Handwritten letter from Dom Helder Câmara (1952)

Dom Helder Câmara recommends two young people from Rio de Janeiro for an internship in Spain, praising their "absolute moral suitability" and "very firm character".

Handwritten letter from Dom Helder Câmara to a cultural institution in Spain. In Portuguese. 21.4 cm x 27.7 cm. Rio de Janeiro, July 14, 1952. Yellowed paper, good condition. Single piece.

Dom Helder Câmara (1909-1999) had the true spirit of Jesus: simplicity, deliberation and concern for the most needy. Better yet, he not only spoke but also acted and helped the poorest populations in Brazil.

Born in 1909 to a family of 13 brothers, Helder Chamber he was successively a priest in Fortaleza, bishop and archbishop of Olinda and Recife until 1985. But he did not accept the standard of living that his functions would have given him and preferred to live in a simple house in the middle of a northeastern slum. Close to non-violent movements and referring to Gandhi and Martin Luther King, human rights defender, Sun Helder he defended a servant and poor Church at the service of a fraternal humanity.

Due to his criticisms and audacious positions, he excited crowds abroad, but he was marginalized in Brazil by the bourgeoisie, by the military dictatorship and even by the Church itself. Sun helder responded to his many enemies with an emblematic phrase:

"When I give food to the poor, I am called a saint. When I ask them why they are poor, they call me a communist."

Documents of great contemporary religious personalities are rare in the market and Dom Helder Câmara is no exception. Despite the difficulties, the religious was the Brazilian for the most times nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and the Vatican is currently evaluating his beatification. In this excellent letter from 1952, he recommends two young people from Rio de Janeiro for an internship in Spain, praising their " absolute moral suitability" and their "very firm character" .