Américo Manuel Alves Aguiar

Américo Manuel Alves Aguiar (born 12 December 1973) is a Portuguese prelate of the Catholic Church who has been bishop of Setúbal since 2023. He was an auxiliary bishop of the Patriarchate of Lisbon from 2019 to 2023 and headed the organization responsible for planning World Youth Day in August 2023.

Pope Francis made him a cardinal on 30 September 2023.

Biography Américo Aguiar was born in in Matosinhos in the Porto metropolitan area on 12 December 1973. He participated in electoral politics in his youth in both Matosinhos and the neighboring municipality of Maia, working with members of the city council in both. He served on the City Council of Matosinhos from 1994 to 1997 as a member of the Socialist Party. He has called his political engagement "great fun" . by Armindo Lopes Coelho, Bishop of Porto.

He served as parish priest of São Pedro de Azevedo (Campanhã) from 2001 to 2002; special secretary to the bishop of Porto, Armindo Lopes Coelho, and parish priest of the cathedral from 2002 to 2004; and vicar general of the diocese from 2004 to 2006. In 2014 he earned a master's degree in communication sciences from the Catholic University of Portugal, Lisbon.

He was president of the administrative board of Rádio Renascença (Lisbon) from 2017 while continuing to provide pastoral services in Porto. In 2017 he became national director of the Secretariat of Church Social Communications and head of the Episcopal Commission for Culture, Cultural Assets and Social Communications.

On 1 March 2019, Pope Francis appointed him auxiliary bishop of Lisbon and titular bishop of Dagno. He was then the youngest bishop in Portugal.

He led the Commission for the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Persons of the Patriarchate of Lisbon until March 2023, when the Portuguese Episcopal Conference decided that only laypeople should serve on such bodies. He heads Fundação da JMJ, the body responsible for organizing World Youth Day in Portugal on 1–6 August 2023. In July 2023, being responsible for World Youth Day 2023, he stated in an interview that the purpose of the event was not "to convert young people to Christ". The comment drew some criticism from the faithful, members of the clergy and the media.

On 9 July 2023, Pope Francis announced plans to make him a cardinal at a consistory scheduled for 30 September. Aguiar will be the second youngest cardinal. He said his appointment "has to do with youth, it has to do with Portugal, it has to do with World Youth Day" rather than himself. That this results in two active cardinals from the see of Lisbon has been called "a genuine novelty" and provoked speculation about his future in the Roman Curia. At that consistory he was made cardinal priest of Sant'Antonio da Padova in Via Merulana. At the time, he was the second youngest member of the College of Cardinals.

Pope Francis named him bishop of Setúbal on 21 September 2023. He was installed there as the fourth bishop of Setúbal on 26 October.

He participated as a cardinal elector in the 2025 papal conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV.

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