Alfredo Scherer | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop of Porto Alegre | |
 Cardinal Scherer (right) with Cardinal Eugênio Salles in 1971. | |
| Church | Roman Catholic Church |
| Archdiocese | Porto Alegre |
| See | Porto Alegre |
| Appointed | 30 December 1946 |
| Installed | 23 February 1947 |
| Retired | 29 August 1981 |
| Predecessor | João Batista Becker |
| Successor | João Colling |
| Other post | Cardinal-Priest of Nostra Signora de La Salette (1969-96) |
| Previous posts | Titular Bishop of Hemeria (1946) Auxiliary Bishop of Porto Alegre Vice-President of the Brazilian Episcopal Conference (1968-70) President of the Brazilian Episcopal Conference (1970-71) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 3 April 1926 by Basilio Pompili |
| Consecration | 23 February 1947 by Carlo Chiarlo |
| Created cardinal | 28 April 1969 byPope Paul VI |
| Rank | Cardinal-Priest |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alfredo Vicente Scherer (1903-02-05)5 February 1903 |
| Died | 8 March 1996(1996-03-08) (aged 93) Porto Alegre, Brazil |
| Buried | Porto Alegre Cathedral |
| Parents | Pedro Scherer Anna Opermann |
| Alma mater | Pontifical Gregorian University |
| Motto | Evangelizare misit me |
| Coat of arms |  |
Alfredo Vicente Scherer (5 February 1903–9 March 1996) was aBraziliancardinal of theRoman Catholic Church. He served asArchbishop of Porto Alegre,Brazil from 1947 to 1981, and was elevated to the rank ofcardinal in 1969.
Alfredo Vicente Scherer was born inBom Princípio,Rio Grande do Sul, as the second child of Peter and Anna (née Opermann) Scherer. His nephewOdilo Scherer becameArchbishop of São Paulo in 2007. He studied at theseminary inPorto Alegre and thePontifical Gregorian University inRome, where he wasordained to thepriesthood on April 3, 1926. He then served asprivate secretary to ArchbishopJoão Batista Becker until 1933, when he beganpastoral work in Porto Alegre.
On 13 June 1946, Scherer was appointed the firstauxiliary bishop of Porto Alegre andtitular bishop ofHemeria byPope Pius XII. However, Archbishop Becker died two days later, on 15 June, before Scherer received hisepiscopal consecration. Scherer was named as his successor asArchbishop of Porto Alegre on the following 30 December. He was consecrated on 23 February 1947, by ArchbishopCarlo Chiarlo,Apostolic Nuncio to Brazil, with BishopsJosé Baréa andJosé de Almeida Baptista serving asco-consecrators.
In reference todivorce, the Archbishop once called for "prayers to God to take away from Brazil the calamity which threatens Christian families".[1] Scherer also gave weekly radio broadcasts against "anarchists and followers ofCommunism" within the Church.[2] He was strongly opposed toliberation theology,[3] and denounced providingbirth control pills to "uninformed, impoverished and unattended women" as "a criminal act".[4]
From 1962 to 1965, he attended theSecond Vatican Council and was recognized as one of the leadingconservative prelates during the 1960s and 1970s.[3] However, Scherer did support the succession of theleft-wingJoão Goulart aspresident of Brazil following the resignation ofJânio Quadros, as required by theConstitution of Brazil.[3]
Pope Paul VI created himcardinal priest ofNostra Signora de La Salette in theconsistory of 28 April 1969. Scherer was one of thecardinal electors who participated in theconclaves ofAugust andOctober 1978, which elected PopesJohn Paul I andJohn Paul II respectively. In January 1980, he was stabbed and robbed by unknown assailants, who left him in a ditch outside Porto Alegre when he could not meet their demands for more money.[citation needed]
He resigned as archbishop on 29 August 1981.
Scherer died inPorto Alegre on 8 March 1996 at age 93.[3] He was buried near the altar of theCathedral of Porto Alegre. In 2003, a commemorative site was arranged at his place of birth in Bom Princípio.
He wasprovedor of the Fraternity of the Holy House of Mercy until his death, he was also a member of the Rio Grande do Sul Institute of History and Geography.
| Catholic Church titles | ||
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| Preceded by | Archbishop of Porto Alegre 1946–1981 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
