The Ordinariate of Brazil for the faithful of the Eastern rite or Brazil of the Eastern Rite ( Portuguese: Ordinariato para os Fiéis de Ritos Orientais no Brasil) is an

ordinariate In the organisation of the Catholic Church and of the Anglican Communion an ordinariate is a pre- or pseudo-diocesan ecclesiastical structure, of geographical or personal nature, headed by an ordinary who is not necessarily a bishop. An ordinaria ...

(

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

-like structure of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

) for the

Eastern Catholics The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also known as the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous ('' sui iuris'') particular churches of ...

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 ...

without proper jurisdiction of their own

particular church In metaphysics, particulars or individuals are usually contrasted with ''universals''. Universals concern features that can be exemplified by various different particulars. Particulars are often seen as concrete, spatiotemporal entities as opposed ...

es ''

sui iuris ''Sui iuris'' (), also spelled ''sui juris'', is a Latin phrase that literally means "of one's own right". It is used in both the Catholic Church's canon law and secular law. The term church ''sui iuris'' is used in the Catholic ''Code of Canon ...

''. It is immediately exempt to the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

and its Roman Congregation for the Oriental Churches, not part of any

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian churches, including those of both Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity, that have traditional hierarchical structures. An ecclesiastical province consist ...

. The ordinariate is headquartered Rua Cosme Velho 470, 20241-090

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil and currently governed by

Walmor Oliveira de Azevedo Walmor Oliveira de Azevedo (born 26 April 1954) is a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as auxiliary bishop of São Salvador da Bahia from 1998 till 2004, when he became archbishop of Belo Horizonte. In 2010 he also became bishop fo ...

, (Latin) Metropolitan Archbishop of Belo Horizonte, but not vested in a particular see.

History

The Ordinariate was erected on 14 November 1951 with the papal decree ''Cum fidelium'' of the

Congregation for the Oriental Churches The Dicastery for the Eastern Churches (also called the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches), previously named the Congregation for the Oriental Churches or Congregation for the Eastern Churches (), is a dicastery of the Roman Curia responsible f ...

, which gave effect to a decision ex audientia of

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...

took on 26 October 1950, as Ordinariato para os Fiéis de Ritos Orientais no Brasil. The same decree appointed the archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Jaime de Barros Câmara, as its first

ordinary Ordinary or The Ordinary often refer to: Music * ''Ordinary'' (EP) (2015), by South Korean group Beast * ''Ordinary'' (album) (2011), by Every Little Thing * "Ordinary" (Alex Warren song) (2025) * "Ordinary" (Two Door Cinema Club song) (2016 ...

. On April 13, 1952 Barros Câmara inaugurated the ordinariate, appointed Francisco Nogueira Bessa as General Secretary of the same and created a system of general vicariates for the 3 major communities, each with its general guard: Elias Gorayeb for the Maronites, Archimandrite

Elias Coueter Elias Coueter (born 15 August 1896 in Damascus, Syria, - died on 16 June 1985) was bishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church and first eparch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Nossa Senhora do Paraíso em São Paulo for all Melkites in Bra ...

for the Greek Melkites and Clemente Preima for the Ukrainians. Since the establishment of the ordinariate, several Eastern Catholic churches have erected proper ecclesiastical jurisdictions within Brazil, with members now falling under these new jurisdictions: * On 30 May 1962 for the faithful of the

Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) is a Major archiepiscopal church, major archiepiscopal ''sui iuris'' ("autonomous") Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Catholic church that is based in Ukraine. As a particular church of the Cathol ...

was erected an

Apostolic Exarchate An exarch (; from Ancient Greek ἔξαρχος ''exarchos'') was the holder of any of various historical offices, some of them being political or military and others being ecclesiastical. In the late Roman Empire and early Byzantine Empire, ...

(today

Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of São João Batista em Curitiba The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Archparchy or Archdiocese of (São João Batista em) Curitiba () is a Ukrainian Greek Catholic archeparchy located in the city of Curitiba, which is also the Metropolitan see of a Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical provin ...

