Hélder Câmara
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The Most Reverend Hélder Câmara OFS |
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|---|---|
| Archbishop-Emeritus of Olinda e Recife | |
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| See | Olinda e Recife (Emeritus) |
| Installed | 12 March 1964 |
| Term ended | 2 April 1985 |
| Predecessor | Carlos Gouveia Coelho |
| Successor | José Cardoso Sobrinho |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1931 |
| Consecration | 20 April 1952 by Jaime de Barros Câmara |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Hélder Pessoa Câmara |
| Born |
February 7, 1909 Fortaleza, Brazil |
| Died | August 27, 1999 (aged 90) Recife, Brazil |
| Nationality | Brazilian |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Motto | In manus tuas (in your hands) |
| Coat of arms |  |
Dom Hélder Pessoa Câmara (Portuguese: [dõ ˈɛwdeɾ peˈsoɐ ˈkɐ̃mɐɾɐ]; February 7, 1909 – August 27, 1999) was a Brazilian Roman Catholic Archbishop. He was the Archbishop of Olinda and Recife, serving from 1964 to 1985, during the military regime of the country.
An advocate of liberation theology, he is remembered for his social and political work for the poor and for Human Rights and democracy during the military regime. Câmara preached for a church closer to the disfavoured people and for non-violence. He is quoted as having said, "When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist."
He was born Hélder Pessoa Câmara in Fortaleza, Ceará, in the poor Northeast Region of Brazil. His father was an accountant and his mother was a primary school teacher. He was educated in local Catholic schools and entereded seminary in 1923.
He was ordained a priest in 1931, with direct authorization of the Holy See over his premature age. Câmara became auxiliary bishop of Rio de Janeiro in 1952. During his first years as a priest he was a supporter of the far-right organization Integralismo, an ideological choice that he later rejected. He also founded two social organizations: the Ceará Legion of Work, in 1931, and the Women Workers' Catholic Union, in 1933. In 1959, he was appointed archbishop of Olinda e Recife.
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