One of the Brazilian bishops who attacked the actions of the Organization of the Rhine at the Second Vatican Council, D. Antônio de Castro Mayer is seen in Europe as the powerful intellect behind the Coetus Internationalis Patrum , which was responsible for curbing part of the liberal and modernist actions which manifested themselves through occult forces in the last council of the Church. He resisted the error until the end, when by the Holy See he was expelled from his miter in Campos and began a survival operation that yielded countless fruits, especially the ordination of several Brazilian priests and the consequent administration of all the sacraments for a long time.

 

Born to a large family in the city of Campinas (SP) on June 20, 1904, he received from his parents a very well-educated education, thus developing remarkable knowledge. Since the age of twelve, he has attended the seminary in Bom Jesus do Pirapora, going through the period with brilliance, to the point that D. Duarte Leopoldo sent him to the Gregorian University in Rome, where they obtained the title of Doctor of Theology. On October 30, 1927, Cardinal Basilio Pompilij, Vicar General of His Holiness, Pope Pius XI, was ordained. For the next thirty years, he ascends in the Archdiocese of São Paulo from seminary professor to assistant general of Catholic Action (a great institution in defense of the Faith that lived in the period), vicar general, vicar treasurer of the parish of São José de Belém, among others.

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His elevation to the bishopric took place on March 6, 1948, with the mandate issued by SS Pius XII, elevating him to Titular Bishop of Priene and co-adjutor of the bishopric of the Diocese of Campos dos Goytacazes, in the interior of Rio de Janeiro. The Apostolic Nuncio of Brazil, Mgr. Carlo Chiarlo, officiated at the consecration ceremony on May 23 of the same year, adopting the episcopate motto "Ipsa Conteret", "She will crush" in reference to the victory. end of Our Lady previewed in Sacred Scripture. Shortly thereafter, with the death of the titular bishop of the Diocese, D. Octaviano Pereira de Albuquerque, D. Castro Mayer assumed the position of Diocesan Bishop.

 

His work continues and the guard of the Sacred Deposit continues: more and more faithful priests support him in the face of the orders emanating from the Holy See for the acceptance of the Novus Ordo. D. Castro reorganizes the Third Orders, grants new splendors to the churches, revives the faith of parishioners, founds schools and boarding schools, launches the very important magazine "Catolicismo" and attracts numerous orders to Campos, especially those dedicated to hospitals and asylums . The important diocese that occupies practically the entire north of the State of Rio de Janeiro, which has a rich history since colonial times, was experiencing an important historical moment. SS Paul VI had given D. Castro an "extraordinary permission" to continue his diocese to celebrate the Mass of Saint Pius V, but the same permission was not sustained by the succession of the following pontiffs, which always demonstrated the imminent danger of Roman interventions, something that doesn't take long to happen. A blow is dealt him in 1981, when the Holy See sends the modernist bishop D. Carlos Navarro to oppose him within the curia itself, precipitating the creation of the São João Maria Vianney Priestly Union , which is justified due to the demotion of D. Castro Mayer as Bishop Emeritus.

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Even in the face of this perjury, D. Castro continued his good fight, increasingly propagating the Tradition through his countless pastoral letters and articles, all of them with a particular Marian note, earning him fame in Brazil and abroad. To this day, his writings are read by the entire Tradition due to their meridian clarity, crystal-clear arguments that leave no room for doubt regarding the correctness of the articles of our Catholic faith and the condemnation of the errors of progressivism. It is not surprising, therefore, to consider why Bishop Lefebvre did not install one of his seminaries in Brazil: Campos was an entire diocese that met the needs of the country and all of Latin America, always with the typical largesse and generosity of its bishop.

 

Differentiating himself from the combat of other Brazilian prelates who helped him during the period of Vatican II, D. Castro is also notable for the persistence undertaken in his instructions, not changing a comma in the doctrine adopted since his priestly ordination. For all these reasons, the debt of Brazilians to D. Castro goes far beyond the mere consideration of his combat, but it is based precisely on the preservation of the Holy Mass and on the good training of his priests, who carried out a valuable work in our country.

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On April 25, 1991, D. Antônio de Castro Mayer dies, resting his body in the crypt of the Chapel of Nossa Senhora do Carmo, in the cemetery reserved for the Third Order. His father Licínio Rangel succeeded him in administering the União Sacerdotal, who in turn will continue the work of Leão de Campos until his death.