Antônio de Castro Mayer

His Excellency,The Most Reverend Antônio de Castro Mayer
Bishop of Campos
Dom Antônio de Castro Mayer, in 1980.
Diocese	Campos
Term ended	29 August 1981
Predecessor	Octaviano Pereira de Albuquerque
Successor	Carlos Alberto Etchandy Gimeno Navarro
Orders
Ordination	30 October 1927 byBasilio Pompili
Consecration	23 May 1948 byCarlo Chiarlo
Personal details
Born	20 June 1904(1904-06-20) Campinas,São Paulo,Brazil
Died	25 April 1991(1991-04-26)(aged 86) Campos,Rio de Janeiro,Brazil
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Previous post(s)	Coadjutor BishopofCamposandTitular Bishopof Priene
Coat of arms

Styles of Antônio de Castro Mayer
Reference style	His Excellency The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Bishop

Ordination history of Antônio de Castro Mayer
History Priestly ordination Ordained by Basilio Cardinal Pompili Date 30 October 1927 Episcopal consecration Consecrated by Carlo Cardinal Chiarlo Date 23 May 1948

Antônio de Castro Mayer(20 June 1904 – 25 April 1991) was a Brazilianprelateof theRoman Catholic Church.ATraditionalist Catholicand ally ofArchbishop Marcel Lefebvre,he wasBishopofCamposfrom 1949 until his resignation in 1981.

He is often described as incurring the automatic canonical penalty ofexcommunicationfor participating in the 1988illicit consecration of four bishopsof theSociety of St. Pius X(SSPX), as did Lefebvre and the four bishops then ordained. He was mentioned in the letter from Cardinal Gantin on July 1but not in the letter fromPope John Paul IIon July 2.

Early life

Antônio as a seminarian in Rome.

Antônio de Castro Mayer was born inCampinas,São Paulo,to João Mayer, aBavarianstonemason,and his wife, Francisca de Castro, aBrazilianpeasant.One of twelve children, Antônio helped his mother support their family after João died in 1910. At age 12, he enteredSão Paulo'sminor seminary,then run by thePremonstratensian Fathers.He entered themajor seminaryin 1922 and then studied at thePontifical Gregorian Universityin Rome, obtaining hisdoctorate in theologyin 1928. He wasordainedto thepriesthoodby CardinalBasilio Pompilion 30 October 1927. He taught philosophy, history of philosophy, anddogmatic theologyat the seminary in São Paulo for the next 13 years.

He became Assistant General of the São Paulo'sCatholic Actionin 1940 and acanonof the cathedralchapterwith the title of First Treasurer in 1941. He became vicar general of the archdiocese in 1942. He was made a parish priest and theprefectof studies at thePontifical Catholic University of São Pauloin 1945, while retaining the chairs of Religion and Catholic Social Doctrine at the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo.

Bishop

On 6 March 1948, de Castro was appointedCoadjutor BishopofCamposandtitular bishopof Priene byPope Pius XII.He received hisepiscopal consecrationon 23 May from ArchbishopCarlo Chiarlo,Apostolic Nuncio to Brazil, with Bishop Ernesto de Paula and ArchbishopGeraldo de Proença Sigaud,S.V.D.,asco-consecrators.He became bishop of Campos upon the death of Bishop Octaviano de Albuquerque on 3 January 1949.He was very active in opposingliberation theologyand communist infiltration of the Church and of his diocese.

Mayer's coat of arms on a wooden door of the Church of "Our Lady of Aparecida and St. Fidelis"

In 1968, the Catholic conservative groupTradition, Family and Propertyorganized a campaign to collect signatures denouncing what were perceived as leftists in the Church. De Castro Mayer lent encouragement to the campaign. The National Conference of Bishops of Brazil later declared that TFP was neither recognized by the hierarchy nor considered an official Catholic organization.

De Castro Mayer, a staunchtraditionalist,refused to implement the liturgical reforms of theSecond Vatican Councilin his diocese. Until his resignation on 29 August 1981, theTridentine Masscontinued to be celebrated throughout the Campos diocese, along with all the other traditional Catholic practices and devotions in Latin.

Having submitted his resignation as required upon turning 75, he was replaced as bishop with the appointment ofCarlos Alberto Etchandy Gimeno Navarroto succeed him on 29 August 1981.He continued his campaign against the Council's liturgical reforms in retirement and maintained a traditionalist "diocese" within the Campos diocese, with around 40,000 faithful, which he organized in parallel chapels. The total Catholic population of the diocese was 890,000.

On 30 June 1988, he attended the ceremony at which Archbishop Lefebvreconsecrated four bishops without papal authorizationdespite warnings that these consecrations would result in the automatic excommunication of Lefebvre and the four. Communications from Pope John Paul II and curial officials, both before and after the ceremony, did not mention de Castro or note his role. Though often described as a "co-consecrator" of these bishops, the SSPX says he was "found at Archbishop Lefebvre's side" and refers to his "crucial presence", but does not describe him participating in the ceremony of consecration.One Vatican statement described him as a co-consecrator and excommunicated,but others, including Pope John Paul's letter on the consecrations omitted his name.

He died ofrespiratory failurein Campos on 25 April 1991.