Portuguese deacon chosen to ″help″ Pope Francis at the Easter Vigil

Deacon Jorge Oliveira was chosen to assist Pope Francis at the Easter Vigil, on Saturday, at the Vatican.

A photograph of the 39-year-old deacon “helping” the Pope was published on Francis’ social media. Also on the networks, the deacon explained that he had “the privilege of helping the Pope at the Easter Vigil”. “I had a brief conversation with him. I asked him to pray for my friends, we talked about the challenges of work, family and the World Youth Day in Lisbon in 2023”, said Jorge Oliveira.

Graduated in Civil Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico, he was project manager in several construction companies and worked in banking. From 2017 to 2022 he was director of the economic and communication department of Opus Dei in Portugal. He currently lives in Rome where he is doing a doctorate in Moral Theology. On his resume, he records having completed 4 marathons and 72 half marathons. The photograph now released on the Pope’s official Instagram gave Jorge Oliveira a visibility he doesn’t like to have. “I like to remember some words of the Holy Father: Priests are like airplanes. They only make the news when they crash”, the future priest usually jokes.

Born in Braga, Jorge will be ordained a priest on May 20, in Rome.