View source for José Tolentino de Mendonça

{{Bishop
|honorific_prefix=His Eminence
|name=José Tolentino de Mendonça
|diocese=
|home_diocese=Diocese of Funchal
|other_diocese1=
|other_diocese2=
|other_diocese3=
|ordination=28 July 1990
|ordained_by=Bishop Teodoro de Faria
|consecration=28 July 2018
|consecrated_by=Cardinal Manuel Clemente
|rank=Cardinal
|cardinal=5 October 2019
|created_cardinal_by=Pope Francis
|birth_name=José Tolentino Calaça de Mendonça
|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1965|12|15}}
|birth_place=Machico, Madeira, Portugal
|death_date=
|death_place=
|nationality=Portuguese
|education=Pontifical Biblical Institute
|motto=Gratia Plena
|role=Curial
|theology=Progressive
|region=Southern Europe
|rite=Roman Rite
|conclave_eligibility=Eligible
}}

'''José Tolentino de Mendonça''', born {{Birth date and age|1965|12|15}}, is a [[Portugal|Portuguese]] [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] [[Bishop (Catholic)|cardinal]], poet, and Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education since 2022. A theologian and member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic, he served as Archivist and Librarian of the Holy Roman Church from 2018 to 2022. Elevated to cardinal by [[Pope Francis]] in 2019, he is renowned for his poetry and essays, fostering dialogue between Christianity and culture within the [[Roman Rite]].<ref name="wiki">{{Cite web |title=José Tolentino de Mendonça |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/José_Tolentino_de_Mendonça |access-date=2025-05-03 |website=Wikipedia |date=2025-04-24}}</ref><ref name="vaticanbio">{{Cite web |title=MENDONÇA Card. José Tolentino de |url=https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinals_biographies/cardinal_mendonça.html |access-date=2025-05-03 |website=Vatican Press Office |date=2019-10-04}}</ref><ref name="vaticannews2022">{{Cite web |title=Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça appointed Prefect of Dicastery for Culture and Education |url=https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2022-09/cardinal-josé-tolentino-de-mendonça-prefect-dicastery-culture-education.html |access-date=2025-05-03 |website=Vatican News |date=2022-09-26}}</ref>

Born in [[Machico]], [[Madeira]], Mendonça lived in Angola until age nine, shaping his commitment to peace and dialogue. In 2025, he won the Eduardo Lourenço Prize for his contributions to Iberian culture and participated in the [[papal conclave]] following Pope Francis’ death, noted as a progressive “papabile” supported by the Sant’Egidio community, though some doubted a European cardinal’s election. His inclusive pastoral approach, particularly toward LGBTQ+ issues, has sparked both praise and controversy.<ref name="ncronline2025">{{Cite web |title=Could the son of a Portuguese fisherman, Cardinal Tolentino, be pope? |url=https://www.ncronline.org/news/could-son-portuguese-fisherman-cardinal-tolentino-be-pope |access-date=2025-05-03 |website=National Catholic Reporter |date=2025-04-29}}</ref><ref name="publico2025">{{Cite web |title=O poeta e teólogo Tolentino de Mendonça vence Prémio Eduardo Lourenço 2025 |url=https://www.publico.pt/2025/04/11/culturaipsilon/noticia/poeta-teologo-tolentino-mendonca-vence-premio-eduardo-lourenco-2025-2086777 |access-date=2025-05-03 |website=PÚBLICO |date=2025-04-11}}</ref><ref name="sol2025">{{Cite web |title=Qual é a probabilidade de Tolentino de Mendonça ser o próximo Papa |url=https://sol.sapo.pt/2025/04/qual-e-a-probabilidade-de-tolentino-de-mendonca-ser-o-proximo-papa/ |access-date=2025-05-03 |website=SOL |date=2025-04-22}}</ref>

