Professor Virgílio Maurício Viana was appointed directly by Pope Francis to the new position.

Newsroom (19/10/2021 20:22, Gaudium Press) On Monday morning, 18 October, the Holy See announced the appointment of a new member to the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.

Brazilian professor Virgílio Maurício Viana, General Superintendent of the Sustainable Amazon Foundation (FAS), was appointed directly by Pope Francis to the new position.

Who is the new member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences?

Aged 60, Virgílio Maurício Viana holds a PhD in Evolutionary Biology from Harvard University. Among the main positions he has held are President of the Brazilian Society of Ethnobiology and Ethnoecology (SBEE) and President of the São Paulo Association of Forest Engineers (APAEF).

His current position is as General Superintendent of the Sustainable Amazon Foundation (FAS) and Member of The Lancet COVID-19 Commission. He has published several books and articles on the Amazon, climate change, forest and agroforestry management, and environmental protection.

Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences

Created in 1994 by Pope John Paul II, the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences aims to promote the study and progress of social, economic, political and juridical sciences, offering the Church elements to be used in the study and development of its social doctrine. In addition, this body also makes reflections on the application of this doctrine in contemporary society. (EPC)

Compiled by Sandra Chisholm