On 28 September 2024, a dark cloud fell for the Catholic Church in Angola with the passing on of Cardinal Alexandre do Nascimento OP. He was the first Angolan Cardinal. He served as Archbishop of Luanda from 1986 to 2001 and from 1983 he was already a Cardinal.
The Cardinal was born in Malanje on 1 March 1925 and he studied at the seminaries in Banglas, Malanje, and Luanda before travelling to Rome in 1948 to study at the Pontifical Gregorian University, from where he obtained his Baccalaureate in philosophy and his Licentiate in theology. He was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Luigi Traglia on 20 December 1952. Cardinal Alexandre taught Dogmatic Theology at the Luanda seminary and served as chief editor of the Catholic newspaper O apostolado (“The apostolate”) until 1956, when he became preacher of the cathedral.
In 1961, with the outbreak of the War of Independence, Nascimento was forced into exile in Lisbon. Whilst in Portugal, he did pastoral work, served as a counsellor to the Movement of Teams of Our Lady and studied civil law at the Classical University. Upon returning to Angola in 1971, he taught moral theology at the Pius XII Institute of Social Sciences, He also held a number of offices including working in the Archdiocesan curia of Lubango, Secretary General of the Angolan Cáritas, and special assistant to students and former political prisoners.
On 10 August 1975, Nascimento was appointed the fourth bishop of Malanje by Pope Paul VI and was consecrated on 31 August 1975 by Archbishop Giovanni De Andrea, with Archbishops Manuel Nunes Gabriel and Eduardo Muaca serving as co-consecrators. Cardinal Nascimento was the vice-president of the Angolan Episcopal Conference from 1975 to 1981, and was named the third Archbishop of Lubango on 3 February 1977. On 15 October 1982 Archbishop do Nascimento was kidnapped by guerrillas during a pastoral visit. He was later freed on 16 November of that same year after Pope John Paul II made an appeal for his release.
John Paul II created him Cardinal-Priest of S. Marco in Agro Laurentino in the consistory of 2 February 1983. He preached the Lenten spiritual exercises for the Pope and members of the Roman Curia in 1984. He was appointed the thirty-fourth Archbishop of Luanda on 16 February 1986 and resigned this post on 23 January 2001.
Cardinal Nascimento was unable to participate in the 2005 papal conclave because he had just turned 80. He became the oldest living member of the College of Cardinals upon the death of Cardinal Jozef Tomko on 8 August 2022.
Cardinal Nascimento died on 28 September 2024, at the age of 99. As the IMBISA Region, we are united with the Church in Angola at loss of this great icon of Africa. Our condolences goes to all the Bishops in Angola, the Priests, Religious men and women, all the Lay Faithful and the members of Cardinal Nascimento’s family.
May his soul rest in peace.