Roman Catholic Diocese of Bissau

Diocese or Archdiocese of Bissau Dioecesis Bissagensis
Location
Country	Guinea-Bissau
Metropolitan	Immediately subject to the Holy See
Statistics
Area
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2012) 1,050,000 166,000 (15,77%)
Information
Rite	Latin Rite
Cathedral	Cathedral of Our Lady of Candelária, Bissau
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Bishop	José Câmnate na Bissign
Auxiliary Bishops	José Lampra Cá
Map
File:Diocese of Bissau.jpg

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bissau (Latin: Bissagen(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Bissau in Guinea-Bissau.

History

Pope Pius XII created a Mission “sui iuris” comprising the then overseas colony of Portuguese Guinea on September 4, 1940, until then under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Santiago de Cabo Verde, 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 Guinea-Bissauan native bishop, José Câmnate na Bissign, aged 57 years old. On 13 May 2011 Pope Benedict XVI 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 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 Diocese of Santiago de Cabo Verde 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

• Bishops of Bissau (Roman rite)
  • Bishop José Câmnate na Bissign (since 1999.10.15)
  • Bishop Settimio Ferrazzetta, O.F.M. (1977.03.21 – 1999.01.26)
• Prefects Apostolic of Portuguese Guinea (Roman rite)
  • Fr. Amândio Domingues Neto, O.F.M. (1966.04.04 – 2004.01.23)
  • Fr. João Ferreira, O.F.M. (1963.01.25 – 1965)
  • Fr. Martinho da Silva Carvalhosa, O.F.M. (1955.04.29 – 1963)
• Ecclesiastical Superiors of Portuguese Guinea (Roman rite)
  • Fr. Martinho da Silva Carvalhosa, O.F.M. (1953 – 1955.04.29)
  • Fr. Giuseppe Ribeiro de Magalhães, O.F.M. (1941.06.20 – 1953)

See also

• Roman Catholicism in Guinea-Bissau
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Bafatá

Source

• GCatholic.org
• Catholic Hierarchy