Luciani Pedro Mendes de Almeida was born in
Rio de Janeiro on 5 October 1930. He received his
First Communion on 8 September 1937. His initial schooling was spent at the Colégio Santo Inácio in Rio de Janeiro. He entered the
Jesuits on 2 March 1947 and then underwent his ecclesial studies first at
Nova Friburgo from 1951 to 1953 (at the Colégio Anchieta) and then at the
Pontifical Gregorian from 1955 until 1959 for his theological studies. His philosophical course at the Gregorian spanned from 1960 to 1965 and he earned his
doctorate in
Thomism. He received his
ordination to the
priesthood in
Rome on 5 July 1958, and made his solemn profession as a Jesuit on 15 August 1964. He mastered
Latin and
Italian during his studies as well as English while also learning Spanish and German. Mendes de Almeida served after his ordination as a professor in the philosophical department in a school back in Brazil from 1965 until 1972. In 1976 he was made an auxiliary bishop of the
Archdiocese of São Paulo, where he founded
Pastoral do Menor, to help children and adolescents from the outskirts of São Paulo. He served in various capacities in the
Brazilian Episcopal Conference and was vice president of the
Latin American Episcopal Conference from 1995 to 1998. His remains were flown out to
Belo Horizonte and then transported via vehicle to Mariana for the funeral which Cardinal
Cláudio Hummes presided over. ==Beatification process==