1995), elevated to Cardinal in 1976; appointed Archbishop of Aparecida, Sao Paulo
- Cláudio Hummes, O.F.M. (26 May 1996 – 15 April 1998), appointed Archbishop of São Paulo (Cardinal in 2001)
- José Antônio Aparecido Tosi Marques (13 January 1999 – present)

Coadjutor bishop[]

(1908-1910), did not succeed to see; appointed Bishop of Alagôas

Auxiliary bishops[]

(1911-1912), appointed Bishop here
(1950-1953), appointed Bishop of Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte
(1953-1959), appointed Bishop of Patos, Paraiba
(1957-1991)
, C.S.Sp. (1964-1984); Archbishop (personal title)
Miguel Fenelon Câmara Filho (1970-1974), appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Maceió, Alagoas
(1974-1994), appointed Bishop of Limoeiro do Norte, Ceara
, O.F.M. Cap. (1992-1997)
, O.F.M. Cap. (1995-2004)
Sérgio da Rocha (2001-2007), appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Teresina, Piaui; future Cardinal
(2001-2003), appointed Bishop of Picos, Piaui
, C.SS.R. (2006-2012), appointed Bishop of Pesqueira, Pernambuco
(2011-
(2012-2015), appointed Bishop of Sobral, Ceara
(2018-
(2018-

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops[]

, appointed Bishop of São Luís do Maranhão in 1901
, appointed Bishop of Piaui in 1913 (did not take effect); appointed Bishop of Crato, Ceara in 1915

Suffragan dioceses[]

References[]

^ http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/Diocese_of_Fortaleza

Sources[]

Coordinates: 3°43′29″S 38°31′28″W / 3.7247°S 38.5244°W / -3.7247; -38.5244

[1] ttp://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/Diocese_of_Fortaleza

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