PANAJI
Pope Leo XIV on Saturday appointed Fr Francisco Antonio Agnelo Jacinto Pinheiro, a priest of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman, as the new Bishop of the diocese of Sindhudurg in Maharashtra.
Fr Pinheiro, 53, popularly known as Fr Agnelo, was born in Raia on July 6, 1972, the last among nine children born to late Pedro Santana Pinheiro and late Maria Margarida Quadros. His brother, Fr Richard Pinheiro, Parish Priest of Santa Cruz, is the fourth among the five girls and four boys.
After completing his SSC at St Theresa’s High School, Raia, in 1988, Fr Agnelo joined the Diocesan Minor Seminary and St Xavier’s Higher Secondary School at Mapusa. In May 1990, he secured the 4th rank at the HSSC exams in the State.
He began his priestly formation at the Patriarchal Seminary of Rachol in June 1991. Between 1993 and 1996, he completed his graduation in psychology with distinction at St Xavier’s College, Mapusa.
Fr Agnelo was ordained a priest on October 28, 2000. He first served as Assistant Parish Priest at St Alex Church, Calangute. From 2001 to 2002, he completed his pastoral training at the Pastoral Institute St. Pius X, Old Goa.
In 2004, he obtained his Master’s Degree in Philosophy from Jnana Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pune and was appointed Professor of Philosophy at Rachol Seminary. From 2013 to 2016, he pursued doctoral studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
In June 2017, Fr Agnelo returned to the Patriarchal Seminary of Rachol as Professor of Philosophy, a ministry he continues to exercise. From June 2022 to May 2023, he also served as Parochial Administrator of St Joseph’s Church, Dramapur.
Since 2018, Fr Agnelo has been serving as In-Charge of the Apostolate of Inter-Religious Dialogue in the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman. He is well known for his contribution to promoting understanding and harmony among different religious communities.
Incidentally, he is the second Goan priest to be appointed bishop within a few months, after Pope Leo XIV appointed Fr Stephen Fernandes as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Bombay on October 25, 2025 and he was ordained as Auxiliary Bishop on January 3. Auxiliary Bishop Fernandes traces his roots to Calangute and Santa Cruz.
