Son of a German immigrant family, Cardenal Paulo Evaristo Arns is an emeritus archbishop from São Paulo and one of the most important figures of the Catholic Church in Brazil, due to his intellect, his commitment to the poorest, and especially to his defense of human rights during the military dictatorship.
Arns vigorously fought political torture, defended refugees, students, journalists, trade unionists, and other persecuted types, and acted in cooperation with human rights activists, exiles and the UN to bring to the Vatican summit warnings about military regimes in the Southern Cone. In 1985, he received on behalf of Caritas Archdiocese of São Paulo the UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award, in recognition of the institution’s efforts to support and care for asylum-seekers and refugees.
In the same year, he created the Pastoral of Childhood with Sister Zilda Arns, who died in the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, where she performed humanitarian work with children.
