Geraldo de Proença Sigaud
Encyclopedia
Geraldo de Proença Sigaud, S.V.D.
(September 26, 1909—September 5, 1999) was a Brazil
ian prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He served as Bishop of Jacarezinho
from 1947 to 1960, and as Archbishop of Diamantina
from 1960 to 1980.
He was born in Belo Horizonte
, Minas Gerais
, and ordained
a priest
of the Society of the Divine Word
on March 12, 1932. Following his ordination, he became a professor
at the major seminary
of São Paulo
, alongside Antônio de Castro Mayer
. When he gave his support to a book written by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira
claiming Communist
infiltration in the Brazilian Catholic Action
, he was sanctioned and sent to Spain
in March 1946. However, he found favor with the Apostolic Nuncio
Benedetto Aloisi Masella
, who ensured his return to Brazil shortly afterwards.
On October 29, 1946, Sigaud was appointed the third Bishop of Jacarezinho
by Pope Pius XII
. He received his episcopal consecration
on May 1, 1947 from Archbishop Carlo Chiarlo
, with Bishops José Maurício da Rocha and Manoel da Silveira d'Elboux serving as co-consecrators
. He was later named the fourth Archbishop of Diamantina
on December 20, 1960.
After Pope John XXIII
convened the Second Vatican Council
in 1962, Sigaud called for "counter-revolutionary combat," especially against Communism, and denounced "the implacable enemy of the Church and Catholic society...the Revolution
." Determined to organize the conservative
-minded Council Fathers to provide opposition to the more progressive
bishops, he founded the Coetus Internationalis Patrum
with the French
Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre
and his compatriot Bishop de Castro Mayer in 1963, later becoming the group's Secretary
. During the Council, he brought a petition signed by 213 Fathers to Amleto Cardinal Cicognani, asking for the condemnation of Marxism
, socialism
and Communism (December 1963), and later presented Pope Paul VI
with the petition of 510 Fathers for the Consecration of Russia
to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
(February 1964). Sigaud also described the United States one-dollar bill
as evidence of "the world wide conspiracy against the Catholic order," and claimed, "The heads of international Jewry
have for centuries conspired methodically and out of an undying hatred against the Catholic name and the destruction of the Catholic order, and for the construction of a world wide Jewish empire."
Despite his conservative leanings, he implemented the Novus Ordo Missae
in his diocese
and did not support Archbishop Lefebvre's Society of St. Pius X
. Sigaud resigned as Archbishop on September 10, 1980, after a 19-year-long tenure. He later died at age 89.
Divine Word Missionaries
The Society of the Divine Word , popularly called the Divine Word Missionaries, and sometimes the Steyler Missionaries, is a missionary religious congregation in the Latin Church, one of the 23 sui iuris churches which make up the Catholic Church. As of 2006 it consisted of 6,102 members composed...
(September 26, 1909—September 5, 1999) was a Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. He served as Bishop of Jacarezinho
Roman Catholic Diocese of Jacarezinho
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Jacarezinho is a diocese located in the city of Jacarezinho in the Ecclesiastical province of Londrina in Brazil.-Leadership:* Bishops of Jacarezinho ** Bishop Fernando José Penteado...
from 1947 to 1960, and as Archbishop of Diamantina
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Diamantina
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Diamantina is an archdiocese located in the city of in Brazil.-History:* June 6, 1854: Established as Diocese of Diamantina from the Diocese of Mariana* June 28, 1917: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Diamantina...
from 1960 to 1980.
He was born in Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte is the capital of and largest city in the state of Minas Gerais, located in the southeastern region of Brazil. It is the third largest metropolitan area in the country...
, Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
, and ordained
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
a priest
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
of the Society of the Divine Word
Divine Word Missionaries
The Society of the Divine Word , popularly called the Divine Word Missionaries, and sometimes the Steyler Missionaries, is a missionary religious congregation in the Latin Church, one of the 23 sui iuris churches which make up the Catholic Church. As of 2006 it consisted of 6,102 members composed...
on March 12, 1932. Following his ordination, he became a professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at the major seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
of São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, alongside Antônio de Castro Mayer
Antônio de Castro Mayer
Antônio de Castro Mayer, STL was a Brazilian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. A Traditionalist Catholic and ally of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, he was Bishop of Campos from 1949 until his resignation in 1981....
. When he gave his support to a book written by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira
Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira
Plinio Correa de Oliveira was a Brazilian intellectual, politician and Catholic activist....
claiming Communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
infiltration in the Brazilian Catholic Action
Catholic Action
Catholic Action was the name of many groups of lay Catholics who were attempting to encourage a Catholic influence on society.They were especially active in the nineteenth century in historically Catholic countries that fell under anti-clerical regimes such as Spain, Italy, Bavaria, France, and...
