Diocese of Crato

Born on July 31, 1965, in Assu (RN), Dom Magnus is the son of João Gregório Lopes and Maria do Carmo Lopes (in memoriam). At the age of 21, he entered the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. He made his religious profession on March 19, 1992, at the Santo Antônio Friary in Natal (RN). He was ordained a deacon on March 25, 1996, by Dom Antonio Soares Costa at the Basilica of Nossa Senhora da Penha in Recife (PE), and ordained a priest on December 21, 1996, by the same bishop in the city of Assu. On June 16, 2010, he was appointed the first bishop of the Diocese of Salgueiro. His episcopal ordination took place at the Cathedral of Nossa Senhora da Apresentação in Natal (RN) on September 17, 2010, performed by Dom Luís Gonzaga Silva Pepeu, OFMCap., then Archbishop of Vitória da Conquista (BA). He chose as his episcopal motto: "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me" (Phil 4:13). He took office in the Pernambuco diocese on October 12, 2010, during the same Eucharistic Celebration in which the diocese was formally established, presided over by the then-Apostolic Nuncio to Brazil, Dom Lorenzo Baldisseri. In addition to his training in Philosophy and Theology, Dom Magnus studied Psychology, completed a specialization in Clinical Hospital Psychology, and studied Parapsychology and Religion; he also earned a master's degree in Moral Theology, among other short-term courses. Prior to his episcopacy, he served as a vocation promoter, master of postulants, bursar, parochial vicar, vicar of the Capuchin Fraternity, provincial definitor, provincial minister, and vice-president of the Conference of Capuchins of Brazil (CCB) (2001–2007). He also served as guardian and bursar of the Santo Antônio Friary in Natal (RN) and as spiritual director for various groups, movements, and pastoral ministries. Within the Northeast 2 Region of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB), Dom Magnus served as the reference bishop for mission and as the region's representative on the CNBB Permanent Council. He was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Crato (CE) by Pope Francis on January 12, 2022, and his canonical installation took place on February 19 of that same year at the Cathedral in Crato, making him the diocese's seventh bishop. Significant milestones in the history of the Church in Ceará occurred during his episcopate, notably the beatification of the martyr Benigna Cardoso da Silva on October 24, 2022, which made her the state's first *Beata* (Blessed). Also that year, on November 30, he initiated the diocesan phase of the beatification process for Father Cícero Romão Batista, a symbol of faith and popular devotion among the people of the Northeast. Within the CNBB (National Conference of Bishops of Brazil), Dom Magnus serves on the Episcopal Commission for the Causes of Saints and is a member of the Permanent Council. Since 2023, he has also served as president of the CNBB’s Northeast 1 Region, which encompasses the dioceses of the state of Ceará.