Born in
Bom Retiro,
Joaçaba, Brazil, to Alberto Reinaldo Scheid and Rosália Joana Scheid, he studied at the
Dehonian Fathers' seminary; he earned a
doctorate of Sacred Theology in
Christology and was ordained a priest in Rome on 3 July 1960. He then taught
dogmatic theology and
liturgy in Brazil. On 11 February 1981,
Pope John Paul II appointed him Bishop of
São José dos Campos and he was consecrated on 1 May 1981. Appointed Archbishop of
Florianópolis on 23 January 1991, he served in that post for ten years before being named Archbishop of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro and Ordinary for Eastern-Rite faithful resident in Brazil on 25 July 2001. He officially took over the diocese of Rio de Janeiro on 22 September 2001. In South America, Scheid also served as President of South Region IV of the Brazilian Bishops' Conference and Counsellor of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America (as of 25 November 2002).
Pope John Paul II elevated Scheid to the rank of cardinal in the consistory of 21 October 2003, granting him the title of Cardinal-Priest of
Santi Bonifacio e Alessio. In the months during which the health of Pope John Paul II was failing, Scheid spoke in favor of having an African pope, which many interpreted as support for
Francis Arinze. En route to the 2005 conclave, Scheid told an interviewer that he did not think of Brazilian president
President Lula as a "true Catholic", but rather "chaotic", since Lula self-identifies as Catholic but does not practice his faith. Lula responded that he was indeed a Catholic and that his relationship with God was of a very personal nature. Asked the same question, Cardinal
Cláudio Hummes said that Lula was "Catholic in his own way"; Scheid declined to comment further. Scheid retired in 2009 from the see of Rio de Janeiro. After having dealt with age-related illnesses for a few months, Scheid died in São José dos Campos on 13 January 2021. He had tested positive for
COVID-19 during the
COVID-19 pandemic in São Paulo and been admitted to the hospital on 12 January with a possible case of
pneumonia. ==Honors and awards==