Alexandre José Maria dos Santos
Mozambican Roman Catholic cardinal (1924–2021)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alexandre José Maria dos Santos (18 March 1924 – 29 September 2021) was a Mozambican Roman Catholic cardinal. He was the first native cardinal of Mozambique.
Alexandre José Maria dos Santos | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop Emeritus of Maputo | |
 | |
| Church | Roman Catholic Church |
| Archdiocese | Maputo |
| See | Maputo |
| Appointed | 18 September 1976[1] |
| Retired | 22 February 2003 |
| Predecessor | Custódio Alvim Pereira |
| Successor | Francisco Chimoio |
| Other post | Cardinal-Priest of San Frumenzio ai Prati Fiscali (1988–2021) |
| Previous post | Archbishop of Laurençco Marques (1974–76)[2] |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 25 June 1953 by Manuel Gonçalves Cerejeira |
| Consecration | 9 March 1975 by Agnelo Rossi |
Created cardinal | 28 June 1988 by Pope John Paul II |
| Rank | Cardinal-Priest |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alexandre José Maria dos Santos 18 March 1924 |
| Died | 29 September 2021 (aged 97) Maputo, Mozambique |
| Motto | Servir e não ser servido ("To serve, not to be served") |
Coat of arms | |
Ecclesiastical career
Dos Santos was born in Zavala, Mozambique. He studied in Nyasaland and Lisbon before being ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1953, becoming the first black Mozambican to receive the distinction.[3] In 1973 he became the first African to run a seminary in Mozambique.[4] He was archbishop of Maputo, between 1975 and 2003. On 26 June 1988, he was created a cardinal by Pope John Paul II, and given the titular church of San Frumenzio ai Prati Fiscali.[5] He was instrumental in the peace process surrounding the end of the Mozambican Civil War.[3] He did not participate in the conclaves of 2005 and 2013, because he was over the age limit by then.
