The Chamber of Faro awarded the City's Key of Honor to Ruy de Carvalho and Cardinal D. Américo Aguiar, Bishop of Setúbal, in two separate ceremonies, which took place on Thursday and Friday, the 21st and 22nd of December.
The first to become an honorary citizen of Faro was Ruy de Carvalho, «a unique actor and personality in Portuguese Culture, with a career spanning 81 years», according to the Chamber of Faro.
«Ruy Alberto Rebelo Pires de Carvalho, aged 96, is one of the most renowned actors in our country, with a vast career in cinema, theater and television and some of the greatest recognitions», he adds.
As part of the presentation of the play “Ruy, a História Devida” at Teatro das Figuras, on Thursday, the actor was recognized as an honorary citizen of Faro, having received the Key of Honor of the City from the hands of Rogério Bacalhau, president of the City Council in Faro.
«Ruy de Carvalho is, for us, the personification of a life dedicated to culture, and what he taught us, throughout a unique career of 81 years, is that it is Culture that makes us who we are and this is the greatest wealth that we can build and bequeath", declared Rogério Bacalhau, confessing that he has "immeasurable esteem and admiration" for the actor.
On Friday, Rogério Bacalhau also awarded the Key of Honor of the City to Cardinal D. Américo Aguiar, also president of the World Youth Day Foundation (WYD 2023), in a ceremony that took place in the main hall of the Paços do Concelho, where Also present were the Bishop of Algarve, D. Manuel Quintas - among other representatives of the Diocese of Algarve -, the regional coordinator of WYD, João Costa, volunteers and host families within the scope of this event, mayors of the municipality and the region, among others personalities.
This recognition to the current bishop of the Diocese of Setúbal, who also performed, among many others, the role of president of the World Youth Days 2023 Foundation and was named cardinal by Pope Francis in September this year, «is a gesture from a council that identifies with the values of tolerance, respect for intercultural dialogue and commitment to a more supportive society, as well as the promotion of peace and which greatly values care for heritage in all its dimensions", said the president of the Chamber of Faro.
After receiving the City's Key of Honor, D. Américo Aguiar thanked «the symbolism of everything that this distinction means», highlighting that «the success of World Youth Day was due to everyone's contribution».
«The Church did its part but we were all capable of doing our best, as history tells us we are capable of. We, Portuguese, when we want, we have common objectives and we all row in the same direction, we are capable of doing it", said D. Américo Aguiar, who also left an appeal for citizenship and the involvement of young people in politics: "Don't delegate to others decisions about your future”.
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