José Avelino Bettencourt

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Most Reverend

José Avelino Bettencourt

ComC, OMRI
Titular Archbishop of Aemona
Apostolic Nuncio to Armenia and Georgia
The Most Reverend José Avelino Bettencourt.jpg
AppointedHead of Protocol of Secretariat of State of the Holy See
Installed14 November 2012
Term ended26 February 2018
PredecessorFortunatus Nwachukwu
Orders
Ordination29 May 1993
by 
Consecration19 March 2018
by Pope Francis
Personal details
Born (1962-05-23) 23 May 1962 (age 59)
Velas, Azores, Portugal
NationalityPortuguese-Canadian
DenominationRoman Catholic
ResidenceTbilisi
Alma materUniversity of Ottawa, St. Paul University, Pontifical Gregorian University, Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy
MottoFIDES SPES CHARITAS (Corinthians 13:13)
Coat of armsJosé Avelino Bettencourt's coat of arms

José Avelino Bettencourt ComC, OMRI (born 23 May 1962) is a Portuguese-Canadian prelate of the Catholic Church who has served as Apostolic Nuncio to Armenia and Georgia since March 2018.

Biography[]

Born in Velas, Azores, on 23 May 1962, he settled at a young age in Canada with his family. Bettencourt was ordained a priest in 1993 in the Archdiocese of Ottawa and graduated with degrees in literature and theology from the University of Ottawa.[1]

He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1999 and obtained a doctorate in canon law at Pontifical Gregorian University. He worked at the apostolic nunciature to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and then moved to the Secretariat of State of the Holy See.[1]

On 14 November 2012, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him head of the protocol of the Secretariat of State. He was also responsible for contacts with the embassies accredited to the Holy See and to the central Vatican authority.

On 26 February 2018, Pope Francis gave him the title apostolic nuncio and appointed him Titular Archbishop of Aemona.[1] He was named nuncio to Armenia on 1 March[2] and to Georgia as well on 8 March.[3] He received his episcopal ordination from Pope Francis on 19 March.[4][5]

Honours and Arms[]

Honours[]

PRT Order of Christ - Commander BAR.png Commander of Order of Christ, Palácio Nacional de Belém, 29 April 2013[6]
ITA OMRI 2001 GUff BAR.svg Grand Officer of Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, Rome, 18 April 2015[7]

Coat of Arms[]

Bettencourt was granted coat of arms by the Canadian Heraldic Authority through a Grant of Arms, on August 15, 2019.[8]

Coat of arms of José Avelino Bettencourt
Coat of arms of José Avelino Bettencourt.svg
Granted
2019
Escutcheon
Gules on a chevron Argent three concentric stars of eight points Sable voided Argent between two lions passant Sable.
Motto
FIDES • SPES • CHARITAS (hese Latin words meaning “Faith, hope, love” are taken from 1 Corinthians 13:13: “Now faith, hope and love abide; and the greatest of these is love.”)
Symbolism
The red symbolizes love, strength and faithful service. The chevron alludes to a carpenter’s square, the attribute of St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church, of Canada, and of the Archdiocese of Ottawa, as well as Archbishop Bettencourt’s namesake, José being Portuguese for Joseph. The Holy Trinity is represented by the three iterations of the star, Jesus Christ by its cross form, and the Blessed Virgin Mary by the star itself. The lions refer to Portuguese Bettencourt coats of arms, which feature a rampant black lion on white. The two of them indicate that Archbishop Bettencourt’s parents came from different branches of the Bettencourt family

References[]

  1. ^ a b c "Resignations and Appointments, 26.02.2018" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 26 February 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  2. ^ "Resignations and Appointments, 01.03.2018" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 1 March 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  3. ^ "Resignations and Appointments, 08.03.2018" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 8 March 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  4. ^ "Indicazioni - Ordinazione Episcopale conferita dal Santo Padre Francesco (19 marzo 2018)". www.vatican.va.
  5. ^ Itcode. "Vaticano: Padre luso-canadiano é o novo chefe de protocolo da Secretaria de Estado". www.agencia.ecclesia.pt. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
  6. ^ Group, Global Media (29 April 2013). "Chefe do protocolo do Vaticano vive ″momento histórico″".
  7. ^ Segretariato generale della Presidenza della Repubblica. "Bettencourt Mons. José Avelino: Le onorificenze della Repubblica Italiana". www.quirinale.it. Quirinale.
  8. ^ General, The Office of the Secretary to the Governor. "Bettencourt, José Avelino [Individual]". reg.gg.ca. Retrieved 2020-02-14.
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Head of Protocol of Secretariat of State of the Holy See
14 November 2012 – 26 February 2018 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Apostolic Nuncio to Armenia
1 March 2018 – present 		Incumbent
Preceded by Apostolic Nuncio to Georgia
8 March 2018 – present 		Incumbent
Retrieved from ""