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José Tolentino de Mendonça

Stored: José Tolentino de Mendonça

His Eminence José Tolentino de Mendonça
Bishop of
Home diocese: Diocese of Funchal
Other diocese 1:
Other diocese 2:
Other diocese 3:
Ordination: 28 July 1990 by Bishop Teodoro de Faria
Consecration: 28 July 2018 by Cardinal Manuel Clemente
Rank: Cardinal
Created cardinal: 5 October 2019 by Pope Francis
Personal details
Born: José Tolentino Calaça de Mendonça
(1965-12-15) December 15, 1965 (age 60)
Machico, Madeira, Portugal
Died:
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 (1965-12-15) December 15, 1965 (age 60), is a Portuguese 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.[1][2][3]

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.[4][5][6]

Biography

Birth and early life

José Tolentino de Mendonça was born on (1965-12-15) December 15, 1965 (age 60) in Machico, Madeira, Portugal, the youngest of five children in a fisherman’s family.[1][2] 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.[4][7] Influenced by the Saint Dominic, whose spirituality he later embraced, he entered the Funchal seminary at 11.[8]

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.[7][4]

Education

Mendonça earned a licentiate in theology from the Catholic University of Portugal in Lisbon in 1989.[2] 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).[1][8] His dissertation explored Jesus’ encounter with the sinful woman, emphasizing mercy and inclusion.[2]

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.[1][4]

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.[1][9] He was rector of the Pontifical Portuguese College in Rome (2001–2004) and vice-rector of the Catholic University of Portugal (2012–2018).[1] In 2011, Pope Benedict XVI named him a consultor to the Pontifical Council for Culture, a role Pope Francis renewed in 2016.[1]

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.[1][7] His poetry and essays, addressing Christian themes through modern culture, gained international acclaim.[4]

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.[1][9] Elevated to cardinal on 5 October 2019, he received the deaconry of Santi Domenico e Sisto.[1] Named Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education on 26 September 2022, he oversees global Catholic education and cultural dialogue.[3]

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.[1] 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.[5][6][10]

Diocese Role Start Date End Date Notes
Suava Titular Archbishop 26 June 2018 Present Appointed by Pope Francis; elevated to cardinal in 2019

Significant events

  • Entered the Funchal seminary in 1976.[1]
  • Ordained priest for the Diocese of Funchal by Bishop Teodoro de Faria on 28 July 1990.[1]
  • Named consultor to the Pontifical Council for Culture by Pope Benedict XVI in 2011, renewed by Pope Francis in 2016.[1]
  • Appointed vice-rector of the Catholic University of Portugal in 2012, serving until 2018.[1]
  • Led the Lenten retreat for Pope Francis and the Roman Curia in February 2018, published as Elogio da Sede.[1]
  • 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.[1]
  • Created cardinal by Pope Francis on 5 October 2019, with the deaconry of Santi Domenico e Sisto.[1]
  • Joined the Third Order of Saint Dominic on 4 August 2021.[1]
  • Appointed member of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on 30 April 2022.[1]
  • Appointed member of the Dicastery for Bishops on 13 July 2022.[1]
  • Named Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education by Pope Francis on 26 September 2022.[3]
  • Appointed member of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments on 7 September 2023.[1]
  • Appointed member of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on 1 June 2024.[1]
  • Curated the Vatican pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale (20 April–24 November 2024) in La Giudecca women’s prison.[1]
  • Awarded the Eduardo Lourenço Prize for Iberian cultural contributions on 11 April 2025.[5]
  • Participated in the 2025 papal conclave, noted as a progressive “papabile.”[4][6]

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.[1]
  • A Vida em Nós (Life Within Us), Lisbon, Quetzal Editores, 2024.[5]
  • O Centro da Terra (The Center of the Earth), Lisbon, Assírio & Alvim, 2023.[11]
  • A Noite Abre Meus Olhos (The Night Opens My Eyes), Lisbon, Assírio & Alvim, 2022.[11]

External links

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 "José Tolentino de Mendonça". 2025-04-24. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/José_Tolentino_de_Mendonça. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "MENDONÇA Card. José Tolentino de". 2019-10-04. https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinals_biographies/cardinal_mendonça.html. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça appointed Prefect of Dicastery for Culture and Education". 2022-09-26. https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2022-09/cardinal-josé-tolentino-de-mendonça-prefect-dicastery-culture-education.html. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 "Could the son of a Portuguese fisherman, Cardinal Tolentino, be pope?". 2025-04-29. https://www.ncronline.org/news/could-son-portuguese-fisherman-cardinal-tolentino-be-pope. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "O poeta e teólogo Tolentino de Mendonça vence Prémio Eduardo Lourenço 2025". 2025-04-11. https://www.publico.pt/2025/04/11/culturaipsilon/noticia/poeta-teologo-tolentino-mendonca-vence-premio-eduardo-lourenco-2025-2086777. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Qual é a probabilidade de Tolentino de Mendonça ser o próximo Papa". 2025-04-22. https://sol.sapo.pt/2025/04/qual-e-a-probabilidade-de-tolentino-de-mendonca-ser-o-proximo-papa/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Poeta e “peregrino da esperança”, José Tolentino Mendonça é o Prémio Pessoa 2023". 2023-12-14. https://www.publico.pt/2023/12/14/culturaipsilon/noticia/poeta-peregrino-esperanca-jose-tolentino-mendonca-premio-pessoa-2023-2072718. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça". 2024-11-23. https://collegeofcardinalsreport.com/cardinals/jose-tolentino-de-mendonca. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "José Tolentino Cardinal Calaça de Mendonça". https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bmendonca.html. 
  10. ↑ "José Tolentino de Mendonça". 2016-12-05. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/José_Tolentino_de_Mendonça. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "José Tolentino Mendonça". https://www.wook.pt/autor/jose-tolentino-mendonca/13994. 
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