Brazilian cardinal; longtime archbishop of Porto Alegre; one of the leading conservatie prelates during the 1960s-70s. Supported the succession of the left-wing João Goulart as President of Brazil following the resignation of Jânio Quadro, in accord with constitutional rules.
 
TLS - Typewritten Letter Signed, one page 1 July 1969 (three months after being named a cardinal by Pope St. Paul VI. To a collector in Vermont. Reads: With thanks for your generous reference to my modest activities. I am glad to send you the autographs you asked for. It is not easy to point out the greatest satisfactions I had during my life of priest and bishop. I take pleasure in the contacts of every day with people and try to keep my head in place when facing problems of great responsibility. Letter is accompanied by a small color reprint image from an original oil portrait of Scherer.
 
In 1980, Cardinal Scherer was stabbed and robbed by unknown assailants, who left him in a ditch outside Porto Alegre when he could not meet their demands for more money. After 34 years of service, he resigned as archbishop in 1981.