Archdiocese of Porto Alegre

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Bishop(s) Dadeus Grings, Archbishop Remídio José Bohn, Auxiliary Bishop Jacinto Inácio Flach, Auxiliary Bishop Alessandro Carmelo Ruffinoni, C.S., Auxiliary Bishop Altamiro Rossato, C.SS.R., Archbishop Emeritus Antônio do Carmo Cheuiche, O.C.D., Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Suffragan Dioceses Bagé Cachoeira do Sul Caxias do Sul Cruz Alta Erexim Frederico Westphalen Novo Hamburgo Osório Passo Fundo Pelotas Rio Grande Santa Cruz do Sul Santa Maria Santo Ângelo Uruguaiana Vacaria

General Information Type of Jurisdiction: Archdiocese Elevated: 15 August 1910 Metropolitan See Rite: Latin (or Roman) State: Rio Grande do Sul Country: Brazil Square Kilometers: 18,068 (6,978 Square Miles) Conference Region: Sul 3 Mailing Address: Rua Espirito Santo 95, 90010-370 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil Telephone: (051) 228-6199

Historical Details

• Diocese of São Pedro do Rio Grande
  • Erected: 7 May 1848
  • Metropolitan: Archdiocese of São Salvador da Bahia
  • Country: Brazil

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Past and Present Ordinaries

• Feliciano José Rodrigues de Araujo Prates (de Castilhos) † (5 May 1851 Appointed - 27 May 1858 Died)
• Sebastião Dias Laranjeira † (28 Sep 1860 Appointed - 13 Aug 1888 Died)
• Cláudio José Gonçalves Ponce de Leon, C.M. † (26 Jun 1890 Appointed - 9 Jan 1912 Resigned)
• João Batista Becker † (1 Aug 1912 Appointed - 15 Jun 1946 Died)
• Alfredo Vicente Scherer † (30 Dec 1946 Appointed - 29 Aug 1981 Retired)
• João Cláudio Colling † (29 Aug 1981 Appointed - 17 Jul 1991 Retired)
• Altamiro Rossato, C.SS.R. (17 Jul 1991 Succeeded - 7 Feb 2001 Retired)
• Dadeus Grings (7 Feb 2001 Succeeded - )

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Historical Summary

Date	Event	From	To
Diocese of São Pedro do Rio Grande
7 May 1848	Erected		Diocese of São Pedro do Rio Grande (erected)
15 August 1910	Territory Lost	Diocese of São Pedro do Rio Grande	Diocese of Pelotas (erected)
15 August 1910	Territory Lost	Diocese of São Pedro do Rio Grande	Diocese of Uruguaiana (erected)
15 August 1910	Territory Lost	Diocese of São Pedro do Rio Grande	Diocese of Santa Maria (erected)
Archdiocese of Porto Alegre
15 August 1910	Elevated	Diocese of São Pedro do Rio Grande	Archdiocese of Porto Alegre
8 September 1934	Territory Lost	Archdiocese of Porto Alegre	Diocese of Caxias (erected)
8 September 1934	Territory Lost	Archdiocese of Porto Alegre	Territorial Prelature of Vacaria (erected)
20 June 1959	Territory Lost	Archdiocese of Porto Alegre	Diocese of Santa Cruz do Sul (erected)
2 February 1980	Territory Lost	Archdiocese of Porto Alegre	Diocese of Novo Hamburgo (erected)
10 November 1999	Territory Lost	Diocese of Caxias do Sul Archdiocese of Porto Alegre	Diocese of Osório (erected)

