Gleison de Paula Souza was born on May 14, 1984, in Minas Gerais. He was a seminarian, as seen in the photo below with Pope Francis, between 2005 and 2016. He belonged to the Congregation of the Little Work of Divine Providence. During this period his choice for the lay life became more evident.
I felt that God loved me through the words of Pope Francis
In 2014, Gleison had the opportunity to send a written greeting to Pope Francis and received a phone call from him, inviting him to visit him at Casa Santa Marta. Gleison shares his impressions when he exposed his doubts to the Pope: “He encouraged me and gave me very good advice, just as a father. His words were a continuous invitation to experience the Lord’s mercy. I asked him if he could hear my confession and with his positive answer, I opened my heart once again. He did not provide me with any answers, but rather left me free to ponder, telling me that he stood by me. I am touched to know that he cares to know what I feel, think and hope. I felt that God loved me through the words of Pope Francis”1.
After the vocational discernment, Gleison left the seminary. He graduated in Theology from the Pontifical Salesian University in Rome in 2015 and received a master’s degree in Philosophical Sciences in 2019 from the University of Salento in Lecce.
A husband and a father
He is married to Elisabetta Macrì and is the father of two daughters. After agreeing to Pope Francis’ request, he has become the new Secretary of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, replacing the, also Brazilian, Father Alexandre Awi Mello, who had held the position since 2017 and was elected this year as the new Superior General of the Schoenstatt Fathers.
The dicastery is presided by American Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell and is responsible, among other functions, for the follow-up of World Youth Day, which Lisbon will host in August 2023.
Source of information: Vatican News
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