Jaime Spengler was born on 6 September 1960 in Santa Catarina, southern Brazil, the eldest of four children. He entered the Order of Friars Minor as a postulant at Guaratinguetá in 1981, began his novitiate at Rodeio in 1982 and made his solemn profession in 1985. After philosophy at the Saint Bonaventure Institute in Campo Largo and theology at Petrópolis and then Jerusalem, where he took a licentiate in Sacred Scripture, he was ordained a priest on 17 November 1990. He later studied philosophy at the Pontifical University Antonianum in Rome (1995–1998) and spent two decades in Franciscan formation and parish posts, including professor and vice-rector at Campo Largo and local superior and parish vicar at Senhor Bom Jesus in Curitiba.
On 10 November 2010 he was appointed titular Bishop of Patara and auxiliary bishop of Porto Alegre, and he was consecrated bishop on 5 February 2011. Pope Francis appointed him Metropolitan Archbishop of Porto Alegre on 18 September 2013. In April 2023 the Brazilian bishops elected him president of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB) for 2023–2027, and weeks later he was also elected president of the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM). When catastrophic floods inundated Rio Grande do Sul in May 2024, he described the situation to Vatican News as chaotic and, in an open letter, called for solidarity as the only way out of the crisis.
Pope Francis created him cardinal in the consistory of 7 December 2024, assigning him the titular church of San Gregorio Magno alla Magliana Nuova. He is a member of the Dicasteries for the Doctrine of the Faith, for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, and for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. He participated as a cardinal elector in the 2025 conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV.
Consequential Quotes
The situation really is chaotic. We have several villages and neighbourhoods completely under water.
Our Common Home is in crisis! Humanity is in crisis!
Gratitude and recognition are fleeting, rare, at times fragile manifestations.
Climate change presents challenges that concern the whole of society. It is no longer possible to limit ourselves to managing the crisis through palliative measures.
To care for creation is, therefore, to care for life. It is to recognise that the earth does not belong to us absolutely, but was entrusted to us.
What we desire, intend and seek to achieve is to promote political awareness.
Major Works & Initiatives
President of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB)
Elected on 24 April 2023 at the CNBB's 60th General Assembly in Aparecida to lead the Brazilian episcopal conference for the 2023–2027 term.
President of the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM)
Elected president of CELAM for 2023–2027 at its 39th Ordinary General Assembly in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, in May 2023, giving him a leading voice for the Church across Latin America and the Caribbean.
Church response to the Rio Grande do Sul floods
As archbishop of the flooded state capital, he coordinated the archdiocesan and CNBB Regional Sul 3 relief effort in May 2024, including the distribution of some 100,000 euros sent by Pope Francis through the Apostolic Almsgiving Office for the homeless.
Member of three Vatican dicasteries
Listed by the Holy See as a member of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, and the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
Controversies
Openness to viri probati and an Amazonian rite
At a Synod on Synodality press briefing on 8 October 2024, Spengler confirmed that an Amazonian rite and the possible ordination of married men of proven faith (viri probati) for communities that go months or years without the Eucharist were under discussion, describing priestly celibacy as a question of discipline rather than theology and saying the issue must be faced with boldness. Supporters present this as a practical response to an acute priest shortage in remote regions; critics worry it could undermine the Latin Church's discipline of celibacy. Spengler stopped short of advocating immediate ordination of married priests.
Response to President Lula's remarks on the Church
In September 2026 President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said the Catholic Church would continue to face difficulties while it did not end celibacy and allow women to be ordained. Spengler told CNN Brasil the remarks had caused discomfort, called them inappropriate in the pre-election moment, and said the Church's own discipline was not a matter for political debate. He also said the CNBB had been pressed hard by sectors inside the Church to respond, but judged it better not to fuel the debate further; commentators differed over whether that restraint was prudent neutrality or an insufficient defence of Church teaching.
Sources
- Holy See Press Office — biography
- Wikipedia
- Wikipedia (Portuguese)
- Canção Nova / Vatican News — Pope prays for flood victims, Spengler statement, 6 May 2024
- Canção Nova / Vatican News — Spengler open letter on the floods, 5 May 2024
- CNBB — Aparecida homily for the CNBB's 70th anniversary, 9 October 2022
- CNBB — Spengler article on the climate crisis and care of creation
- ACI Digital — Spengler on Lula's remarks and Church neutrality, 24 September 2026
- ZENIT — Amazonian rite and viri probati briefing, 10 October 2024