), ** which also got a suffragan, the

Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Imaculada Conceição in Prudentópolis The Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of the Imaculada Conceição in Prudentópolis (or Imaculada Conceição in Prudentópolis of the Ukrainians) is a Ukrainian Greek Catholic (Byzantine Rite, Ukrainian language) eparchy (diocese) in the ecclesiastica ...

* On 29 November 1971 were erected ** the Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of São Paulo for the faithful of the

Maronite Church The Maronite Church (; ) is an Eastern Catholic '' sui iuris'' particular church in full communion with the pope and the worldwide Catholic Church, with self-governance under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. The head of the Maronit ...

(

Antiochene Rite The Antiochene or Antiochian Rite refers to the family of liturgies originally used by the patriarch of Antioch. It includes the Liturgy of St James in Greek and Syriac, as well as other West Syriac Anaphoras. Liturgy of the Apostolic Consti ...

) ** the

Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Nossa Senhora do Paraíso em São Paulo Eparchy of Nossa Senhora do Paraíso em São Paulo () is an eparchy located in the city of São Paulo in the ecclesiastical province of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of São Paulo, São Paulo in Brazil. Territory and statistics The eparchy inclu ...

for the

Melkite Greek Catholic Church The Melkite Greek Catholic Church (, ''Kanīsat ar-Rūm al-Malakiyyīn al-Kāṯūlīk''; ; ), also known as the Melkite Byzantine Catholic Church, is an Eastern Catholic church in full communion with the Holy See as part of the worldwide Catho ...

Byzantine Rite The Byzantine Rite, also known as the Greek Rite or the Rite of Constantinople, is a liturgical rite that is identified with the wide range of cultural, devotional, and canonical practices that developed in the Eastern Christianity, Eastern Chri ...

). * On 3 July 1981 was erected ** the Armenian Catholic Apostolic Exarchate of Latin America and Mexico, with cathedral see in São Paulo; also covering Mexico and Uruguay (with co-cathedral in Montevideo).

Territory and statistics

The ordinariate includes all the faithful of the eastern rite of Brazil without their own jurisdiction. Its seat was the city of Rio de Janeiro, but its current headquarters is the city of Belo Horizonte, because since 2010 its ordinary is the metropolitan archbishop of Belo Horizonte Walmor Oliveira de Azevedo. Previously, the previous 3 ordinary were archbishops of Rio de Janeiro and the headquarters was in this city. As per 1998 it pastorally served 10,000 baptized Eastern Catholic Brazilians in 4 parishes with 5 priests (2 diocesan, 3 religious) and 3 lay religious brothers.

Parishes

At present it only attends Syriac Catholic faithful, who have a parish, but the small communities of Italian-Albanian and Russian faithful dispersed and the faithful of other rites are insignificant in number and dispersed. Although the 2016 Pontifical Yearbook mentions the existence of 4 parishes in the Ordinariate, but there is only one Eastern Catholic parish in Belo Horizonte, known as Igreja do Sagrado Coração de Jesus dos Siríacos Católicos, whose parish priest, George Rateb Massis, is the Syriac Catholic vicar of the ordinariate. The Capela Nossa Senhora da Anunciação of Ipiranga in

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 ...

belonged since 1954 to the Ordinariate as a Russian Catholic mission, but after the death in 2005 of its parish priest, João Stoisser, its few remnant faithful become part of the Moscow Patriarchate of the

Russian Orthodox Church The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC; ;), also officially known as the Moscow Patriarchate (), is an autocephaly, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox Christian church. It has 194 dioceses inside Russia. The Primate (bishop), p ...

together with the chapel. A small community of Italo-Albanian Byzantine rite used the Igreja de Nossa Senhora Aparecidahorariodemissa.com.br
/ref> in Riachuelo neighbourd in Rio de Janeiro until the death in 2002 of the parish priest Atanasio Accursi. Since then the mission has dispersed.

