A Portuguese cardinal who was elevated to the College of Cardinals last year caused controversy earlier this month  when he attended a communist rally held by the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), the country’s oldest communist party and reputed to be one of the strongest in Western Europe. 

Cardinal Américo Aguiar, bishop of Setúbal diocese just outside Lisbon, defended his decision to take part in last weekend’s rally in Almada near Lisbon, saying he did so because the communists and socialists who attended it were close to the people. 

“We are together, and we are making progress,” he told Portuguese media in response to criticism. “What is important is that all parties use a language that addresses the real problems of every Portuguese person.” 

Noting that he could just as easily attend a rally of Portugal’s right-wing parties, which he listed, he added that such proximity to the people is essential so that, later on, there are no “complaints about fake news or ideological deviations.”

He added that people “do not understand what message the parties have to convey,” and appealed to young people to “commit themselves and make themselves available for citizenship, also in the life of parties, of all parties.” 

Cardinal Aguiar, 51, has never hidden his political leanings. He briefly served as a Socialist Party town councilor and has said he is proud of having done so.  

The PCP is one of the oldest and most significant communist parties in Western Europe. Founded in 1921, it has played a crucial role in Portugal’s political landscape for more than a century, and continues to be popular, including in heavily industrialized areas such as Setúbal. 

The PCP was always pro-Soviet and never sided with the more moderate European communist, social democratic parties. It retains significant influence, particularly through its close ties with the trade union movement and local administrations.

 

Church’s Teaching on Communism

The Church’s teaching on communism is clear. It fundamentally opposes communist ideology due to its atheistic materialism, rejection of private property, promotion of class conflict, and history of religious persecution. These principles remain central to Catholic social doctrine to this day.

Many popes have condemned communism and socialism: Pope Leo XIII decried socialism in his 1879 encyclical Quod Apostolici Muneris, calling it an “abominable sect” that strives to “overthrow all civil society.” Pope Pius XI, in his 1931 encyclical Quadragesimo Anno, considered communism to be a threat to the freedom and the very existence of the Church. Pope Pius XII’s 1949 “Decree Against Communism” stated that Catholics who professed atheistic communist doctrine would be excommunicated as apostates from the Christian faith. 

Cardinal Aguiar’s participation has been seen in Portugal as effectively promoting communism and making it seem normal and acceptable, thereby going against the Church’s position on the political ideology. Unlike other parties on the right and center-right, which the cardinal had listed, communist parties and associations have a history of plotting against the Church, as the political pasts of the Soviet Union and the Eastern bloc countries testify, and more recently the Chinese Communist Party and its “Sinicization” policy that overtly wishes to make the Catholic Church socialist. 

Canon 1374 states that “a person who joins an association that plots against the Church is to be punished with a just penalty; one who promotes or takes office in such an association is to be punished with an interdict.”

“To make a false equivalency that communism is just like any other party is tantamount to normalizing it,” a priest in Portugal said on condition of anonymity. “This is grave as it risks putting souls in jeopardy, especially those who are less educated and vulnerable, and who are liable to become communists out of ignorance.” 

 

Meteoric Rise Through Hierarchy

Bishops of Setúbal have been historically known as “red bishops” on account of their leftist political leanings. Cardinal Aguiar comes from the Diocese of Oporto, known for its extremely progressive clergy.  

Well regarded for his communication skills, Cardinal Aguiar has quickly risen through the Church hierarchy and played a leading role in World Youth Day in Lisbon last year. 

He also drew controversy at the event, saying shortly before it began, “We don’t want to convert young people to Christ or to the Catholic Church.” He later said what he meant was that WYD was not meant to be an aggressive proselytizing event but rather an opportunity for participants to experience Christ through fellowship and reflection.