Norberto do Amaral (born 17 February 1956) is the

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of Diocese of Maliana,

East Timor East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-weste ...

. After attending the elementary Catholic school in Ainaro, he entered the

Seminary of Our Lady of Fatima The Minor Seminary of Our Lady of Fatima is a Roman Catholic seminary, located in Dare, Dili, East Timor. Established in 1936, it is the oldest Roman Catholic seminary in East Timor. The seminary was initially established in Manatutu district, so ...

in Dare. He completed his philosophical studies from 1981–1983 and theological studies between 1985–1988 at the Major Seminary of St. Peter in Ritapiret, Flores, Indonesia. He also carried out a year of pastoral ministry in the parish of Ossú during 1984. He was ordained a priest on 18 October 1988 for the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Díli Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

. He subsequently served in the following positions: 1988: Assistant Pastor of the Parish of Ainaro, 1989–2000: Pastor of the Parish of Maubisse, 2000–2004: Rector of the Diocesan Minor Seminary in Dili. In 2005–2007 he undertook studies for a licentiate in dogmatic theology at the Urban University in Rome. Since 2007 he has been Professor of Dogmatic Theology and Prefect of Studies at the

Major Seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

in Dili. Since 2008, he has served as Chancellor of the Diocese of Dili and Director of the Diocesan Magazine “Seara”. On 24 April 2010 he was consecrated bishop of the newly created

Roman Catholic Diocese of Maliana The Roman Catholic Diocese of Maliana is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in East Timor. The diocese includes the administrative region of Maliana in districts of Liquica, Bobonaro, and Cova–Lima and 16 sub-districts. On 30 January 2010 ...

. In August 2015, Bishop do Amaral joined Archbishop Joseph Marino, the apostolic nuncio to Timor-Leste, Bishop Basilio do Nascimento of Baucau, and Archbishop

Leopoldo Girelli Leopoldo Girelli (born 13 March 1953) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who serves as the apostolic nuncio to India and to Nepal. He was nuncio to Israel and to Cyprus as well as apostolic delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine from 2017 ...

, former nuncio to Timor-Leste and 8,000 faithful in celebrating 500 years of the Catholic Church's presence in East Timor. The main celebrant was Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal

Pietro Parolin Pietro Parolin OMRI (, ; born 17 January 1955) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church. A cardinal since February 2014, he has served as the Vatican's Secretary of State since October 2013 and a member of the Council of Cardinal Advisers sinc ...

. In June 2017, Bishop do Amaral blessed the new Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão International Airport in Suai. Present were President of East Timor

Francisco Guterres Francisco Guterres, popularly known as Lú-Olo (born 7 September 1954), is an East Timorese politician who served as president of East Timor from 20 May 2017 to 20 May 2022. He is also the president of the political party Fretilin, and he was t ...

, the Prime Minister of Timor-Leste,

Rui Maria de Araújo Rui Maria de Araújo (born 21 May 1964) is an East Timorese politician who served as its prime minister from 2015 to 2017. He is a physician and member of Fretilin. He was Minister of Health from 2001 to 2006 and Deputy Prime Minister from 20 ...

, former President and Prime Minister

Xanana Gusmão José Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmão (; born 20 June 1946) is an East Timorese politician. A former rebel, he was the third President of the independent East Timor, serving from 2002 to 2007. He then became its fourth prime minister, serving from ...

and many government and church leaders. Bishop do Amaral joined the Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Joseph Salvador Marino and Bishop

Basilio do Nascimento Basilio is a name of Italian, Spanish, or Portuguese origin. It is a cognate of the English name Basil. The name may refer to: Given name * Basilio Augustín (1840–1910), Spanish Governor-General of the Philippines briefly in 1898 *Basilio Badil ...

of Baucau during the opening of the country's second minor seminary in his diocese on September 26, 2017. The new seminary will begin with 22 students. In May 2020, Bishop do Amaral along with Archbishop

Virgílio do Carmo da Silva Virgílio do Carmo da Silva SDB (born 27 November 1967) is an East Timorese Roman Catholic prelate who was appointed bishop of Dili on 30 January 2016. On 27 August 2022, Pope Francis announced he would make him a cardinal, the first from Ea ...

and Bishop

Basílio do Nascimento Basílio do Nascimento Martins (14 June 1950 – 30 October 2021) was the East Timorese Roman Catholic Bishop of Baucau. He was born in Suai, then Portuguese Timor. He later moved to Portugal, where he was ordained as a priest in Évora, in 19 ...

issued a statement officially reopening churches for Eucharistic celebrations after the Covid-19 lock-down.UCANews May 29, 2020
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References

1956 births Living people People from Ainaro District 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in East Timor Roman Catholic bishops of Maliana {{Oceania-RC-bishop-stub