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| Odilo Scherer | |
|---|---|
| Name | Odilo Scherer |
| Birth date | 1949-09-21 |
| Birth place | Santo Ângelo, Brazil |
| Nationality | Brazilian |
| Occupation | Roman Catholic prelate, theologian |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| Alma mater | Pontifical Gregorian University, Catholic University of Louvain |
Odilo Scherer is a Brazilian Roman Catholic prelate who has served as Archbishop of São Paulo and was created a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI. A theologian and canonist, he became a prominent voice in Latin America on matters pertaining to Catholic Church governance, liturgy, and social teaching. His ministry has connected him with ecclesial institutions, academic bodies, and international synods, shaping influence within CNBB and the Roman Curia.
Born in Santo Ângelo, Brazil, he is the son of German-Brazilian parents in a region marked by German diaspora settlement and Catholic heritage. He completed seminary formation at the diocesan seminary of Novo Hamburgo and pursued advanced theological studies at the Gregorian University in Rome, where he obtained a doctorate in Canon law and Dogmatic theology. Further academic formation included studies at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium and exposure to faculty from the Vatican Library and the Pontifical Lateran University. His education linked him with ecclesiastical networks including the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and professors associated with the Pontifical North American College.
Ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Porto Alegre in 1976, he served in parochial ministry and in seminary formation roles that connected him to seminary institutions and diocesan offices in Rio Grande do Sul. He taught theology and canon law at seminaries and at the Faculdade Católica de Porto Alegre, contributing to curricula influenced by texts used at the Pontifical Lateran University and the Angelicum. His academic publications, lectures, and participation in conferences put him in dialogue with scholars from the Pontifical Gregorian University, the Pontifical Biblical Commission, and the International Theological Commission. As a seminary formator, he engaged with issues debated at gatherings of the Conference of Latin American Bishops and institutes tied to Liberation theology critiques and reception in Latin America.
Appointed auxiliary bishop of São Paulo in 2001, he was later named Bishop of São Carlos before being transferred as Archbishop of São Paulo in 2007. His episcopal consecration and installation involved principal consecrators and co-consecrators from the Brazilian Episcopal Conference and linked him with metropolitan structures centered in São Paulo (state). As archbishop, he oversaw pastoral initiatives, diocesan synods, and administrative reforms involving the Curia Metropolitana and the network of parishes affiliated with University of São Paulo chaplaincies and Catholic charities cooperating with Caritas Internationalis. He participated in provincial councils and national assemblies sponsored by the CNBB and represented Brazilian episcopacy in international gatherings convened by the Synod of Bishops.
Created cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007, he received a titular church in Rome and joined several dicasteries of the Roman Curia, including membership appointments that connected him with the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. He served as a cardinal elector in the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis, where his participation linked him with cardinals from Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, and other Latin American sees. In the Holy See, he engaged with officials from the Secretariat of State, the Congregation for Bishops, and the Council of Cardinals advisory structures, contributing to deliberations on episcopal nominations and liturgical norms that resonated across Latin American dioceses.
His theological positions reflect a Roman Catholic pastoral conservatism with attention to liturgy fidelity, canon law norms, and doctrinal continuity advocated by Pope Benedict XVI and discussed during Second Vatican Council reception debates. He has commented publicly on social issues in Brazil, addressing matters that involve social doctrine of the Church interactions with policy debates in Brasília and São Paulo municipal forums. On pastoral questions, he has spoken at conferences attended by representatives from Caritas Internationalis, Aid to the Church in Need, and academic delegations from the Pontifical Gregorian University and the Universidade de São Paulo. His interventions at synods and pastoral letters have intersected with discussions raised by Pope Francis and cardinals such as Angelo Scola and Marc Ouellet.
As Archbishop of São Paulo, one of the world’s largest archdioceses, he influenced Catholic engagement with civic institutions, interreligious dialogue with Pentecostalism in Brazil and Afro-Brazilian religions, and ecumenical contacts involving the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil and the World Council of Churches. He has participated in bilateral conversations with leaders of the Lutheran World Federation, the Anglican Communion in Brazil, and representatives from the Orthodox Church and Protestant denominations based in São Paulo. His administration fostered cooperation with universities such as the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo and charity partnerships with entities like Caritas Brazil and municipal health agencies, shaping pastoral responses to urban poverty, migration, and public health concerns that intersect with policy debates in São Paulo (city).
Category:Brazilian cardinals Category:Roman Catholic archbishops of São Paulo Category:1949 births Category:Living people