Manuel was born on 16 July 1948 at Torres Vedras, Portugal, to Francisco de Nascimento Clemente and Maria Sofia Correia Lopes Macário.

[1] He entered the Major Seminary of Christ the King of the Groves in 1973 and graduated from the University of Lisbon a year later with a degree in history.

He also received a Doctorate in Historical Theology with his thesis titled "On the origins of contemporary apostolate in Portugal: The "Catholic Society" (1843–1853)".

He became the member of the Scientific Society of the Catholic University since 1993 and became Associate Academic Correspondent of the Portuguese Academy of History from 1996.

Manuel was appointed bishop of Porto on 22 February 2007 by Pope Benedict XVI, succeeding Armindo Lopes Coelho.

[3] Manuel was appointed Metropolitan Patriarch of Lisbon on 18 May 2013 when Pope Francis accepted the resignation of José Policarpo.

[7] Pope Clement XII, by the Bull Inter praecipuas apostolici ministerii dated 17 February 1737, established that the person appointed Patriarch of Lisbon would be made a cardinal in the following consistory.