Bishop of Nazaré
Francisco de Assis Dantas de Lucena was born on October 19, 1963, in Jardim do Seridó, in the Diocese of Caicó, in the State of Rio Grande do Norte. He pursued his philosophy studies at the “João Paulo II” Faculty of Philosophy of the Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro and his theology studies at the Pontifical Catholic University in the same city. He attended a degree program in Letters at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte and obtained a Licentiate in Canon Law from the Higher Institute of Canon Law in Rio de Janeiro. Furthermore, he completed a course for seminary formators at the Pontifical Athenaeum “Regina Apostolorum” in Rome. Ordained a priest on July 21, 1991, for the Diocese of Caicó, he held the following positions there: parish administrator; parish priest; secretary and subsequently president of the diocesan Department of Social Action; diocesan bursar; moderator of the Curia; rector of the “Santo Cura d'Ars” Major Seminary; professor at the “Cardeal Eugênio Sales” Faculty of Theology; diocesan administrator; auditor judge; pro-vicar general; and member of the College of Consultors and the Presbyteral Council. On May 28, 2008, he was appointed Bishop of Guarabira and received episcopal ordination on August 17 of that year. He currently serves as Secretary of the Northeast 2 Region of the Brazilian Episcopal Conference.