Vital Maria Gonçalves de Oliveira
Servant of God Bishop Antônio Gonçalves de Oliveira  | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Olinda | |
| Church | Roman Catholic Church | 
| Diocese | Olinda | 
| See | Olinda | 
| Appointed | 22 December 1871 | 
| Installed | 24 May 1872 | 
| Term ended | 4 July 1878 | 
| Predecessor | Francisco Cardoso Aires | 
| Successor | José Pereira da Silva Barros | 
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 2 August 1868 | 
| Consecration | 17 March 1872 by Pedro Maria de Lacerda  | 
| Rank | Bishop | 
| Personal details | |
| Born | Antônio Gonçalves de Oliveira 27 November 1844  | 
| Died | 4 July 1878 (aged 33) Paris, French Third Republic  | 
| Buried | Basilica Nossa Senhora de Penha, Recife | 
| Alma mater | Saint-Sulpice seminary | 
| Motto | Iter 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.