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Statistics

Year	Catholics	Total Population	Percent Catholic	Diocesan Priests	Religious Priests	Total Priests	Catholics Per Priest	Permanent Deacons	Male Religious	Female Religious	Parishes	Source
Archdiocese of Porto Alegre
1950	950,000	1,210,000	78.5%	179	232	411	2,311		869	1,499	137	ap1951
1965	1,260,000	1,562,490	80.6%	233	251	484	2,603		874	2,539	157	ap1967
1970	1,850,000	2,309,730	80.1%	238	286	524	3,530	6	721	2,548	174	ap1971
1976	1,980,000	2,381,230	83.2%	216	266	482	4,107	11	796	2,700	182	ap1977
1980	2,202,000	2,648,000	83.2%	224	281	505	4,360	19	735	2,303	186	ap1981
1990	2,423,000	3,034,473	79.8%	196	170	366	6,620	30	589	1,870	167	ap1991
1999	2,608,707	3,265,577	79.9%	224	263	487	5,356	21	534	1,650	160	ap2000
2000	2,608,707	3,265,577	79.9%	219	263	482	5,412	24	687	1,650	160	ap2001
2001	2,972,749	3,304,054	90.0%	247	280	527	5,640	21	720	1,828	167	ap2002
2002	2,990,500	3,304,054	90.5%	236	212	448	6,675	16	662	1,900	176	ap2003
2003	2,475,398	3,306,657	74.9%	234	194	428	5,783	22	570	1,317	179	ap2004
2004	2,475,398	3,306,657	74.9%	226	174	400	6,188	33	514	1,521	177	ap2005

Note: Any changes in boundaries over time are not indicated in the above table.

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Affiliated Bishops, Living

• Urbano José Allgayer (Auxiliary Bishop: 5 Feb 1974 to 4 Feb 1982)
• Jacinto Bergmann (Priest: 20 Oct 1976 to 8 May 2002)
• Remídio José Bohn (Priest: 29 Nov 1975; Auxiliary Bishop: 18 Jan 2006)
• Osvino José Both (Auxiliary Bishop: 26 Jun 1990 to 22 Nov 1995)
• Antônio do Carmo Cheuiche, O.C.D. (Auxiliary Bishop: 5 May 1971 to 27 Jun 2001)
• Roberto Francisco Ferrería Paz (Priest: 16 Dec 1989 to 19 Dec 2007)
• Jacinto Inácio Flach (Priest: 7 May 1988; Auxiliary Bishop: 12 Nov 2003)
• Thadeu Gomes Canellas (Priest: 25 Feb 1956; Auxiliary Bishop: 19 Nov 1983 to 10 Nov 1999)
• Dadeus Grings (Priest: 23 Dec 1961 to 23 Jan 1991; Coadjutor Archbishop: 12 Apr 2000; Archbishop: 7 Feb 2001)
• Zeno Hastenteufel (Priest: 8 Jul 1972 to 12 Dec 2001)
• Altamiro Rossato, C.SS.R. (Coadjutor Archbishop: 15 Mar 1989; Archbishop: 17 Jul 1991 to 7 Feb 2001)
• Alessandro Carmelo Ruffinoni, C.S. (Auxiliary Bishop: 18 Jan 2006)
• Eduardo Benes de Sales Rodrigues (Auxiliary Bishop: 11 Mar 1998 to 10 Jan 2001)
• José Mário Stroeher (Priest: 21 Dec 1963; Auxiliary Bishop: 25 Mar 1983 to 8 Aug 1986)
• José Clemente Weber (Auxiliary Bishop: 23 Mar 1994 to 15 Jun 2004)

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Affiliated Bishops, Deceased

• João Batista Becker † (Archbishop: 1 Aug 1912 to 15 Jun 1946)
• João Cláudio Colling † (Priest: 10 Aug 1937 to 12 Dec 1949; Archbishop: 29 Aug 1981 to 17 Jul 1991)
• Sebastião Dias Laranjeira † (Bishop: 28 Sep 1860 to 13 Aug 1888)
• Cláudio José Gonçalves Ponce de Leon, C.M. † (Bishop: 26 Jun 1890; Archbishop: 15 Aug 1910 to 9 Jan 1912)
• Edmundo Luís Kunz † (Priest: 30 Nov 1944; Auxiliary Bishop: 1 Aug 1955 to 12 Sep 1988)
• José Ivo Lorscheiter † (Auxiliary Bishop: 12 Nov 1965 to 5 Feb 1974)
• Luiz Felipe de Nadal † (Priest: 22 Oct 1939 to 9 May 1955)
• João Antônio Pimenta † (Coadjutor Bishop: 21 Feb 1906 to 7 Mar 1911)
• Feliciano José Rodrigues de Araujo Prates (de Castilhos) † (Bishop: 5 May 1851 to 27 May 1858)
• Alfredo Vicente Scherer † (Priest: 3 Apr 1926; Auxiliary Bishop: 13 Jun 1946; Archbishop: 30 Dec 1946 to 29 Aug 1981)