, he was sanctioned and sent to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in March 1946. However, he found favor with the Apostolic Nuncio
Apostolic Nuncio to Brazil
The Apostolic Nunciature to the Republic of Brazil is an ecclesiastical office of the Roman Catholic Church in Brazil. It is a diplomatic post of the Holy See, whose representative is called the Apostolic Nuncio with the rank of an ambassador....
Benedetto Aloisi Masella
Benedetto Aloisi Masella
Benedetto Aloisi Masella was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Discipline of the Sacraments from 1954 to 1968, and as Chamberlain of the Roman Church from 1958 until his death...
, who ensured his return to Brazil shortly afterwards.
On October 29, 1946, Sigaud was appointed the third Bishop of Jacarezinho
Roman Catholic Diocese of Jacarezinho
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Jacarezinho is a diocese located in the city of Jacarezinho in the Ecclesiastical province of Londrina in Brazil.-Leadership:* Bishops of Jacarezinho ** Bishop Fernando José Penteado...
by Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
. He received his episcopal consecration
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
on May 1, 1947 from Archbishop Carlo Chiarlo
Carlo Chiarlo
Carlo Chiarlo was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as nuncio to several countries, mostly Latin American, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1958.-Biography:...
, with Bishops José Maurício da Rocha and Manoel da Silveira d'Elboux serving as co-consecrators
Consecrator
Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...
. He was later named the fourth Archbishop of Diamantina
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Diamantina
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Diamantina is an archdiocese located in the city of in Brazil.-History:* June 6, 1854: Established as Diocese of Diamantina from the Diocese of Mariana* June 28, 1917: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Diamantina...
on December 20, 1960.
After Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
convened the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
in 1962, Sigaud called for "counter-revolutionary combat," especially against Communism, and denounced "the implacable enemy of the Church and Catholic society...the Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
." Determined to organize the conservative
Conservative Christianity
Conservative Christianity is a term applied to a number of groups or movements seen as giving priority to traditional Christian beliefs and practices...
-minded Council Fathers to provide opposition to the more progressive
Liberal Christianity
Liberal Christianity, sometimes called liberal theology, is an umbrella term covering diverse, philosophically and biblically informed religious movements and ideas within Christianity from the late 18th century and onward...
bishops, he founded the Coetus Internationalis Patrum
Coetus Internationalis Patrum
The Coetus Internationalis Patrum was a study group of the conservative-minded bishops at the Second Vatican Council...
with the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre
Marcel Lefebvre
Marcel François Marie Joseph Lefebvre was a French Roman Catholic archbishop. Following a career as an Apostolic Delegate for West Africa and Superior General of the Holy Ghost Fathers, he took the lead in opposing the changes within the Church associated with the Second Vatican Council.In 1970,...
and his compatriot Bishop de Castro Mayer in 1963, later becoming the group's Secretary
Secretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
. During the Council, he brought a petition signed by 213 Fathers to Amleto Cardinal Cicognani, asking for the condemnation of Marxism
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
, socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
and Communism (December 1963), and later presented Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
with the petition of 510 Fathers for the Consecration of Russia
Consecration of Russia
The Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a belief in the Roman Catholic Church that a specific act of consecration on the part of the Pope has been required by the Virgin Mary in return for which there would be world peace....
to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Immaculate Heart of Mary
The Immaculate Heart of Mary originally The Sacred Heart of Mary is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God, her maternal love for her Son, Jesus, and her compassionate love for...
(February 1964). Sigaud also described the United States one-dollar bill
United States one-dollar bill
The United States one-dollar bill is the most common denomination of US currency. The first president, George Washington, painted by Gilbert Stuart, is currently featured on the obverse, while the Great Seal of the United States is featured on the reverse. The one-dollar bill has the oldest...
as evidence of "the world wide conspiracy against the Catholic order," and claimed, "The heads of international Jewry
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
have for centuries conspired methodically and out of an undying hatred against the Catholic name and the destruction of the Catholic order, and for the construction of a world wide Jewish empire."
Despite his conservative leanings, he implemented the Novus Ordo Missae
Mass of Paul VI
The Mass of Pope Paul VI is the liturgy of the Catholic Mass of the Roman Rite promulgated by Paul VI in 1969, after the Second Vatican Council...
in his diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
and did not support Archbishop Lefebvre's Society of St. Pius X
Society of St. Pius X
The Society of Saint Pius X is an international Traditionalist Catholic organisation, founded in 1970 by the French archbishop Marcel Lefebvre...
. Sigaud resigned as Archbishop on September 10, 1980, after a 19-year-long tenure. He later died at age 89.