The Pope has appointed Fr. José Tolentino Mendonça, one of the most authoritative and original voices in contemporary Portugal, as a consultant of the Pontifical Council for Culture.
Fr. Mendonça received specialized training at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, Italy, and is currently a professor of the Faculty of Theology of the Catholic University of Lisbon, Portugal. One of the most important aspects of his activity as a writer is his reflection on the relationship between Christianity and culture. His poetry and prose alike are highly esteemed by the public and by literary critics.
The FSPs of Portugal have published the books O Tesouro Escondido and Painosso que estais na terra by Fr. Mendonça.