Cardinal Manuel Monteiro de Castro is a retired Portuguese Vatican diplomat who served as Secretary to the Congregation for Bishops and latterly Major Penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary during the pontificate of Benedict XVI.

Born on March 29, 1938, in Santa Eufémia de Prazins, Portugal, he was ordained as a priest on July 9, 1961, and initially served in the Archdiocese of Braga. In 1964, he moved to Rome to further his studies, earning a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University and a diploma from the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in 1967.

Monteiro de Castro entered the Holy See’s diplomatic service in 1967, serving in various countries including Panama, Guatemala, Vietnam, Cambodia, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Mexico, and Belgium.

His diplomatic career advanced significantly on February 16, 1985, when he was appointed apostolic nuncio and elevated to Archbishop of Benevento. He went on to serve as nuncio in several Caribbean nations, including Trinidad and Tobago, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Jamaica, and Saint Lucia.

His diplomatic assignments continued with appointments as nuncio to El Salvador and Honduras in 1990, and later to South Africa, Namibia, Swaziland, and Lesotho from 1998 to 2000. In March 2000, he became nuncio to Spain and Andorra, and in 2007, he was also named Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the World Tourism Organization.

In 2009, Monteiro de Castro was appointed secretary of the Congregation for Bishops and secretary of the College of Cardinals. On January 5, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Major Penitentiary, and later that year elevated him to cardinal.

He participated in the conclave of March 2013 that elected Pope Francis. On March 4, 2022, his deaconry was elevated pro hac vice to a presbyteral title.

Cardinal Monteiro de Castro’s tenure as Major Penitentiary was short, and he was replaced on September 21, 2013, at the age of 75. Throughout his career, he has been known for his diplomatic skills and his service to the Church in various capacities, making him a respected figure in the Catholic hierarchy.