Artur de Oliveira Santos[a] (22 January 1884 – 27 June 1955), was a Portuguese journalist and local politician, most widely known for being the Municipal Administrator of Ourém, in which the locality of Fátima is located, during the time of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fátima to three young shepherd children in 1917.
Artur de Oliveira Santos | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Municipal Administrator of Ourém | |
| In office 23 October 1915[1] – 28 February 1918[2] | |
| In office 24 April 1920[3] – 31 July 1920[4] | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 January 1884 Ourém, Kingdom of Portugal |
| Died | 27 June 1955 (aged 71) Lisbon, Portugal |
| Spouse | Idalina de Oliveira Santos |
| Occupation | Local politician |
| Signature |  |
Career
editAlthough he had little formal education, Artur Santos was made the editor the local newspaper Ouriense, in which he displayed his anti-monarchical and anti-religious opinions. In his twenties he was elected to the Masonic lodge of Leiria,[5] and then founded a separate Lodge at Vila Nova de Ourém, his native town. Shortly after that he was made Municipal Administrator of Ourém. This position was essentially an appointed mayor, a delegate of the central government who was tasked with, among other things, maintaining public order. It carried with it the additional titles of President of the Municipal Chamber (the town hall),[6] and Judge Substitute of Comarca.[6][7] Invested with the authority of all these titles, Santos was, at the time of the apparitions, the most influential man in his area of Portugal.[6]
Role in the Fátima apparitions
editArtur Santos was known for his hostility towards organized religion in general and Catholicism in particular. He was especially hostile with regards to the apparitions and repeatedly sent law enforcement officials to seek to impede public access to the site. He went so far as to kidnap the three children and place them in jail, in order to prevent them from proclaiming another apparition. Years later, Lucia would recall how the three had been jailed,[8] and that Santos had threatened the children with being boiled in oil unless they revealed to him the secret which they had reported receiving from the Lady.[9]
In his later years, Artur Santos professed to be a Christian, but denied going to Mass or Confession. He sent a letter to a newspaper stating his side of the story on the issue of having arrested the children. Although stripped of political offices in his later years, he took pride in the fame he once had, and asserted that he was known all over the world "and in Russia, too".[10]
Notes and references
edit- ^ "Nomeado administrador do concelho de Vila Nova de Ourem, Arthur de Oliveira Santos", 1915-10-23 - Torre do Tombo National Archive, Ministério do Interior, Decretos, mç. 229, cx. 41
- ^ "Exonerado de administrador do concelho de Vila Nova de Ourem, Artur de Oliveira Santos", 1918-02-28 - Torre do Tombo National Archive, Ministério do Interior, Decretos, mç. 235, cx. 49
- ^ "Nomeado administrador do concelho de Vila Nova de Ourem, Artur de Oliveira Santos", 1920-04-24 - Torre do Tombo National Archive, Ministério do Interior, Decretos, mç. 242, cx. 58
- ^ "Exonerado de administrador do concelho de Vila Nova de Ourem, Artur de Oliveira Santos", 1920-07-31 - Torre do Tombo National Archive, Ministério do Interior, Decretos, mç. 242, cx. 58
- ^ "Opposition to Fátima (Part I)". The Fátima Crusader (7): 12. Spring 1981. Archived from the original on 2006-06-02.
At twenty-six he joined the Grand Orient Masonic Lodge at Leiria.
- ^ a b c de Marchi, John [João] (1952). Fay, William (ed.). The Immaculate Heart: The true story of Our Lady of Fátima. New York: Farrar, Straus and Young. p. 87. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
... was, before long, mayor or administrator of the county. This carried with it the corollary titles of President of the Chamber and Judge Substitute of Comarca.
- ^ Germano, Vanda Suzana Santos (2011). O Administrador de Concelho [1835-1936]: Caso de estudo de Portimão [The Council Administrator [1835-1936]: Case study of Portimão] (Thesis).
- ^ "The children were kidnapped on the morning of the 13th by the Mayor of Vila Nova de Ourém, Artur Santos." The Apparitions at Fátima, Theotokos Catholic Books
- ^ John De Marchi, The Immaculate Heart: The True Story of Our Lady of Fatima, Farrar, Straus, and Young, New York, (1952), pp. 96-100.
- ^ Joseph Pelletier, The Sun Danced at Fatima, Doubleday, New York (1983), p. 226.
Notes
edit- ^ Alternatively rendered as Arthur d'Oliveira Santos, the standard spelling before the 1911 spelling reform.