Spiritan Cleric Appointed Bishop in Angola, Apostolic Nuncio in Benin, Togo Transferred

Caxito, 15 June, 2020 / 7:00 PM

A member of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (Spiritans), Fr. Maurício Agostinho Camuto, was Monday, June 15 appointed the new Bishop of the three-year old Diocese of Caxito in Angola.

Fr. Maurício’s appointment by Pope Francis makes him the second Local Ordinary of the diocese that was erected in June 2017 and which has been vacant since March 2018 when the Holy Father transferred Bishop António Francisco Jaca to the Diocese of Benguela.

Aged 57, the Bishop-elect was born in the province of Kwanza Norte within the diocese of Ndalatando in Angola. He had his religious and priestly formation in Congo-Brazzaville, taking his religious vows as a Spiritan in September 1987. He was ordained to the priesthood in July 1991.

He is an alumnus of the Rome-based Pontifical Salesian University where studied Social Communication from 2000 to 2003. He has previously served in the Commission for Communications of the Episcopal Conference of Angola and São Tomé (CEAST) and for six years since 2010, as the Provincial Superior of the Spiritans in Angola.

Until his appointment, the Bishop-elect has been the Director of Radio Ecclesia, the National Catholic Radio in Angola.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, June 13, Pope Francis announced the transfer of Archbishop Brian Udaigwe who has been representing him in Benin and in Togo to Sri Lanka.

A native of Orlu Diocese in Nigeria, the 55-year-old Prelate was ordained a Priest in May 1992 and joined the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1994.

He holds a Doctorate in Canon Law and has been an Apostolic Nuncio since February 2013 after having served in different Apostolic Nunciatures including Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom.