Emílio Sumbelelo (born 5 March 1964) is an Angolan

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

with the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

who is currently the bishop of Viana.

Biography

Sumbelelo was born on 5 March 1964 in the town of Cubal, in

Benguela province Benguela () is a province of Angola, situated in the west of the country. It lies on the Atlantic Ocean, and borders the provinces of Cuanza Sul, Namibe, Huila, and Huambo. The province has an area of and its capital is Benguela. According ...

, being baptised on 11 April that same year at Missão da Hanha, belonging to the Diocese of Benguela. He did his primary studies in Catumbela from 1970 to 1975, his secondary studies from 1976 to 1981 in

Lobito Lobito is a municipality in Angola. It is located in Benguela Province, on the Atlantic Coast north of the Catumbela Estuary. The Lobito municipality had a population of 393,079 in 2014. History The city was founded in 1843 and owes its existe ...

, and from 1982 to 1984, he attended the Seminário do Propedêutico in Benguela. From 1984 to 1986, he took courses in philosophy at the Seminário Interdiocesano de Cristo Rei in Huambo; from 1986 to 1990 he concluded classes in general theology at the same seminary. On 4 August 1991, he was ordained a priest at the Igreja de Nossa Senhora das Graças in Benguela by Dom

Oscar Lino Lopes Fernandes Braga Oscar Lino Lopes Fernandes Braga (30 September 1931 – 26 May 2020) was the Roman Catholic bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Benguela, Angola. A priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a relig ...

, the bishop of Benguela.Catholic Hierarchy On 1 September 1993, Sumbelelo was released from his functions as the parochial priest at the Nossa Senhora das Graças in Benguela and was sent to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

to study at the College of Canonical Law at the

Pontifical Urban University The Pontifical Urban University, also called the ''Urbaniana'' after its names in both Latin and Italian, is a pontifical university that was under the authority of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. The university's mission is to ...

where he earned his Bachelor's Degree. He returned to the Diocese of Benguela on 15 October 1995 when he was named the parochial priest of the Parish of Santa Cruz do Lobito, a position that he held until 1999. He was also the judicial vicar of the Ecclesiastic Court of the Diocese, the director of the Escola de Catequistas – Evangelistas "São Pedro Canísio" and professor of canonical law at the Seminário Maior de Teologia do Bom Pastor de Benguela. On 18 August 2002, he was named Ecclesiastic Assistant with the recently created Association of Catholic Jurists in Benguela. He also completed the functions of the Coordinator of the Diocesean Commission of Justice, Peace, and Migration from 1995 to 2004. From the 2002 biennale to 2004, he occupied the functions of the Coordinator of Evangelization and Catechism. Returning to Rome in 2004, he earned a doctorate in Canonical Law from Pontifical Urban University in 2006. Sumbelelo was named the

coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) ("co-assister" in Latin) is a bishop in the Latin Catholic, Anglican and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in administering the diocese. The coa ...

Uíge Uíge (), formerly Carmona, is a provincial capital city in northwestern Angola, with a population of 322,531 (2014 census), and a municipality, with a population of 519,196 (2014 census), located in the province of the Uíge Province, same nam ...

on 1 December 2006 by

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

, being consecrated on 25 February 2007 at the Capelinha de Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes de Benguela by Dom Oscar Lino Lopes Fernandes Braga, assisted by Dom

Giovanni Angelo Becciu Giovanni Angelo Becciu (, ; born 2 June 1948) is a Sardinian Catholic prelate and convicted felon who was prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints from 2018 until his resignation under duress in 2020. Pope Francis had made him a car ...

, the

apostolic nuncio An apostolic nuncio (; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is ...

in Angola and by Dom José Francisco Moreira dos Santos, O.F.M. Cap., the bishop of Uíge. He took the position on 2 February 2008. On 11 February 2019,

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

transferred Sumbelelo to the Diocese of Viana, making his entrance on 28 April of that year.

References

External links

Catholic HierarchyGCatholic
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sumbelelo, Emílio 1964 births Living people People from Benguela Province Pontifical Urban University alumni 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Angola 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Angola