The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bissau ( la, Bissagen(sis)) is a

diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...

located in the city of Bissau in

Guinea-Bissau Guinea-Bissau ( ; pt, Guiné-Bissau; ff, italic=no, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫 𞤄𞤭𞤧𞤢𞥄𞤱𞤮, Gine-Bisaawo, script=Adlm; Mandinka: ''Gine-Bisawo''), officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau ( pt, República da Guiné-Bissau, links=no ), ...

History

Pope Pius XII created a Mission “sui iuris” comprising the then overseas colony of

Portuguese Guinea Portuguese Guinea ( pt, Guiné), called the Overseas Province of Guinea from 1951 until 1972 and then State of Guinea from 1972 until 1974, was a West African colony of Portugal from 1588 until 10 September 1974, when it gained independence as Gu ...

on September 4, 1940, until then under the jurisdiction of the

Diocese of Santiago de Cabo Verde The Diocese of Santiago de Cabo Verde ( la, Dioecesis Sancti Iacobi Capitis Viridis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Cape Verde. It covers the islands of Maio, Santiago, Fogo, and Brava (the Sota ...

, in Cape Verde islands. It was promoted to an Apostolic Prefecture on April 29, 1955. After the independence of Guinea-Bissau, on September 10, 1974, it was renamed as Apostolic Prefecture of Guinea-Bissau the January 1st, 1975. The Diocese of Bissau was finally created on 21 March 1977. The first Bishop of the Diocese of Bissau was Italian-born Settimio Ferrazzetta, who held office until his death, at 26 January 1999. He was succeeded by the first Bissau-Guinean native bishop, José Câmnate na Bissign, aged 57 years old. On 13 May 2011

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...

named Father José Lampra Cá as Auxiliary Bishop-elect of Bissau. Lampra Cá was born in 1964 and ordained a priest in 1997. He was formerly the

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of the St. Kizito Minor Seminary and Professor of Philosophy at the Major Seminary of Bissau.

Chronology

* September 4, 1940: Established as the Mission “sui iuris” of Portuguese Guinea from the

in Cape Verde * April 29, 1955: Promoted as the Apostolic Prefecture of Portuguese Guinea * January 1, 1975: Renamed as the Apostolic Prefecture of Guinea-Bissau * March 21, 1977: Promoted to the Diocese of Bissau

Leadership

* Ecclesiastical Superiors of Portuguese Guinea ** Fr. Giuseppe Ribeiro de Magalhães, O.F.M. (1941.06.20 – 1953) ** Fr. Martinho da Silva Carvalhosa, O.F.M. (1953 – 1955.04.29 ''see below'') * Prefects Apostolic of Portuguese Guinea ** Fr. Martinho da Silva Carvalhosa, O.F.M. (''see above'' 1955.04.29 – 1963) ** Fr. João Ferreira, O.F.M. (1963.01.25 – 1965) ** Fr. Amândio Domingues Neto, O.F.M. (1966.04.04 – 1977) * Bishops of Bissau ** Bishop Settimio Ferrazzetta, O.F.M. (1977.03.21 – 1999.01.26) ** Bishop José Câmnate na Bissign (1999.10.15 – 2020.07.11) ** Bishop José Lampra Cà (2021.12.10 – ...)

Auxiliary Bishop

* José Lampra Cà (2011 – 2021)

Sources

GCatholic.org

Roman Catholic dioceses in Guinea-Bissau Christian organizations established in 2001 Bissau Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 21st century 2001 establishments in Guinea-Bissau Roman Catholic bishops of Bissau {{Africa-RC-diocese-stub

History

Chronology

Leadership

Auxiliary Bishop

See also

Sources