António Mendes Belo (18 June 1842 – 5 August 1929) was a Portuguese prelate of the Catholic Church, who served as Patriarch of Lisbon from 1907 until his death. He was made a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church in 1911, though his elevation to that rank was not announced until 1914. He was Auxiliary Bishop of Lisbon from 1884 to 1888 and Archbishop of Faro from 1888 to 1906.


António Mendes Belo
Cardinal, Patriarch of Lisbon
Belo pictured in 1910
ChurchRoman Catholic Church
ArchdioceseLisbon
SeeLisbon
Appointed19 December 1907
Installed5 March 1908
Term ended5 August 1929
PredecessorJosé Sebastião Neto
SuccessorManuel Gonçalves Cerejeira
Other post(s)Cardinal-Priest of Santi Marcellino e Pietro (1914–29)
Previous post(s)
Orders
Ordination10 June 1865
Consecration27 April 1884
by José Sebastião Neto
Created cardinal27 November 1911 (in pectore)
25 May 1914 (revealed)
by Pope Pius X
RankCardinal-Priest
Personal details
Born
António Mendes Belo

18 June 1842
São Pedro, Gouveia, Guarda, Portugal
Died5 August 1929(1929-08-05) (aged 87)
Lisbon, Portugal
Alma materUniversity of Coimbra
Styles of
António Mendes Belo
Reference styleHis Eminence
Spoken styleYour Eminence
Informal styleCardinal
SeeLisbon

Biography

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António Mendes Belo was born at São Pedro, Gouveia, (District of Guarda), Portugal. He was son of Miguel Mendes Belo and wife Rosalina dos Santos de Almeida da Mota. He was educated at the Seminary of Coimbra, and later at the University of Coimbra where he earned a licentiate in canon law. He received minor orders on 21 December 1860, the subdiaconate on 21 May 1864 and the diaconate on 17 December 1864.

He was ordained on 10 June 1865. From 1865 to 1884 he was vicar general of Funchal and from 1865 to 1871, professor of theology at the Seminary of Pinhel[a] He did pastoral work in the parish of Espinheiro. He was vicar general of the diocese of Pinhel from 1874 until 1881 and of the Diocese of Aveiro in 1881. He was also vicar general of Lisbon from 1881 until 1884.

He was appointed titular archbishop of Mitylene and Auxiliary bishop of Lisbon on 24 March 1884 by Pope Leo XIII. He was consecrated on 27 April of that year. He was transferred to the Diocese of Faro with title of Archbishop ad personam on 13 November 1884. He was named patriarch of Lisbon on 19 December 1907 by Pope Pius X.

He was made a cardinal in pectore on 27 November 1911. He had been expelled from Lisbon earlier that year for an infraction of the law of the separation of Church and State.[1] during which time he resided in Gouveia. The government relaxed its anticlerical campaign and allowed him to return to Lisbon in 1913.[2] His elevation to the rank of Cardinal-Priest of Ss. Marcellino e Pietro was published on 25 May 1914.[3] He received the red hat from Pope Benedict XV on 8 September 1914.

He participated in the conclave of 1914 that elected Pope Benedict XV. He was a member of Portuguese Academy of Sciences in 1922. He participated in the conclave of 1922 that elected Pope Pius XI. He was made the 568th Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Our Lady of Concepcion of Vila Viçosa. He died in Lisbon in 1929.

Notes

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  1. ^ This diocese was suppressed on 30 September 1881 and its territory incorporated into the Diocese of Guarda.

References

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  1. ^ Murray, Joseph J. (October 1914). "Creation and Reservation in petto". The Ecclesiastical Review. LI (4): 443. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  2. ^ Marques, Ricardo (2014). 1914 Portugal no ano da Grande Guerra (in Portuguese). Leya. ISBN 9789897411298. Retrieved 21 July 2018.[page needed]
  3. ^ Murphy, Joseph J. (October 1914). "Pius X and the Cardinalate". The Ecclesiastical Review. LI. Philadelphia: The Dolphin Press: 440ff. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bishop of Faro
13 November 1884 – 19 December 1907
Succeeded by
Preceded by Patriarch of Lisbon
19 December 1907 – 5 August 1929
Succeeded by