Profile

Cardinal Manuel Clemente, Emeritus Patriarch of Lisbon, is a prominent figure in the contemporary Portuguese Catholic Church. He earned a degree in history from the University of Lisbon’s Faculty of Arts in 1973, later obtaining a degree in theology in 1979 and a doctorate in historical theology in 1992, both from the Catholic University of Portugal. His doctoral dissertation focused on apostolic action in 19th-century Portugal. He taught Church History at the same university, directing the Centre for the Study of Religious History from 2000 to 2007 and coordinating research projects on the Church’s presence in contemporary Portuguese society.

Widely recognized for his pastoral thought and civic engagement, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Universidade Lusófona in 2012 and was awarded the Grã-Cruz da Ordem Militar de Cristo in 2010. He is the author of a substantial body of work at the intersection of history, religion and society. This includes Breve História da Igreja Católica (1978), Igreja e Sociedade Portuguesa do Liberalismo à República (2002), Portugal e os Portugueses (2008), Diálogo em Tempo de Escombros (2010) e O Tempo pede uma nova Evangelização (2013), to name a few.

Having been ordained priest in 1979, he was appointed Canon of the Patriarchal Cathedral of Lisbon in 1989. He subsequently served as Auxiliary Bishop of Lisbon (2000), Bishop of Porto (2007) and, finally, as Patriarch of Lisbon (2013). In 2015, he was elevated to the rank of Cardinal by Pope Francis, receiving the title of Saint Anthony in Campo Marzio. Within the Portuguese Church, he chaired the Episcopal Commission for Culture, Cultural Heritage and Social Communications (2005–2011) and the Portuguese Episcopal Conference (2013–2020). Internationally, he was a member of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications from 2013 to 2016. He has been a Corresponding Member of the Portuguese Academy of History since 1996 and was awarded the Pessoa Prize in 2009.