==Biography==

===Birth and early life===
José Tolentino de Mendonça was born on {{Birth date and age|1965|12|15}} in [[Machico]], [[Madeira]], [[Portugal]], the youngest of five children in a fisherman’s family.<ref name="wiki" /><ref name="vaticanbio" /> He spent his early childhood in Angola, a Portuguese colony, where his father worked, returning to Madeira at nine during Angola’s independence in 1975. This experience of conflict shaped his commitment to peace, reflected in his writings.<ref name="ncronline2025" /><ref name="publico2023">{{Cite web |title=Poeta e “peregrino da esperança”, José Tolentino Mendonça é o Prémio Pessoa 2023 |url=https://www.publico.pt/2023/12/14/culturaipsilon/noticia/poeta-peregrino-esperanca-jose-tolentino-mendonca-premio-pessoa-2023-2072718 |access-date=2025-05-03 |website=PÚBLICO |date=2023-12-14}}</ref> Influenced by the [[Saints|Saint]] [[Dominic]], whose spirituality he later embraced, he entered the Funchal seminary at 11.<ref name="cardinalsreport">{{Cite web |title=Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça |url=https://collegeofcardinalsreport.com/cardinals/jose-tolentino-de-mendonca |access-date=2025-05-03 |website=The College of Cardinals Report |date=2024-11-23}}</ref>

His grandmother, an illiterate storyteller, was his “first library,” inspiring his poetic career. His early exposure to Madeira’s oral traditions and Angola’s vast spaces fostered a dialogical approach to faith and culture.<ref name="publico2023" /><ref name="ncronline2025" />

===Education===
Mendonça earned a licentiate in theology from the Catholic University of Portugal in Lisbon in 1989.<ref name="vaticanbio" /> He studied biblical sciences at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in [[Rome]], obtaining a licentiate in 1992, and completed a doctorate in biblical theology at the Catholic University of Portugal in 2004, focusing on the Gospel of Luke (7:36–50).<ref name="wiki" /><ref name="cardinalsreport" /> His dissertation explored Jesus’ encounter with the sinful woman, emphasizing mercy and inclusion.<ref name="vaticanbio" />

His education blended rigorous exegesis with cultural engagement, preparing him for roles as a theologian and poet. He taught at universities in Portugal and Brazil, including the Catholic University of Pernambuco and the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro.<ref name="wiki" /><ref name="ncronline2025" />

===Priesthood===
Ordained a priest on 28 July 1990 by Bishop Teodoro de Faria for the [[Diocese of Funchal]], Mendonça served as a parish priest and professor at the Funchal seminary.<ref name="wiki" /><ref name="catholichierarchy">{{Cite web |title=José Tolentino Cardinal Calaça de Mendonça |url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bmendonca.html |access-date=2025-05-03 |website=Catholic-Hierarchy.org}}</ref> He was rector of the Pontifical Portuguese College in [[Rome]] (2001–2004) and vice-rector of the Catholic University of Portugal (2012–2018).<ref name="wiki" /> In 2011, Pope Benedict XVI named him a consultor to the Pontifical Council for Culture, a role Pope Francis renewed in 2016.<ref name="wiki" />

His priesthood combined pastoral work with intellectual pursuits. In 2018, he led the Lenten retreat for Pope Francis and the Roman Curia, using secular authors like Fernando Pessoa, published as ''Elogio da Sede'' (Praise of Thirst), prefaced by Francis.<ref name="wiki" /><ref name="publico2023" /> His poetry and essays, addressing Christian themes through modern culture, gained international acclaim.<ref name="ncronline2025" />

===Bishop===
Appointed titular Archbishop of Suava and Archivist and Librarian of the Holy Roman Church on 26 June 2018 by [[Pope Francis]], Mendonça was consecrated on 28 July 2018 by Cardinal Manuel Clemente.<ref name="wiki" /><ref name="catholichierarchy" /> Elevated to cardinal on 5 October 2019, he received the deaconry of Santi Domenico e Sisto.<ref name="wiki" /> Named Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education on 26 September 2022, he oversees global Catholic education and cultural dialogue.<ref name="vaticannews2022" />

