Cardinal Arns of Brazil RIP  by Joe McVeigh

One of my heroes, Cardinal Arns of Sao Paolo Archdiocese, died on14 Dec. He inspired many to become involved in the Church’s ministry to the poor and to work for justice and truth in Brazil. Arns was born Sept. 14, 1921, in Criciuma, Brazil. In 1945, he was ordained a priest and served in Petropolis. He was ordained a bishop in 1966 was named archbishop of Sao Paulo in 1970, during the most violent years of Brazil’s military crackdown. Three years later, in 1973, he was appointed cardinal by Pope Paul VI.

That same year, the cardinal sold his ornate residence and its surrounding park to support church workers who helped slum dwellers. “How could the archbishop live in a place if his most faithful and dedicated collaborators lack a minimum of comfort and of the resources indispensable to carry on their work?” the cardinal asked at the time.

In his 28 years as head of the Sao Paulo Archdiocese, Cardinal Arns created 43 parishes, built more than 1,200 community centers, and encouraged the creation of more than 2000 basic ecclesial communities in the city of Sao Paulo. In Brazil, he was the leader, along with Bishop Helder Camara, of the liberation theology movement and the Church of the poor.

Under Arns, the Archdiocese of Sao Paulo had AIDS education and prevention programs, activities to help some of the city’s 2 million homeless children and ministry to the city’s convicts and criminal suspects. In 1989, the cardinal said critics called the prison ministry “defense of bandits, not defense of human rights.” The critics you will always have with you.

In 1983, he was one of the founders of the Children’s Pastoral, or office, with the help of his sister, Zilda Arns Neumann, who died in the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, where she was doing humanitarian work.

Dr. Nelson Arns Neumann, international coordinator of the Children’s Pastoral and Arns’ nephew, remembered his uncle fondly and told CNS it would be impossible to describe Arns in a few sentences. “He was unstoppable. Had a strong personality and usually achieved what he wanted,” recalled the doctor. “He was the one who convinced my grandfather to allow my mother (Zilda Arns Neumann) to become a doctor,” Neumann told CNS. He said the office’s work has expanded to more than 11 countries, helping 1 million children per month. In Brazil, it has been established in 3,900 municipalities and has more than 200,000 volunteers. “Even in recent years, whenever we went out, he would put his hand on my shoulder and say ‘Courage, courage, let’s go,'” said the nephew, noting that his uncle constantly sought a more just society.

Sao Paulo was the world’s largest archdiocese — 9.6 million Catholics — until it was split into five separate sees in 1989. After the division, however, the cardinal criticized the split as dividing the poor from the rich.

Among his more than 40 awards, diplomas, titles and honors, Arns was named as one of Brazil’s most influential leaders several times. New York’s The Christophers named him “One of 50 personalities who helped make this world better,” and he was recognized by the U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, for his work in defense of human rights and refugees. The cardinal also was the recipient of Japan’s Niwano Peace Prize and the Letelier-Moffitt International Human Rights Award.

Between 1979 and 1985, he coordinated, clandestinely, the project Brasil: Nunca Mais (Brazil: Never Again), where episodes of torture under the military dictatorship are documented. In 1983, he was part of a group that started the Voting Rights Now movement, which eventually led to Brazil’s return to democratic rule.

Cardinal Arns served in Sao Paulo until 1998, when he retired. During his last official news conference as archbishop of Sao Paulo, Arns said the church must make itself more visible, sometimes even taking political stands to aid those in need. “The Catholic Church has not only stagnated but is in regression,” he said. That was before Pope Francis came along.