Rome, June 6, 2025

Announcement of the Appointment as Auxiliary Bishop
of the Archdiocese of Braga (Portugal)
of Fr. Nélio Pereira Pita, CM
Assistant General of the Congregation of the Mission

Dearest confreres,
Dearest members of the Vincentian Family,
Dearest friends in the Lord,

With immense gratitude to Christ the Good Shepherd, I announce to you that today, June 6, 2025, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has appointed Fr. Nélio Pereira Pita, member of the Congregation of the Mission, as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Braga (Portugal).

This is a moment of grace for our entire Congregation, for the Vincentian Family, and certainly for the Church in Braga. In calling Father Nélio to the episcopal ministry, Pope Leo XIV has recognized in him a pastor after Christ’s own heart: a man of deep faith, active charity, and a true missionary spirit.

We know Father Nélio as a devoted confrere, able to combine Vincentian simplicity with solid theological formation and a keen pastoral sensitivity. He has served faithfully in formation, in accompanying the poor, and in mission leadership, witnessing with his life that “to evangelize the poor is our vocation.”

I am confident that Fr. Nélio will bring to the heart of his episcopal ministry a passion for the poor, closeness to the peripheries, and the ability to walk with the people. His life will continue to be a “permanent mission.”

Dear Father Nélio, we accompany you with our prayers, our fraternal esteem, and our affection. May the Virgin Mary of the Miraculous Medal, St. Vincent de Paul, and all the saints, blesseds, and servants of God of the Little Company guide and protect you in this new path.

The Superior General
of the Congregation of the Mission
Fr. Tomaž Mavrič, CM

Curriculum vitae of
Fr. Nélio Pereira Pita, CM
Bishop-Elect, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Braga (Portugal)

The Reverend Fr. Nélio Pereira Pita, CM, was born on October 11, 1973, in Estreito de Câmara de Lobos, Madeira, Portugal. On September 15, 1994, he was admitted to the Congregation of the Mission of the Portuguese Province, where he made his perpetual vows on March 25, 1999, and was ordained a priest on July 29, 2000.

He studied at the Faculty of Theology at the Portuguese Catholic University in Lisbon, where he earned a Licentiate in Theology (1999). He later obtained a Licentiate in Spiritual Theology from the Pontifical University of Comillas in Madrid (2003), and a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from the Higher Institute of Applied Psychology in Lisbon (2010). He also completed a specialization course in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy at the Portuguese Society of Clinical Psychology in Lisbon (2014–2018). He is a full member of the Portuguese Order of Psychologists and a member of the Ethics Committee for Clinical Research.

He has also held the following positions: Director of the Major Seminary of the Portuguese Province of the Congregation of the Mission (2003–2008), Pastor of the Parish of St. Thomas Aquinas in Lisbon (2008–2020), Provincial Visitor of the Portuguese Province of the Congregation of the Mission (2020–2022), Member of the Ethics Committee for Clinical Research (2014–2017; 2020–2023), Member of the International Secretariat of Vincentian Studies (2014–2020) and Assistant General of the Congregation of the Mission since July 2022.