Frei Tito
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Tito de Alencar Lima, O.P. (better known as Frei Tito; 14 September 1945 – 10 August 1974) was a Brazilian
Dominican friar The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilian priest named Dominic de Guzmán. It was approved by Pope Honorius ...
who was severely
torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons including corporal punishment, punishment, forced confession, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimid ...
d during his country's rule by a
military dictatorship A military dictatorship, or a military regime, is a type of dictatorship in which Power (social and political), power is held by one or more military officers. Military dictatorships are led by either a single military dictator, known as a Polit ...
. This torture eventually led to his suicide.


Biography

Lima was born in 1945 in
Fortaleza Fortaleza ( ; ; ) is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeastern Brazil. It is Brazil's 4th largest city—Fortaleza surpassed Salvador, Bahia, Salvador in 2022 census with a population of slightly over 2.4 mi ...
to Ildefonso Rodrigues Lima and Laura de Alencar. He later studied at
Liceu do Ceará The Gran Teatre del Liceu (; ; ), or simply Liceu, is a theater in Barcelona, Spain. Situated on La Rambla, it is the city's oldest theater building still in use for its original purpose. Founded in 1837 at another location, the Liceu ope ...
high school, where he was active in the Association of Catholic Students movement, which was the youth branch of
Catholic Action Catholic Action is a movement of Catholic laity, lay people within the Catholic Church which advocates for increased Catholic influence on society. Catholic Action groups were especially active in the nineteenth century in historically Catholic cou ...
. He became the regional director of the movement in 1963 and went to live in
Recife Recife ( , ) is the Federative units of Brazil, state capital of Pernambuco, Brazil, on the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of South America. It is the largest urban area within both the North Region, Brazil, North and the Northeast R ...
. The following year, he became active in the growing resistance and demonstrations against the
military government A military government is any government that is administered by a military, whether or not this government is legal under the laws of the jurisdiction at issue or by an occupying power. It is usually administered by military personnel. Types of m ...
which had seized control of the country. In 1966 Lima was accepted into the
novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...
of the
Dominican Order The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic Church, Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilians, Castilian priest named Saint Dominic, Dominic de Gu ...
in
Belo Horizonte Belo Horizonte is the List of largest cities in Brazil, sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population of around 2.3 million, and the third largest metropolitan area, containing a population of 6 million. It is the List of cities in Sout ...
. He completed this stage of initiation in the Order on 10 February of the following year. He was then sent to study Philosophy at USP, the University of São Paulo, living in the Perdizes Convent of the Dominican Order in São Paulo. In October 1968, Lima was arrested for the first time by forces of the dictatorship for participating in the XX Congress of the National Union of Students in
Ibiúna Ibiúna is a municipality in the state of São Paulo (state), São Paulo in Brazil. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of Sorocaba. The population is 79,479 (2020 est.) in an area of 1058.08 km2. The elevation is 860 m. Geography Located ...
,
São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
. On November 4, 1969, Lima was arrested along with several other members of the Dominican Order, such as
Frei Betto Carlos Alberto Libânio Christo (born 1944), better known as Frei Betto, is a Brazilian writer, political activist, philosopher, liberation theologian, and Dominican friar. Life Frei Betto was born on 25 August 1944 in Belo Horizonte. At the ...
, by
political police 300px, East_German.html" ;"title="Vladimir Putin's secret police identity card, issued by the East German">Vladimir Putin's secret police identity card, issued by the East German Stasi while he was working as a Soviet KGB liaison officer from 19 ...
officer
Sérgio Paranhos Fleury Sérgio Fernando Paranhos Fleury (19 May 1933 – reported deceased as of 1 May 1979) was a Brazilian police deputy during the Brazilian military dictatorship. He was chief of ''DOPS'', the Brazilian "", which had a major role during the years ...
of the Department of Political and Social Order (DOPS, ). During approximately a whole month, he was severely tortured in the headquarters of DOPS, before being taken to the
Tiradentes Joaquim José da Silva Xavier (; 12 November 1746 – 21 April 1792), known as Tiradentes (), was a leading member of the Colonial Brazil, colonial Brazilian revolutionary movement known as the Inconfidência Mineira, whose aim was full i ...
military garrison. In early 1970, at the height of the repression, Lima was tortured in the headquarters of the DOPS as a part of the ''Bandeirantes'' Operation (which consisted of the financing of torture by high-profile businessmen). In prison, he wrote a letter about his torture which became a symbol in the
human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...
movement. In 1971, Lima was deported to Chile and, fearing for his life with the fall of
Salvador Allende Salvador Guillermo Allende Gossens (26 June 1908 – 11 September 1973) was a Chilean socialist politician who served as the 28th president of Chile from 1970 until Death of Salvador Allende, his death in 1973 Chilean coup d'état, 1973. As a ...
, he fled to Italy. In
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
, he was unable to find support from the Catholic Church, as he was considered a "terrorist friar". He then moved to
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, where he was welcomed by the community of Dominican friars at the new Couvent Saint-Jacques. At this point, Lima's
mental health Mental health is often mistakenly equated with the absence of mental illness. However, mental health refers to a person's overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how individuals think, feel, and behave, and how t ...
was very unstable as a result of the torture he suffered in Brazil. The abuses led him to persecution mania; he constantly feared a re-encounter with Fleury and his other torturers. He submitted to psychiatric treatment, but the psychological suffering he had endured led him to hang himself on August 10, 1974.''38 anos sem Frei Tito - 38 years without Frei Tito''
/ref>


Movie

The movie '' Batismo de Sangue'' (''Baptism of Blood'') tells the story of Tito and other priests' torture during the military regime.


See also

*
Frei Betto Carlos Alberto Libânio Christo (born 1944), better known as Frei Betto, is a Brazilian writer, political activist, philosopher, liberation theologian, and Dominican friar. Life Frei Betto was born on 25 August 1944 in Belo Horizonte. At the ...
* Sister Maurina * ''Baptism of Blood'' (film) * Cidadão Boilesen (2009)


References


External links

*
"Um homem torturado - análise psicanalítica da degradação que Frei Tito sofreu com a tortura" ("A tortured man - psychoanalytic analysis of the degradation Frei Tito suffered as a result of torture")
from the Brazilian site of the Dominican Order {{DEFAULTSORT:Tito, Frei 1945 births 1974 suicides 1974 deaths People from Fortaleza Brazilian Dominicans Liberation theologians Brazilian torture victims Suicides by hanging in France 20th-century Brazilian Roman Catholic priests Dead and missing in the fight against the military dictatorship in Brazil (1964–1985)