Appointment of bishop of Baucau, East Timor

The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Leandro Maria Alves, of the clergy of Díli, until now parish priest of the Cathedral and executive secretary of the Episcopal Conference of Timor, as bishop of the diocese of Baucau, East Timor.

Curriculum vitae

Msgr. Leandro Maria Alves was born on 10 May 1974 in Ermera, archdiocese of Díli. He attended the Kupang Seminary in Indonesia and continued his formation in the Seminário Maior de Évora in Portugal, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in theology from the Theological Faculty of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa. He was ordained a priest on 8 December 2006 for the clergy of Díli.

He has held the following offices: deputy parish priest of the Cathedral of Díli (2006-2007 and 2017-2019); formator of the São Pedro e São Paulo Major Seminary (2008-2011); director of the São Paulo Diocesan Foundation of Díli and executive director of the National Commission for Catholic Education of East Timor of the Episcopal Conference of Timor (2009-2014); secretary of the diocesan Presbyteral Council of Díli (2010-2012); rector of the Nossa Senhora de Fátima, Díli, and director of the connected Catholic Secondary School (2011-2014). He was awarded a licentiate in dogmatic theology from the Pontifical Urbanian University, Rome (2014-2017). He went on to serve as chair of the Quality Assurance Commission for Studies at the Dom Jaime Garcia Goulart Higher Institute of Philosophy and Theology (ISFIT) of the Episcopal Conference of Timor (2017-2020); since 2017, he has been professor of dogmatic theology at ISFIT in Díli and executive secretary of the Episcopal Conference of Timor (CET); since 2019, president of the Union of Clergy of the archdiocese of Díli; and parish administrator of the Cathedral (2020-2022), of which he became parish priest in 2023.