List of bishops of Macau

Portuguese Jesuit priest Melchior Miguel Carniero Leitão was appointed Titular Bishop of Nicaea Pope Gregory XIII issued an edict for the establishment of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Macau, where Leitão served&mdash;he was appointed the first bishop of Macau, a position he occupied till 1581.

No bishop of the diocese had been appointed archbishop or cardinal until Eugénio de Trigueiros and José da Costa Nunes were appointed as archbishops, following a re-designation by the Pope.

Symbol
All Catholic bishops are appointed by the Pope, and are considered to be messengers (successors of the Apostles) as defined in the catechism of the Catholic Church;.

Responsibilities
The Bishop of Macau is appointed as the spokesman of the Pope. He is the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Macau, which he administers on behalf of the Pope. He is also responsible for the pastoral and charitable work that is carried out within the Diocese.

Initially, the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Macau included China, Japan, Hong Kong, the Korean Peninsula and neighbouring areas. However, with development and the increasing need for pastoral work, the Vatican has since established more than 600 other Roman Catholic dioceses in the region. Presently, the diocese has jurisdiction over six parishes and three quasi-parishes in the Macau Peninsula, Taipa and Coloane.

Remarks

 * 1)  appointed as auxiliary bishop
 * 2)  appointed as Assisting Bishop
 * 3)  possessed, as taking the responsibility of the position
 * 4)  date of assumption of office
 * 5)  due to resignation
 * 6)  due to his decease
 * 7)  date of acting or assuming office
 * 8)  resignation accepted by Pope due to retirement
 * 9)  transferred to Portugal
 * 10)  appointed as Acting Bishop in 1623
 * 11)  as Bishop of Japan
 * 12)  inaugurated in 1738
 * 13)  appointed Archbishop of Diocese of Goa
 * 14)  transferred to Brasil and left Macau in 1765
 * 15)  arrived Macau in 1791
 * 16)  appointed Assistant Archbishop of Goa
 * 17)  transferred to Azores
 * 18)  appointed Archbishop of the Diocese of Goa and Dammam
 * 19)  baptized as Auxiliary Bishop of Diocese of Porto
 * 20)  Acting Bishop in 1963 and 1965, he was elected as Acting Bishop on June 14, 1975
 * 21)  Emeritus Bishop of Macau