D. José Avelino Bettencourt will be transferred in October from Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan to represent the Vatican diplomatically in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.
Appointed by Pope Francis, the jorgense archbishop will be the Vatican’s new Apostolic Nuncio to the republics of Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. This is the second time he will be in Africa in a diplomatic position, having served as a counselor in the Holy See’s Nunciature in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1999.
D. José Avelino Bettencourt will be going to these mostly Islamic countries due to a worsening of religious persecution since 2021, by extremist Islamic groups.
Born in Velas, São Jorge Island, he was educated in Canada, where he emigrated when he was just three years old. José Avelino Bettencourt will thus be the first Nuncio of Azorean origin and also the 20th Azorean bishop to be sent outside the archipelago.
From the Azorean Emigrants Association, we wish Bishop José Avelino Bettencourt every success.
Last modified: 6 de September, 2023
