Reverend Joaquim Beato Library

Marisete Bispo is the Head Librarian at UNIDA. The Reverend Joaquim Beato Library has over 30,000 volumes and offers access to leading research databases, making it the largest and best-equipped library dedicated to Theology & Religious Studies in the region. It is open to students as well as scholars from other academic institutions.

Marisete Bispo is an international advisor for Bloomsbury Publishing’s Theology & Religion Online initiative: https://www.theologyandreligiononline.com

The library is dedicated to Reverend Joaquim Beato (1924-1995). Joaquim Beato was a Presbyterian minister dedicated to teaching theology and defending human rights.

His academic formation included the Southern Brazil Presbyterian Seminary; before he went on to specialize in Hebrew and Old Testament at the University of Edinburgh, UK, and in Apocalyptic Literature at the University of Oxford, UK.

During his ministry, he was a member of the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches, 1961-1966 and speaker at the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism in Melbourne, Australia in 1981.

During Brazil’s military dictatorship (1964-1985) Joaquim Beato was persecuted. He was dismissed from his post as President of the Presbyterian Seminary and expelled from the Presbyterian Church of Brazil. His struggle for human rights – particularly in combating racism – led him to serve as a Senator of Brazil.