A Look at the Life of Father Joaquim de Souza Ribeiro

Probably the son of a black or mixed-race woman, Joaquim de Souza Ribeiro received an ecclesiastical education in Brazil and also earned a law degree from the University of Coimbra, Portugal, in 1788. In the early 1790s, he was appointed Vicar General in Maranhão. Involved in allegations of misconduct, he returned to Portugal and traveled throughout Europe and the Caribbean, where he settled down as a priest. After being accused of stealing silver pieces from local churches, he fled again. In 1814, he was arrested in Cayenne, French Guiana, and brought to Rio de Janeiro on charges of campaigning in favor of Haiti among the black population.