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Brazilian Cardinal Aloisio Lorscheider, known as an advocate for the poor and one of Latin America's most influential churchmen, died Dec. 23 in a hospital in Porto Alegre, Brazil. He was 83. Pope Benedict XVI, in a condolence telegram, praised the cardinal for his "constant and generous dedication" in Brazilian dioceses and at the Vatican, where he was a member of several congregations. He retired from the leadership of the Aparecida Archdiocese in 2004. A Franciscan known for his simple spirit and his dedication to social justice, Cardinal Lorscheider served as president of the Brazilian bishops' conference and the Latin American bishops' council, CELAM, in the 1970s. In 1978, he was said to have been considered as a papal candidate in the conclave that elected Pope John Paul II.
