The bells of the churches of Viana do Castelo will ring in unison, at 3 pm this Saturday, in memory of the late Bishop D. Anacleto Oliveira, the diocese announced today.
In a statement sent to the newsrooms, that religious institution explains that this measure was decided by the new diocesan administrator, Monsignor Sebastião Ferreira, together with the college of consultants of the diocese.
This act serves to signal, together, the death of D. Anacleto Oliveira.
The diocese also recommends praying for the “eternal rest” of the unsuccessful bishop during the Eucharistic celebrations on the occasion of the commemoration of the dead, and replacing the invocation “for our Bishop, Anacleto”, with the prayer by “our diocesan administrator Sebastião”.
The bishop of Viana do Castelo, Anacleto Oliveira, 74, died yesterday following a car accident that was driving on Highway 2 (A2) near Almodôvar, in the district of Beja.
Source of the District Relief Operations Command (CDOS) of Beja told Lusa that the alert for the accident was given at 11:29.
A GNR source indicated that the death was declared on the spot, with the body being sent to the Legal Medicine service of the Beja hospital, and that the man was the only occupant of the light passenger vehicle.
According to the same source, the accident occurred at kilometer 200 of the A2, in a south-north direction, between São Bartolomeu de Messines and Almodôvar.
According to the CDOS, firefighters and vehicles from the Almodôvar and São Bartolomeu de Messines corporations were mobilized, an emergency medical and resuscitation vehicle (VMER) from Albufeira and Brisa elements, in addition to the GNR, with a total of 16 elements, supported by six vehicles.
Born in the diocese of Leiria-Fátima where he was born, in the parish of Cortes, he attended the diocesan seminary of Leiria between 1957 and 1969, having been ordained a priest on August 15, 1970.
In Rome he did a degree in Dogmatic Theology at the Gregorian University (1971), obtaining, in the same city, a degree in Biblical Sciences at the Biblical Institute of Rome (1974).
From 1974 to 1977 he was a professor of Biblical Exegesis at the Higher Institute of Theological Studies of Coimbra, having also, in the last year, obtained a degree in History at the Faculty of Letters of the University of Coimbra.
In Germany, he did his PhD in Biblical Exegesis at the Faculty of Catholic Theology at the University of Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität in Münster (1987).
In that country he was chaplain for Portuguese emigrants in the Diocese of Münster. Returning to Portugal, starting in 1988, he resumed teaching Biblical Exegesis at the Higher Institute of Theological Studies of Coimbra and, at the same time, at the diocesan seminary of Leiria, at the School of Theological Formation of the Laity of Leiria and at the Faculty of Theology (Lisbon) of the Portuguese Catholic University.
In 2001, he assumed the presidency of the steering committee of the Higher Institute of Theological Studies of Coimbra.
Among other functions, Anacleto de Oliveira was also secretary of the Scientific Committee of the International Congresses of Fátima (1997, 2001 and 2003), and member of the Board of Directors and of the management and finance of the Sanctuary of Fátima.
He was currently president of the episcopal commission for the liturgy and coordinator of the new translation of the Bible of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference.
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