Pope Leo XIV appoints Monsignor José Paulino Francisco Neto as new bishop of Diocese of Porto Nacional

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Monsignor José Paulino Francisco Neto as the new bishop of the Diocese of Porto Nacional.

Monsignor José Paulino, a priest from the Diocese of Araçuaí, is scheduled to be ordained a bishop on November 28, 2026, at 9 a.m. at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Vitória. The ordination will be led by Bishop Dario Campos, OFM, Bishop Emeritus of Vitória; Auxiliary Bishop Andherson Franklin Lustosa de Souza of Vitória; and Bishop Geraldo dos Reis Maia of Araçuaí. He will assume leadership of the Diocese of Porto Nacional on December 19, 2026.

Born in Comercinho in 1972, Monsignor José Paulino was ordained a priest on August 4, 2000. During his time with the Diocese of Araçuaí, he served as a parish priest in Catuji and Coronel Murta, a parochial vicar in Turmalina, and held various roles including rector of the diocesan seminary, chancellor of the Curia, and judicial vicar. Since 2020, he has served in the Archdiocese of Vitória.