The Holy Father has nominated the ex-Definitor General, Br. Antonio Montes Moreira as Bishop of Bragança-Miranda. The new Bishop was born in São Tomé do Castelo, in the diocese of Vila Real on the 30th April 1935. Following his studies in the Franciscan minor seminary of Montariol (Braga), he attended courses of philosophy in the major seminary of Leiria and the courses of theology in the Franciscan Major Seminary of Lisbon. He later obtained his doctorate in Church history at the Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium) He entered the Order in August 1950, made solemn profession on the 24th of October 1957 and was ordained priest on 13th June 1958. He was professor in the Franciscan Major Seminary and in the Patriarchal Seminary of Olivais (Lisbon) as well as at the Portuguese Catholic University; Secretary and member of the Directive Council of the Faculty of Theology of the same University; Minister Provincial of the Province of the Holy Martyrs (1984-1991); Vice-President of the Conference of Ministers Provincial of the Iberian Peninsula (1986-1991); Visitor General to the Pontifical Athenaeum Antonianum (1992) and to the Custody of the Holy Land (1997); Definitor General (1991-1997). Having returned to his Province he was nominated Guardian of the Provincial House and, from 1999, Director of the General Secretariate of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference. The diocese of Brangança was created in 1770, that of Miranda in 1545. The unification of the two dioceses took place in 1780.

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