Leo XIV Appoints 'Anti-Bolsonaro' Bishop
He is leaving the Diocese of Guarabira, where he has served since 2018.
The Diocese of Teixeira de Freitas–Caravelas had been vacant since February 2025.
Transferred to Slightly Smaller Diocese
Pope Leo XIV has transferred the bishop to a smaller diocese roughly 800 km away, back to his home state of Bahia.
While the Diocese of Guarabira, Paraíba, has 441,000 Catholics in 26 parishes, the bishop’s new diocese has 353,000 Catholics in 39 parishes.
Bishop Sena dos Santos was ordained as a priest of Ilhéus, Bahia, in 1992 and appointed Bishop of Guarabira in 2017.
Francis-era Vocabulary
He is a typical Francis-era bishop who uses language about "the poor" and "accompaniment", but without doctrinal deviation.
At the opening conference of a diocesan pastoral assembly in 2021, he said: "Synodality means walking together. It is not only a meeting of bishops, but a process in which the whole Church is called to listen, participate and discern".
When he placed a relic beneath the cathedral altar in Guarabira in 2020, he said: "This sign reminds us that the Church is called to be a poor Church for the poor."
When announcing Francis’ Year of the Family in 2021, he said: "The Church begins the Year of the Family, which will be guided by the teachings of Amoris Laetitia."
Confronted by Bolsonaro Supporters
In October 2022, ahead of the presidential election, he said in a homily: "Christ calls us to care for the poor and the most vulnerable, and our choices must reflect this commitment."
Following this, supporters of Jair Bolsonaro verbally confronted the bishop in the sacristy after the Eucharist, as they perceived his words to be anti-Bolsonaro.
The media then framed the event as a “bishop attacked by bolsonaristas”.
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