Pontiff again appoints Spiritan superior as bishop
October 08, 2025
» Continue to this story on Vatican Press Office
CWN Editor's Note: Pope Leo XIV yesterday appointed Father Pedro Alexandre Simões Gouveia Fernandes, CSSp, the former superior general of the Portuguese province of the Spiritans, as bishop of Portalegre-Castelo Branco, Portugal.
The previous day, Pope Leo had appointed another Spiritan priest, Father Frédéric Pierre Rossignol, as bishop of Tournai, Belgium. Father Rossignol had served as Spiritan major superior for India and Vietnam. A Spiritan priest was last named a bishop in 2022.
The Spiritans, also known as the Holy Ghost fathers, were founded in 1703 by the Servant of God Claude-François Poullart des Places. The institute, once led by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (1962-68), has nearly 2,800 members.
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