Ordinaries

(all

Roman Rite The Roman Rite () is the most common ritual family for performing the ecclesiastical services of the Latin Church, the largest of the ''sui iuris'' particular churches that comprise the Catholic Church. The Roman Rite governs Rite (Christianity) ...

) ;''Ordinaries of Brazil of the Eastern Rite'' *

Jaime de Barros Câmara Jaime de Barros Câmara (July 3, 1894 – February 18, 1971) was a Brazilian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro from 1943 to 1971, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1946 by ...

(November 14, 1951 – February 18, 1971 deceased), while Metropolitan Archbishop of

São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

(Brazil) (1943.07.03 – 1971.02.18), created

Cardinal-Priest A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. ...

of Ss. Bonifacio ed Alessio (1946.02.22 – 1971.02.18), Military Vicar of

(1950.11.06 – 1963.11.09), President of National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (1958–1964) ** Auxiliary Bishop

(1960.11.25 – 1971.11.29) ** Auxiliary Bishop José Romão Martenetz,

O.S.B.M. The Order of Saint Basil the Great (; , abbreviated OSBM), also known as the Basilian Order of Saint Josaphat, is a Greek Catholic monastic order of pontifical right that works actively among Ukrainian Catholics and other Greek-Catholic churc ...

(1958.05.10 – 1962.05.30) ** Auxiliary Bishop

João Chedid João Chedid, OMM (18 February 1914 – 31 July 1991) was the first Maronite Bishop of the Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of São Paulo in Brazil. Life Chedid was born in Kherbet-Kanafar, Lebanon. On 20 December 1941 he was or ...

, O.M.M. (1956.05.04 – 1971.11.29) (later Archbishop) *

Eugênio Sales Eugênio de Araújo Sales (8 November 1920 – 9 July 2012) was a cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church, having been elevated by Pope Paul VI on 28 April 1969. He served as archbishop of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro for thirty years until ...

(July 22, 1972 – October 3, 2001 withdrawn), while Cardinal-Priest of S. Gregorio VII (1969.04.30 – death 2012.07.09), Metropolitan Archbishop of above São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro (1971.03.13 – 2001.07.25), became Protopriest of College of Cardinals (2009.02.16 – 2012.07.09) *

Eusébio Scheid Eusébio Oscar Scheid S.C.J. (8 December 1932 – 13 January 2021) was a Brazilian prelate of the Catholic Church who was Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro from 2001 to 2009. He was raised to the rank of cardinal in 2003. He was previously Bishop ...

, SCI (October 3, 2001 – July 28, 2010 resigned), while Metropolitan Archbishop of above São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro (2001.07.25 – retired 2009.02.27), created Cardinal-Priest of Ss. Bonifacio ed Alessio (2003.10.21 004.06.14– ...) *

, (28 July 2010 – ...), while Metropolitan Archbishop of

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 ...

(Brazil) (2004.01.28 – ...).

Auxiliary bishops

* José Romão Martenetz, O.S.B.M. (1958-1962), appointed Apostolic Exarch of Brazil *

(1960-1971), appointed Bishop of Nossa Senhora do Paraíso em São Paulo (Melkite Greek), Sao Paulo *

Francis Mansour Zayek Archbishop Francis Mansour Zayek (Arabic: فرنسيس منصور الزايك ; born October 18, 1920, Manzanillo, Cuba – died on September 14, 2010) was a prelate of the Maronite Church. He was the founding eparch of the Maronite Catholic Epar ...

(1962-1966), appointed Bishop of United States of America (Maronite) *

, O.M.M. (1968-1971), appointed Bishop of Nossa Senhora do Líbano em São Paulo (Maronite), Sao Paulo

References

External links

GCatholic, with Google map - data for all sections

{{authority control Eastern Catholicism in Brazil Ordinariates for Eastern Catholic faithful Christian organizations established in 1951 Roman Catholic dioceses in Brazil 1951 establishments in Brazil