Religion Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Styles of
José da Costa Nunes
CardinalCoA PioM
Reference style His Eminence
Spoken style Your Eminence
Informal style Cardinal
See Goa e Damão (emeritus)

José da Costa Nunes {中文: 高若瑟} (March 15, 1880—November 29, 1976) was a Portuguese Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Bishop of Macau from 1920 to 1940, Patriarch of the East Indies from 1940 to 1953, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1962.

Biography[]

José da Costa Nunes was born in Candelária, Azores, to José da Costa Nunes and his wife Francisca Felizarda de Castro Nunes. He was baptized four days later, on March 19, 1880.

After studying at the seminary in Angra, Nunes went to Macau as a missionary on June 4, 1903, and was ordained to the priesthood on the following July 26. He then did pastoral work and taught at Macau's seminary until 1906. Nunes was named Vicar general of Macau and Timor from 1906 to 1913, when he began missionary work in Timor. He became Vicar capitular of Macau on February 21, 1917.

On December 16, 1920, Nunes was appointed Bishop of Macau by Pope Benedict XV. He received his episcopal consecration on November 20, 1921, from Bishop Emanuel da Costa, with Bishops Manuel Augusto Xavier and Francisco Nunes da Rocha serving as co-consecrators. Nunes was advanced to the Archdiocese of Goa e Damão, with title of Patriarch of the East Indies, on December 11, 1940. Resigning as Archbishop on December 16, 1953, he was made Titular Archbishop of Odessus and Vice-Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church that same day, whilst retaining the personal title of "Patriarch".

Pope John XXIII created him Cardinal Priest of Santa Prisca in the consistory of March 19, 1962. Nunes attended the Second Vatican Council from 1962 to 1965, and was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 1963 papal conclave that selected Pope Paul VI. He served as the papal legate to the fourth centennial celebration of the arrival of the first Catholic missionaries to Macau on November 10, 1965.

The Cardinal died in Rome, at age 96. He was initially buried in the Campo di Verano cemetery, but his remains, in accord with his will, were later transferred to the church of Sant'Antonio dei Portoghesi. In his will, Nunes also expressed his desire to be buried in the cemetery of Horta, next to his parents, if he died in Portugal.

Trivia[]

  • On his father's side of the family, the Cardinal's sister was Ana da Costa Nunes Belfils. Jose was an uncle to Patricia H. da Costa Nunes Amaral, whom he invited to the Vatican for Official Ceremonies in 1972. He was a great uncle to Carol Madeline Bettencort Avila Broussard. The Cardinal was a direct descendant of Wilhelm Vander Hagan Silveria.
  • He founded the journal Oriente.
  • He was named President of the Permanent Committee of International Eucharistic Congresses on July 13, 1953.

External links[]

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
João de Azevedo e Castro
Bishop of Macau
1920–1940
Succeeded by
João de Deus Ramalho
Preceded by
Teotónio Ribeiro Vieira de Castro
Patriarch of the East Indies
1940–1953
Succeeded by
José Vieira Alvernaz
Honorary titles
Preceded by
Paolo Giobbe
Oldest Living Cardinal
August 14, 1972– November 29, 1976
Succeeded by
Alberto di Jorio

no:José da Costa Nunes pt:José da Costa Nunes zh:高若瑟

Advertisement