Fr. Agnelo Pinheiro Appointed Bishop of Sindhudurg

New Delhi, 14 February 2026 (CCBI): Pope Leo XIV has appointed Francisco Antonio Agnelo Jacinto Pinheiro, a priest of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman, as the new Bishop of the diocese of Sindhudurg in Maharashtra. The appointment was announced on 14 February 2026.

Fr. Pinheiro, 53, popularly known as Fr. Agnelo, was born in Raia, Goa, on 6 July 1972. After completing his SSC in 1988, he joined the minor seminary and continued his higher secondary studies in Mapusa. In 1990, he secured fourth rank in the Goa State XII Board Examination.

He began his priestly formation at the Patriarchal Seminary of Rachol in June 1991. Between 1993 and 1996, he completed his graduation in Psychology with distinction at St. Xavier’s College, Mapusa.

Fr. Pinheiro was ordained a priest on 28 October 2000. He first served as Assistant Parish Priest at St. Alex Church, Calangute. From 2001 to 2002, he completed his pastoral training at the Pastoral Institute St. Pius X, Old Goa.

In 2004, he obtained his Master’s Degree in Philosophy from Jnana Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pune and was appointed Professor of Philosophy at Rachol Seminary. From 2013 to 2016, he pursued doctoral studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

In June 2017, he returned to the Patriarchal Seminary of Rachol as Professor of Philosophy, a ministry he continues to exercise. From June 2022 to May 2023, he also served as Parochial Administrator of St. Joseph’s Church, Dramapur.

Since 2018, Fr. Pinheiro has been serving as In-Charge of the Apostolate of Inter-Religious Dialogue in the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman. He is well known for his contribution to promoting understanding and harmony among different religious communities.

The diocese of Sindhudurg was established on 5 July 2005 after being separated from the diocese of Poona. It was initially under the Archdiocese of Bombay and was transferred in 2006 to the Metropolitan Province of Goa and Damão by Pope Benedict XVI.

The diocese covers an area of about 21,099 square kilometres, including Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts and parts of Kolhapur district. Sawantwadi is the largest town in the diocese, while Ratnagiri and Malwan are also important centres.

Marathi, Konkani, and English are used in the diocesan territory. Konkani is mainly spoken at home, while Marathi is used for administrative purposes. The Catholic community reflects strong Goan cultural traditions, as many families migrated from Goa nearly 200 years ago.

The diocese became vacant following the resignation of Anthony Alwyn Fernandes Barreto on 8 October 2024.

At present, the Diocese of Sindhudurg has about 35,974 Catholics, 47 diocesan priests, 58 religious priests, and 120 religious sisters. It comprises 43 parishes.

Dr. Stephen Alathara