September 10th 2021
It is with great sorrow that I learn of the passing of the former President of the Portuguese Republic, His Excellency Dr. Jorge Sampaio.
Today Portugal sees one of the great names in democratic politics disappear.
It is often said of great politicians that their lives are intertwined with the historical time they lived.
In 1961, he graduated in Law from the Law School of the University of Lisbon. At the University, he developed a relevant academic activity, thus beginning a persistent political action of opposition to the Dictatorship. Sampaio fought for freedom before and after the 25th of April, joined the PS in 1978, and became party leader in 1989. At the same time, he was elected mayor of Lisbon, and was reelected in 1993.
Jorge Sampaio was President of the Republic for two terms, between 1996 and 2006.
After serving as President of the Republic, he was appointed, in 2006, Special Envoy for the Fight against Tuberculosis by the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN).
Between 2007 and 2013, he was the UN High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations.
Jorge Sampaio currently presided over the Global Platform for Syrian Students, which he himself founded in 2013, with the aim of contributing to the response to the academic emergency that the conflict in Syria had created, leaving thousands of young people behind and without access to education. Entre 2007 e 2013, foi o alto representante da ONU para a Aliança das Civilizações.
Jorge Sampaio was a Great Portuguese.
In this moment of national mourning and pain, I offer to all the Family and close friends, on behalf of the Sovereign Grand Lodge of Portugal and on my own behalf, my sincere condolences, conveying my deepest feelings for the immeasurable loss suffered.
Abílio Alagôa da Silva
Grand Master Grande Loja Soberana de Portugal