Eugénio Fonseca, former president of Cáritas Portuguesa, passed away on August 12 and will be commemorated this Sunday in a televised program by "70×7" on RTP2. The broadcast, centered on the motto "A man who did not miss the mark," will gather testimonies about his dedication to the cause of the most vulnerable, including an interview he gave to the ECCLESIA Agency just days before his sudden death.
The Bishop of Setúbal, Cardinal Américo Aguiar, who presided over the funeral rites at the cathedral in Setúbal, described Eugénio Fonseca as the righteous man of the Gospel who "cannot remain indifferent to the lives of his brothers." The current president of Cáritas Portuguesa, Rita Valadas, evoked the profile of a "man of strong purposes," highlighting his ability to identify the new contours of poverty in each temporal context.
Among the figures who were present at the farewell, Ana Mendes Godinho, former minister of Labor, Solidarity and Social Security, stands out, who praised Eugénio Fonseca's "love as a way of doing politics," and social researcher Manuel Carvalho da Silva, former general secretary of CGTP, who highlighted his "deep convictions" in promoting human dignity, lamenting that the Portuguese continue to be "very tolerant of poverty."
The program also recovers memories from Father José Lobato, who witnessed the awakening of Eugénio Fonseca's solidarity when he was only 12 years old. The president of Cáritas Diocesana of Setúbal, Paulo Valente da Cruz, described the former leader's journey as a "beacon" for social action, recounting the constant support and phone alerts he received about situations of need in the region.