In 2023, he organized a meeting between Pope Francis and 200 artists in the Sistine Chapel, including Ken Loach and Caetano Veloso, and curated the Vatican’s 2024 Venice Biennale pavilion in a women’s prison.<ref name="wiki" /> In 2025, he won the Eduardo Lourenço Prize for Iberian cultural contributions and entered the papal conclave as a progressive “papabile,” supported by Sant’Egidio but doubted by some due to his European origin and inclusive views on homosexuality.<ref name="publico2025" /><ref name="sol2025" /><ref name="frwiki">{{Cite web |title=José Tolentino de Mendonça |url=https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/José_Tolentino_de_Mendonça |access-date=2025-05-03 |website=Wikipédia |date=2016-12-05}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
! Diocese
! Role
! Start Date
! End Date
! Notes
|-
| [[Diocese|Suava]]
| Titular Archbishop
| 26 June 2018
| Present
| Appointed by Pope Francis; elevated to cardinal in 2019
|}

==Significant events==
* Entered the Funchal seminary in 1976.<ref name="wiki" />
* Ordained priest for the [[Diocese of Funchal]] by Bishop Teodoro de Faria on 28 July 1990.<ref name="wiki" />
* Named consultor to the Pontifical Council for Culture by [[Pope Benedict XVI]] in 2011, renewed by [[Pope Francis]] in 2016.<ref name="wiki" />
* Appointed vice-rector of the Catholic University of Portugal in 2012, serving until 2018.<ref name="wiki" />
* Led the Lenten retreat for Pope Francis and the Roman Curia in February 2018, published as ''Elogio da Sede''.<ref name="wiki" />
* Appointed titular Archbishop of Suava and Archivist and Librarian of the Holy Roman Church by [[Pope Francis]] on 26 June 2018, consecrated on 28 July 2018.<ref name="wiki" />
* Created cardinal by [[Pope Francis]] on 5 October 2019, with the deaconry of Santi Domenico e Sisto.<ref name="wiki" />
* Joined the Third Order of Saint Dominic on 4 August 2021.<ref name="wiki" />
* Appointed member of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on 30 April 2022.<ref name="wiki" />
* Appointed member of the Dicastery for Bishops on 13 July 2022.<ref name="wiki" />
* Named Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education by [[Pope Francis]] on 26 September 2022.<ref name="vaticannews2022" />
* Appointed member of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments on 7 September 2023.<ref name="wiki" />
* Appointed member of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on 1 June 2024.<ref name="wiki" />
* Curated the Vatican pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale (20 April–24 November 2024) in La Giudecca women’s prison.<ref name="wiki" />
* Awarded the Eduardo Lourenço Prize for Iberian cultural contributions on 11 April 2025.<ref name="publico2025" />
* Participated in the 2025 papal conclave, noted as a progressive “papabile.”<ref name="ncronline2025" /><ref name="sol2025" />

==Books==
===Written about the bishop===
* No known books or articles specifically dedicated to Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça have been identified as of May 2025.

===Written by the bishop===
* ''Elogio da Sede'' (Praise of Thirst), Vatican City, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2018.<ref name="wiki" />
* ''A Vida em Nós'' (Life Within Us), Lisbon, Quetzal Editores, 2024.<ref name="publico2025" />
* ''O Centro da Terra'' (The Center of the Earth), Lisbon, Assírio & Alvim, 2023.<ref name="wook">{{Cite web |title=José Tolentino Mendonça |url=https://www.wook.pt/autor/jose-tolentino-mendonca/13994 |access-date=2025-05-03 |website=Wook}}</ref>
* ''A Noite Abre Meus Olhos'' (The Night Opens My Eyes), Lisbon, Assírio & Alvim, 2022.<ref name="wook" />

==External links==
* [https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bmendonca.html José Tolentino Cardinal Calaça de Mendonça], Catholic-Hierarchy.org
* [https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinals_biographies/cardinal_mendonça.html MENDONÇA Card. José Tolentino de], Vatican Press Office
* [https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2022-09/cardinal-josé-tolentino-de-mendonça-prefect-dicastery-culture-education.html Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça appointed Prefect of Dicastery for Culture and Education], Vatican News
* [https://www.ncronline.org/news/could-son-portuguese-fisherman-cardinal-tolentino-be-pope Could the son of a Portuguese fisherman, Cardinal Tolentino, be pope?], National Catholic Reporter

==References==
{{Reflist}}