Vital Maria Gonçalves de Oliveira


Antônio Gonçalves de Oliveira

Bishop of Olinda
ChurchRoman Catholic Church
DioceseOlinda
SeeOlinda
Appointed22 December 1871
Installed24 May 1872
Term ended4 July 1878
PredecessorFrancisco Cardoso Aires
SuccessorJosé Pereira da Silva Barros
Orders
Ordination2 August 1868
Consecration17 March 1872
by Pedro Maria de Lacerda
RankBishop
Personal details
Born
Antônio Gonçalves de Oliveira

(1844-11-27)27 November 1844
Died4 July 1878(1878-07-04) (aged 33)
Paris, French Third Republic
BuriedBasilica Nossa Senhora de Penha, Recife
Alma materSaint-Sulpice seminary
MottoIter para tutum
Coat of arms

Antônio Gonçalves de Oliveira, OFMCap, religious name Vital Maria from Pernambuco - (27 November 1844 – 4 July 1878) - was a Brazilian Capuchin who served as the Bishop of Olinda from 1871 until his death. He was imprisoned from 1874 until 1875 during the crisis ensuring from the Religious Issue after his bold condemnations and actions against Freemasons who came into direct conflict with him. The bishop was a vocal critic of Masonic influence in ecclesial affairs and attempted to have fraternities expel members who were Masonic; an imperial review found that he was risking a severe breach of the constitution which served as the motivator for his arrest and subsequent imprisonment.

The cause for his beatification had its origins from the 1930s though never achieved a formal process until 1953; this too did not last long and the cause remained inactive until 1994 when he became titled as a Servant of God and the cause resumed.