Bissau, 14 July, 2020 / 9:30 pm (ACI Africa).
Bishop José Câmnate na Bissign whose resignation became official on Saturday, July 11 was the first native Bishop in Guinea-Bissau.
“We hereby come to inform you that the Holy Father, Pope Francis, has accepted the resignation of the pastoral government of the Diocese of Bissau presented by His Excellency Bishop José Cåmnaté Na Bissign, this Saturday, 11 July 2020,” the leadership of the Episcopal Conference of Senegal, Mauritania, Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau announced in a letter dated Sunday, July 12.
Aged 67, Bishop Câmnate Na Bissign has been at the helm of the Diocese of Bissau for the last two decades.
Bishops are expected to submit their respective letters of retirement at the age of 75. Compelling reasons such as “ill-health or other grave problems” justify the offering of such a letter of resignation.
Local media reported that Bishop Câmnate Na Bissign resigned due to “health reasons, which would make it difficult to fully comply with the administrative commitments of the office of Bishop of Bissau.”
