List of Portuguese cardinals explained

The following is a list of Portuguese cardinals in the Roman Catholic Church, ordered by years of consistory.

Throughout history, 46 Portuguese prelates were elevated to the cardinalate. This list includes 5 cardinal bishops, 36 cardinal priests and 5 cardinal deacons.

Two Portuguese cardinals ascended to the Papal and Portuguese thrones, respectively: Pedro Hispano was elected Pope in 1276, under the name of John XXI, and Cardinal Henry of Portugal was acclaimed King of Portugal in 1578.

PictureNameLifespanConsistories and titlesCoat of arms
1Gil Júlio Rebolo (Magister Egidius)13th centuryPope Innocent III
Cardinal-Deacon (title unknown)
2Paio Galvão1165–1230
(† 65 years)
1205 Pope Innocent III
Cardinal deacon of Santa Lucia in Silice
1210 Pope Innocent III
Cardinal priest of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere
1212 Pope Innocent III
cardinal bishop of Albano
3Pedro Julião,
later Pope John XXI[1]
1215–1277
(† 62 years)
1273 Pope Gregory X
Cardinal bishop of Frascati
(1273–1276)
4Ordonho Álvares1198–1285
(† 87 years)
1278 Pope Nicholas III
Cardinal bishop of Frascati
5Pedro da Fonseca[2] 14th century–14221409 Antipope Benedict XIII
1419 Pope Martin V
Cardinal deacon of Sant'Angelo in Pescheria
6João Afonso Esteves de Azambuja1340–1415
(† 75 years)
1411 Pope Gregory XII
Cardinal priest of San Pietro in Vincoli
7Antão Martins de Chaves?–14471439 Pope Eugene IV
Cardinal priest of San Crisogono
8Infante Jaime of Portugal1433–1459
(† 25 years)
1456 Pope Calixtus III
Cardinal deacon of Sant'Eustachio
9Jorge da Costa
(Cardinal de Alpedrinha)[3]
1406–1508
(† 102 years)
1476 (in pectore)
1476 Pope Sixtus IV (revealed)
Cardinal priest of Santi Marcellino e Pietro al Laterano
1491 Pope Innocent VIII
Cardinal bishop of Albano
10Infante Afonso of Portugal1509–1540
(† 30 years)
1517 Pope Leo X
Cardinal deacon (no title assigned)
1525 Pope Clement VII
Cardinal deacon of Santa Lucia in Septisolio
1535 Pope Paul III
Cardinal priest of Santi Giovanni e Paolo al Celio
11Miguel da Silva1480–1556
(† 76 years)
1539 (in pectore)
1541 Pope Paul III (revealed)
Cardinal priest of Santa Maria in Trastevere
12Infante Henry of Portugal,
later King Henry I of Portugal[4]
1512–1580
(† 68 years)
1545 Pope Paul III
Cardinal priest of Santi Quattro Coronati
13Veríssimo de Lencastre
(Cardinal de Lencastre)
1615–1692
(† 77 years)
1686 Pope Innocent XI
Cardinal priest (no title assigned)
14Luís de Sousa1630–1702
(† 71 years)
1697 Pope Innocent XII
Cardinal priest (no title assigned)
15Nuno da Cunha e Ataíde1664–1750
(† 85 years)
1712 Pope Clement XI
Cardinal priest of Sant'Anastasia
16José Pereira de Lacerda1662–1738
(† 76 years)
1719 Pope Clement XI
Cardinal priest of Santa Susanna
17João da Mota e Silva
(Cardinal da Mota)
1685–1747
(† 62 years)
1727 Pope Benedict XIII
Cardinal priest (no title assigned)
18Tomás de Almeida1670–1754
(† 83 years)
1737 Pope Clement XII
Cardinal priest (no title assigned)
19José Manuel da Câmara de Atalaia1686–1758
(† 71 years)
1747 Pope Benedict XIV
Cardinal priest (no title assigned)
20Francisco de Saldanha da Gama1723–1776
(† 53 years)
1756 Pope Benedict XIV
Cardinal deacon (no title assigned)
1759 Pope Clement XIII
Cardinal priest (no title assigned)
21Paulo António de Carvalho e Mendonça1702–1770
(† 68 years)
1769 (in pectore)
1770 Pope Clement XIV (revealed)
Cardinal deacon (no title assigned)
22Friar João Cosme da Cunha

