VATICAN CITY, JULY 26, 2001 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II appointed Archbishop Eusebio Oscar Scheid of Florianopolis to lead the Archdiocese Rio de Janeiro, one of the largest in the world.
He is replacing Cardinal Eugênio de Araújo Sales, who resigned for reason of age, after holding this office for 30 years.
The new archbishop of Rio was born in Luzerna, in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, on Dec. 8, 1932. He was ordained in Rome on July 3, 1960, while a student as the Gregorian University. Archbishop Scheid has a doctorate in Christology.
On Feb. 18, 1981, he was appointed bishop of the Diocese of San Jose dos Campos, in the state of Sao Paulo, and took possession of this office on May 1, 1981.
Among Archbishop Scheid´s published works are «Preparation for Marriage and Family Life» and «Introduction to Family Pastoral Care.»
The Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro has a population of 5.59 million, including 3.88 million Catholics.
The archdiocese has seven auxiliary bishops, 11 resident bishops emeritus, 213 diocesan priests, 94 priests of other dioceses who work in the city, 270 religious-order priests, and 34 permanent deacons. There are also 27 non-ordained men religious, and 1,200 nuns.
The archdiocese includes 66 religious communities, three societies of apostolic life, 44 lay apostolate movements, 64 fraternities, 7,232 catechists, 3,842 extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, and more than 20,000 missionaries engaged in the popular mission.
