Roman Catholic Cardinal. A native of São Pedro, António Mendes Bello came from a humble family. Entering seminary in Coimbra, he enrolled himself in the faculty of law at the local university, but health reasons forced him to return to his native Gouveia. Once recovered, he did enter the named university obtaining a licentiate in law, but upon being offered a professorship by the faculty, he declined, returning to Gouveia. Having been ordained priest in June 1865, he was named vicar general of the diocese of Funchal and successively professor of theology at the seminaries of Pinhel and Évora. Vicar general of Lisbon as of 1881, he was appointed suffragan of the patriarchate on March 24, 1884, receiving his episcopal consecration on the following April 27. Presented by King Luís I of Portugal for the see of Faro on September 11, 1884, the Pope had him transferred there with the personal title of archbishop on November 13, 1884. Decorated with the grand cross of the Order of Nossa Senhora da Conceição de Vila Viçosa in 1897, he was presented for the patriarchate of Lisbon by the king of Portugal, Carlos I, by decree of November 7, 1907, and was promoted to the post by Pope Pius X on the following December 19, being granted the pallium on that same day, becoming thus the thirteenth patriarch of Lisbon. Created cardinal priest and reserved in pectore by Pius X on November 27, 1911, due to the political convulsions in Portugal which impeded his cardinalitial publication, he was expelled from Lisbon for two years for infraction of the law of separation between Church and State, residing once more in Gouveia. Published on May 25, 1914, he received the red skullcap in Lisbon on the following June 13, the red biretta in Rome on September 4, and the title of Ss. Marcellino e Pietro four days later. Member of the Academy of Sciences of Lisbon as of 1923, the patriarch died in office in 1929.