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Damião António Franklin

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Damião António Franklin
Archbishop of Luanda
Church Catholic Church
Archdiocese Archdiocese of Luanda
In office 23 January 2001 – 28 April 2014
Predecessor Alexandre do Nascimento
Successor Filomeno do Nascimento Vieira Dias
Previous posts Titular Bishop of Falerone (1992-2001)
Auxiliary Bishop of Luanda (1992-2001)
Orders
Ordination 28 June 1978
Consecration 12 July 1992
by Alexandre do Nascimento
Personal details
Born 6 August 1950
Cabinda, Protectorate of Portuguese Congo, Portuguese Angola, Portuguese Empire
Died 28 April 2014 (aged 63)

Damião António Franklin (6 August 1950 – 28 April 2014) was an Angolan prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the fifth Archbishop of Luanda.

Biography

Damião Franklin was born in Cabinda, Angola, and ordained to the priesthood in June 1978.[1] On 29 May 1992, he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Luanda and Titular Bishop of Falerone.[1] He received his episcopal consecration on the following 12 July from Alexandre Cardinal do Nascimento, with Archbishop Eduardo Muaca and Félix del Blanco Prieto serving as co-consecrators.[1]

Franklin was later named Archbishop of Luanda on 23 January 2001.[1] He also served as President of the Episcopal Conference of Angola-São Tomé.[2] He has lamented the corruption in his country, saying, "Much of Angola's wealth goes on weapons. Some goes on extravagance like this new presidential palace which is hardly ever used. Huge sums simply vanish, into private hands."[2]

In parallel, he was the Rector of the Catholic University of Angola.

Before the 2008 legislative election, the first election in Angola since the 1992 election that sparked the second phase of the Civil War, the Archbishop stated, "The best way to avoid war is to do the elections in an unquestionably free, just and transparent manner. It is important for political parties to continue collaborating with churches with the view to sensitize the society for a greater turnout in the electoral process."[3]

He served as a secretary to Peter Cardinal Turkson at the special Synod of Bishops for Africa in October 2009.[4]

Franklin died on 28 April 2014.[5][6]

References