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 (pseudo-diocese of the Catholic Church for the Eastern Catholics in Brazil without proper jurisdiction of their own particular churches sui iuris.
It is exempt, i.e. immediately subject to the Holy See and its , not part of any ecclesiastical province. The Ordinariate is headquertered Rua Cosme Velho 470, 20241-090 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil and currently governed by Walmor Oliveira de Azevedo, (Latin) Metropolitan Archbishop of Belo Horizonte, but not vested in a particular see.
The Ordinariate was erected on November 14, 1951 with the decree Cum fidelium of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, which gave effect to a decision ex audientia of Pope Pius XII took on 26 October 1950, as Ordinariate of Ordinariato para os Fiéis de Ritos Orientais no Brasil.
Subsequently, it lost jurisdiction over those rite-specific Particular Churches sui iuris which erected their proper ecclesiastical jurisdictions in Brazil :
On May 30, 1962 for the faithful of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church was erected an Apostolic Exarchate (today Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of São João Batista em Curitiba),
which also got a suffragan, the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Imaculada Conceição in Prudentópolis
On November 29, 1971 were erected
the Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of São Paulo for the faithful of the Maronite Church ()
the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Nossa Senhora do Paraíso em São Paulo for the Melkite Greek Catholic Church (a Byzantine Rite).
the Armenian Catholic Apostolic Exarchate of Latin America and Mexico, with cathedral see in São Pãolo; also covering Mexico and Uruguay (with co-cathedral in Montevideo)
Territory and statistics
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.
(all Roman Rite; not all the Auxiliary bishops)
Ordinaries of Brazil of the Eastern Rite
Jaime de Barros Câmara (November 14, 1951 - February 18, 1971 deceased), while Metropolitan Archbishop of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) (1943.07.03 – 1971.02.18), created Cardinal-Priest of Ss. Bonifacio ed Alessio (1946.02.22 – 1971.02.18), Military Vicar of Brazil (1950.11.06 – 1963.11.09), President of National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (1958 – 1964)
Auxiliary Bishop Elias Coueter (1960.11.25 – 1971.11.29)
Auxiliary Bishop José Romão Martenetz, Basilian Order of Saint Josaphat (O.S.B.M., a Byzantine Order) (1958.05.10 – 1962.05.30)
Auxiliary Bishop João Chedid, Aleppians (O.M.M., a Maronite Order) (1956.05.04 – 1971.11.29) (later Archbishop)
Eugênio Sales (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, 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 [2004.06.14] – ...)
Walmor Oliveira de Azevedo, (28 July 2010 - ...), while Metropolitan Archbishop of Belo Horizonte (Brazil) (2004.01.28 – ...)
