Josafá Menezes da Silva (born 2 January 1959) is a Brazilian prelate of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and holds the position of metropolitan archbishop of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Aracaju The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Aracaju () is a Latin Metropolitan archdiocese in the State of Sergipe, northeastern Brazil. Its cathedral archiepiscopal see is Our Lady of the Conception Cathedral (''Catedral Metropolitana Nossa ...

. His prior positions include auxiliary bishop of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of São Salvador da Bahia The Archdiocese of São Salvador da Bahia () is part of the Roman Catholic Church in Brazil. The Archbishop of São Salvador da Bahia also carries the title Primate of Brazil. The archdiocese is located in the city of Salvador, Bahia. The Archdi ...

from 2005 to 2010, bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Barreiras The Roman Catholic Diocese of Barreiras () is a diocese located in the city of Barreiras in the ecclesiastical province of Feira de Santana in Brazil. History * May 21, 1979: Established as Diocese of Barreiras from the Diocese of Barra Bishops ...

from 2010 to 2019, and metropolitan archbishop of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vitória da Conquista The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vitória da Conquista () is an archdiocese located in the city of Vitória da Conquista in Brazil. History * 27 July 1957: Established as Diocese of Vitória da Conquista from the Diocese of Amargosa * 16 Januar ...

from 2019 to 2024.

Early life and education

Josafá Menezes da Silva was born in

Salinas da Margarida Salinas da Margarida is a municipality in the state of Bahia in the North-East region of Brazil. See also *List of municipalities in Bahia This is a list of the municipalities in the state of Bahia (BA), located in the Northeast Region of Br ...

, State of Bahia, Brazil. He completed his philosophical studies at the Catholic University of São Salvador da Bahia and theological studies at the

Pontifical Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...

. Ordained on 14 March 1989 by

Lucas Moreira Neves Lucas Moreira Neves, OP (16 September 1925 – 8 September 2002) was a Brazilian Catholic prelate who served as Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops from 1998 to 2000. He previously served as Archbishop of São Salvador da Bahia from 19 ...

, O.P., he became a priest within the metropolitan archdiocese of São Salvador da Bahia. From 1989 to 2003, he served in various capacities including pastor of São João parish in Salvador, deputy rector at the propedeutical seminary of Santa Terezinha de Lisieux, assistant archdiocesan bursar, coordinator of the archdiocesan Theological Commission, and professor at several institutions. He earned a postgraduate degree in theology and a doctorate in Christian anthropology from the

Pontifical Lateran University The Pontifical Lateran University (; ), also known as Lateranum, is a pontifical university based in Rome. The university also hosts the central session of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. The university ...

Episcopal service

Appointed on 12 January 2005 as titular bishop of Gummi in Byzacena and auxiliary of São Salvador da Bahia, Josafá Menezes da Silva was ordained on 10 March by Gerardo Majella Agnelo. On 15 December 2010, he was named bishop of

Barreiras Barreiras is a city located in the west of the state of Bahia, Brazil. It is the most important urban, political, technological and economic center of the western region of the state. Its economy is based on livestock raising and agriculture. In ...

. He served as metropolitan archbishop of the

starting on 9 October 2019. On 13 March 2024,

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

appointed him metropolitan archbishop of the

, succeeding Dom. Frei. João José da Costa, O. Carm., following his resignation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Menezes da Silva, Josafa Brazilian Roman Catholic archbishops 1959 births Living people People from Bahia Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Pontifical Lateran University alumni