The Monção Chamber today unanimously approved a vow of condolence for the death of the Bishop of Viana do Castelo and fulfilled a minute’s silence for Anacleto Oliveira, victim of a road accident.
“The tragic death of D. Anacleto Oliveira constitutes an irreparable loss for the entire Alto Minho region, leaving us with a legacy of preponderant pastoral and civic activity for the strengthening of religious and humanist values in our region”, highlights the vote of regret approved by the executive of that municipality in the district of Viana do Castelo.
The vote of condolence for the death of Bishop Anacleto Oliveira was proposed by the mayor of Monção, António Barbosa, (PSD) and unanimously approved by the municipal executive, in a meeting held this afternoon, in the auditorium of the municipal library.
In the document, the Chamber refers that the death of the bishop “left a feeling of deep sadness and enormous consternation in the ecclesiastical community and in the population”, highlighting his “” relevant spiritual role, always marked by an affable, serene, dialogic and cooperative posture ”.
The diocese of Viana do Castelo said today that the funeral of Bishop Anacleto Oliveira, the victim of a road accident, will begin on Tuesday due to the delay in the release of his remains.
Speaking to the agency Lusa, a source from the diocese of Viana do Castelo explained that the ceremonies in honor of Anacleto Oliveira scheduled to start today, in the Cathedral of the capital of Alto Minho, “were canceled due to the delay in the release of the bishop’s remains , unforeseen event unrelated to the diocese of Viana do Castelo ”.
That source added that, since “the time of arrival of the bishop’s body to Viana do Castelo was completely unpredictable, [hoje] only an intimate and private ceremony will take place ”.
On Tuesday, the doors of the Cathedral of Viana do Castelo will open at 08:00.
According to the diocese, “the morning will be dedicated to free and spontaneous prayer of the faithful who, according to a controlled entrance and conditioned to the available space, will be able to gather in supplication and thanksgiving from the remains of D. Anacleto Oliveira” .
At 15:00 “an exequial mass will be celebrated, presided over by Archbishop Primate of Braga, D. Jorge Ferreira da Costa Ortiga, with the presence of the remaining bishops belonging to the Portuguese Episcopal Conference, the presbytery of the diocese of Viana do Castelo and the representatives of the various ecclesial movements, as well as civil and military authorities, according to the places available and identified within the Cathedral ”.
According to the same source, the President of the Republic confirmed today that he will be attending those ceremonies on Tuesday afternoon.
In a note sent today to the newsrooms, and due to the covid-19 pandemic, the diocesan administrator of Viana do Castelo appealed to the faithful to “participate at a distance in their funerals, which will take place in the Cathedral”.
“Unfortunately, we remain confined because of the covid-19 and, therefore, subject and obedient to state legislation. This means that the interior space of the Cathedral, with the demarcation required by law, will be reduced. The call that I keep on making is, therefore, that, at the time of the Eucharistic concelebration, they connect the social communication networks in order to follow in the best possible way the funeral ceremonies, which will be transmitted, live, by Rádio Renascença, on the Facebook of the Diocese and Viana TV ”, reinforces Sebastião Ferreira.
The diocesan administrator also appeals “to the thousands of young and (already) less young people who, during the past 10 years, on pastoral visits or outside of them, by the episcopal ministry of D. Anacleto, received, from their hands, the Sacrament of Confirmation ( Confirmation) so that they remember it in their memory and in their heart, in order to prepare for World Youth Day ”.
The funeral of the Bishop of Viana do Castelo will take place on Wednesday, at 3 pm, in the cemetery of Cortes, in Leiria, birthplace of Anacleto Oliveira. That morning, starting at 10:00 am, the bishop’s body will be in a burning chamber in the Cathedral of Leiria.
Anacleto Oliveira, 74 years old, died on Friday, following the car test driving on Highway 2 (A2) near Almodôvar, in the district of Beja.
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