The former national team coach Fernando Santos will receive on September 25, at the Estoril Palace Hotel, the Tree of Life Award – Father Manuel Antunes, a distinction awarded by the National Secretariat for the Pastoral of Culture to personalities whose career reflects the dialogue between Christian experience and contemporary culture. The ceremony, open to the public, will take place between 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM.
An engineer by training, Fernando Santos is considered by the jury as a reference in contemporary Portuguese sport, standing out for winning the European Championship in 2016 and the Nations League in 2019 with the National Team, as well as the national championship title with FC Porto. The jury also highlighted his family life, academic background, and commitment to defending the common good.
The Christian dimension of his personal journey also weighed in the decision. Fernando Santos was born into a Christian family, drifted away from the Church during a phase of his life, and later returned to faith through his daughter, who was preparing for Confirmation, and friends who invited him to participate in a Cursilho de Cristiandade. The jury believes that his career demonstrates that faith, lived with conviction, translates into a way of witnessing Christian values in everyday life.
Established in 2005, the Tree of Life Award has previously honored personalities such as Manoel de Oliveira, Adriano Moreira, Eduardo Lourenço, Ruy de Carvalho, José Mattoso, Luís Miguel Cintra, Leonor Beleza, and Manuel Braga da Cruz. The award ceremony will include the reading of the official document by Isabel Maria Alçada Cardoso, a conversation moderated by Raquel Abecasis, the laudatio by the Patriarch of Lisbon D. Rui Valério, and the closing remarks by D. Nuno Brás, bishop of Funchal.
