Manoel Ceia Laranjeira (1903–1994) was a Brazilian

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of the

Independent Catholicism Independent Catholicism is an independent sacramental movement of clergy and laity who self-identify as Catholic (most often as Old Catholic or as Independent Catholic) and form "micro-churches claiming apostolic succession and valid sacr ...

movement, particularly the

Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church The Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church (, ; ICAB) is an Independent Catholicism, Independent Catholic Christian denomination, Christian church established in 1945 by Excommunication in the Catholic Church, excommunicated Catholic Church in Brazi ...

Biography

Laranjeira was in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

at an unknown date in 1903. He was ordained a priest and consecrated a Roman Catholic

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

, where he was still active until the early 1990s. Manoel Ceia Laranjeira converted to the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church and was ordained a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

by excommunicated

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

Carlos Duarte Costa in 1947. He was consecrated

Salomão Barbosa Ferraz Salomão Barbosa Ferraz (18 February 1880 – 09 May 1969) was a Brazilian Roman Catholic priest and bishop whose career took him through membership of several Christian denominations from the Presbyterian Church to the Roman Catholic Church. ...

(who become

later) in 1951; after

's submission to the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...

, Laranjeira led the Brazilian Free Catholic Church as Ferraz's successor and renamed the movement the Independent Catholic Apostolic Church of Brazil, which was officially registered on August 25, 1966. Laranjeira died at an unknown date in 1994 from an unknown cause. He was succeeded by Dom Lapercio Eudes Moreira and in turn by the current head of the movement, Dom Paulo Ferreira Da Silva as Patriarch and Dom Roberto Garrido Padin as Diocesan Bishop of

Salvador de Bahia Salvador () is a Municipalities of Brazil, Brazilian municipality and capital city of the Federative units of Brazil, state of Bahia. Situated in the Zona da Mata in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of Brazil, Salvador is recognize ...

References

* Edward Jarvis, ''God Land & Freedom, The True Story of ICAB,'' Apocryphile Press, Berkeley CA, 2018 * https://web.archive.org/web/20190504165034/http://igrejacatolicaindependente.com.br/
Independent Movement Database
Brazilian bishops 20th-century Brazilian clergy Former Roman Catholics Bishops of the Free Catholic Church 20th-century bishops 1903 births 1994 deaths {{Brazil-RC-bishop-stub