Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Afogados (Agenzia Fides) – On January 9, over 10,000 faithful attended the solemn and festive celebration of the episcopal ordination of the new Bishop of Afogados da Ingazeira (Brazil), Bishop Egidio Bisol, 62, of the clergy of the Diocese of Vicenza (Italy), Fidei donum priest in Brazil since 1976. The diocese is located in northeastern Brazil, a land plagued by drought, characterized by conflicts over land and by strong social inequalities. During the ordination, the Archbishop of Recife, His Excellency Fernando Saburindo, stressed that the new bishop "is now faced with various challenges, even if it is already very committed to the social cause."
The ceremony was presided by the Archbishop of Vitoria da Conquistra and predecessor of Bishop Bisol, Archbishop Luis Gonzaga Silva Pepeu. The co-consecrating Bishops were Paloshi Roche, Bishop of Roraima, the Archbishop of Vicenza, Archbishop Cesare Nosiglia, who had come accompanied by a delegation of priests and lay people of Vicenza, who stressed that "the appointment of Bishop Bisol recognizes and rewards the hard work of the Diocese of Vicenza in the mission field through the Fidei Donum priests, who for several decades, working in several churches outside Europe, characterizing the life of the clergy and are a valuable presence of apostolic service in Brazil, Ecuador, Cameroon, Thailand, and Colombia."
The episcopal ordination of Bishop Egidio Bisol is "also the richness of the Church through this exchange Fidei Donum priests, who have even reached martyrdom, as is seen in the recent example of Fr. Ruggero Ruvoletto of the Diocese of Padua, who was killed on the outskirts of Manaus," added Cristiano Morsolin, of the SELVAS Observatory on Latin America, working in Latin America since 2001.
Since 1976, Fr. Bisol has been in Brazil serving as a Fidei donum missionary, first in the Diocese of Afogados da Ingazeira and, recently, in that of Roraima in the Amazon. Since his arrival, he has closely followed the paths of formation of the laity and ecclesial base communities, engaging in particular in youth ministry. He has always maintained links with Italy, supporting the "Camp-Schools in Brazil," organized by the Diocesan Mission Center in Vicenza, and following international cooperation projects and those suppoting the local Pastoral Land Commission. He has also assumed many responsibilities in the Diocese of Afogados, including that of Vicar General. In 2008, he was sent to the service of the Diocese of Roraima, as a member of the team responsible for the pastoral care of the Mission Santa Rosa de Lima, a suburb of Boa Vista. The new Bishop said after the ordination: "I chose as a motto a verse from the Gospel of Luke, 'the great of this world dominate the world, but I am among you as one who serves'. As one who serves, “sicut in ministrat” in Latin. This will be the motto of my episcopal service." (CM/SL) (Agenzia Fides 12/1/2010)