(Cardinal da Cunha)
1715–1783
(† 67 years)
1770 Pope Clement XIV
Cardinal priest (no title assigned)
23Fernando de Sousa e Silva1712–1786
(† 68 years)
1778 Pope Pius VI
Cardinal priest (no title assigned)
24José Francisco Miguel António de Mendonça1725–1808
(† 82 years)
1788 Pope Pius VI
Cardinal priest (no title assigned)
25Miguel Carlos José de Noronha e Silva Abranches1744–1803
(† 58 years)
1803 Pope Pius VII
Cardinal deacon (no title assigned)
26Carlos da Cunha e Meneses1759–1825
(† 82 years)
1819 Pope Pius VII
Cardinal priest (no title assigned)
27Friar Patrício da Silva
1756–1840
(† 83 years)
1824 Pope Leo XII
Cardinal priest (no title assigned)
28Friar Francisco de São Luís Saraiva

(Cardinal Saraiva)
1766–1845
(† 79 years)
1843 Pope Gregory XVI
Cardinal priest (no title assigned)
29Guilherme Henriques de Carvalho1793–1857
(† 64 years)
1846 Pope Gregory XVI
Cardinal priest of Santa Maria sopra Minerva
30Pedro Paulo de Figueiredo da Cunha e Melo1770–1855
(† 85 years)
1850 Pope Pius IX
Cardinal priest (no title assigned)
31Manuel Bento Rodrigues da Silva
CSJE
1800–1869
(† 68 years)
1858 Pope Pius IX
Cardinal priest (no title assigned)
32Inácio do Nascimento Morais Cardoso1811–1883
(† 71 years)
1873 Pope Pius IX
Cardinal priest of Santi Nereo e Achilleo
33Américo Ferreira dos Santos Silva1829–1899
(† 70 years)
1879 Pope Leo XIII
Cardinal priest of Santi Quattro Coronati
34Friar José Sebastião de Almeida Neto
1841–1920
(† 79 years)
1884 Pope Leo XIII
Cardinal priest of Santi XII Apostoli
35António Mendes Bello1842–1929
(† 87 years)
1911 (in pectore)
1914 Pope Pius X (revealed)
Cardinal priest of Santi Marcellino e Pietro
36Manuel Gonçalves Cerejeira
(Cardinal Cerejeira)
1888–1977
(† 88 years)
1929 Pope Pius XI
Cardinal priest of Santi Marcellino e Pietro
37Teodósio Clemente de Gouveia1889–1962
(† 72 years)
1946 Pope Pius XII
Cardinal priest of San Pietro in Vincoli
38José da Costa Nunes1880–1976
(† 96 years)
1962 Pope John XXIII
Cardinal priest of Santa Prisca
39António Ribeiro1928–1998
(† 69 years)
1973 Pope Paul VI
Cardinal priest of Sant'Antonio da Padova in Via Merulana
40Humberto Sousa Medeiros1915–1983
(† 67 years)
1973 Pope Paul VI
Cardinal priest of Santa Susanna
41José Saraiva Martins
1932
(years)
2001 Pope John Paul II
Cardinal deacon of Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore
2009 Pope Benedict XVI
Cardinal bishop of Palestrina
42José da Cruz Policarpo1936–2014
2001 Pope John Paul II
Cardinal priest of Sant'Antonio in Campo Marzio
43Manuel Monteiro de Castro1938 (years)2012 Pope Benedict XVI
Cardinal deacon de San Domenico di Guzmán
2012 Pope Francis
Cardinal priest of San Domenico di Guzmán pro hac vice
44Manuel José Macário do Nascimento Clemente1948
(years)
2015 Pope Francis
Cardinal priest of Sant'Antonio in Campo Marzio
45António Augusto dos Santos Marto1947
(years)
2018 Pope Francis
Cardinal priest of Santa Maria sopra Minerva
46José Tolentino Calaça de Mendonça1965
(years)
2019 Pope Francis
Cardinal deacon of Santi Domenico e Sisto
47Américo Manuel Alves Aguiar1973
(years)
2023 Francisco
Cardinal priest of Sant'Antonio da Padova in Via Merulana

Notes and References

  1. Richard P. McBrien, Lives of the Popes, (HarperCollins, 1997), 222.
  2. Poggio Bracciolini, Two Renaissance book hunters, Trans. Phyllis Goodhart Gordan, (Columbia University Press, 1991), 238.
  3. Web site: Miranda . Salvador . Salvador Miranda (historian) . COSTA, Jorge da (1406-1508) . The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church . . 53276621.
  4. http://www2.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios1545.htm#Portugal Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church: Enrique de Portugal