André de Witte
Born(1944-12-31)31 December 1944
Scheldewindeke, East Flanders, Belgium
Died25 April 2021(2021-04-25) (aged 76)
Salvador (Bahia), Brazil
Alma materCollege for Latin America in Leuven (Louvain), Belgium
Occupations
PredecessorMathias William Schmidt

André de Witte (31 December 1944 – 25 April 2021) was a Roman Catholic bishop, originally from Belgium. He served as the Bishop of Ruy Barbosa, Bahia in northeastern Brazil from 1994 to retirement in 2020.[1]

Life

André De Witte was born into a farming family in the village of Scheldewindeke, in the intensively developed countryside to the south of Ghent. He was the third child of Armand and Agnes de Witte (born Agnes Delbeke, 1906-1983).[2]

He undertook his studies for the priesthood in response to the call of Pope Pius XII in the encyclical Fidei donum,[3] attending the College for Latin America in Leuven (Louvain) where he was ordained on 6 July 1968.[4] During the next few years he worked as an agricultural engineer in Leuven (Louvain). In 1973 he embarked on a two-year interneeship for the priesthood in Zwijndrecht.[4]

At the end of January 1976 de Witte left for Brazil, arriving on 12 February.[2] For the next 18 years he worked in the rural parish of Inhambupe in the newly formed Roman Catholic Diocese of Alagoinhas.[4] During this period he served as an episcopal vicar for the Sertão, spiritual director of the seminarians, diocesan coordinator of the rural region and vicar general.[5]

On 8 June 1994, André de Witte was nominated as the fourth bishop of the diocese of Ruy Barbosa: on 28 August he was consecrated by the Archbishop of São Salvador da Bahia, Cardinal Lucas Moreira Neves, OP. Principal co-consecrators were the bishops Jaime Mota de Farias and, from Belgium, Arthur Luysterman.[1] Bishop de Witte embarked on his episcopal mission on 18 September 1994, taking as his episcopal motto, "Cristo Sempre" (Always in Christ).[6]

Between 1995 and 2003 de Witte served as chairman of the SPM (Serviço Pastoral dos Migrantes).[7] He also became the president of the Juazeiro-based IRPAA (Instituto Regional da Pequena Agropecuária Apropriada).[8] In addition, he represented the Roman Catholic church in the CESE (Coordenadoria Ecumênica de Serviços).[7]

In 2000 Ruy Barbosa and Ghent became sister dioceses.[9]

In 2015 Dom André was elected vice-chair of the Country Commission("Comissão Pastoral da Terra" / CPT) of the Brazilian bishops.

André De Witte died on 25 April 2021, in the hospital at Salvador (Bahia). He was 76.[10]


References

  1. 1 2 David M. Cheney (compiler). "Bishop André de Witte". The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Assembleia concede título de Cidadão Baianao ao Bispo André de Witte". Bahia Já. 10 August 2011. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  3. ↑ Pope Pius XII (21 April 1957). "Fidei Donum: On the Present Condition of the Catholic Missions, Especially in Africa". Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 Wesley Poelman (24 March 2013). "In het buitenland: Dom André uit Scheldewindeke". This source includes a photo-portrait. Mediahuis NV, Antwerpen (Het Nieuwsblad). Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  5. ↑ "Vice-Presidente - Dom André De Witte". Comissão Pastoral da Terra (CPT), Goiás. 8 February 2010. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  6. ↑ André de Witte (1 January 2011). "Compartilhamos a mensagem do bispo de Ruy Barbosa dom Andre De Witte para as Voluntarias da Caridade". Brasil - Mensagem de dom Andre De Witte para as Voluntarias. Piccolo Rifugio. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  7. 1 2 "André Marie Gerard Camilla de Witte (Dom André)". Assembléia Legislação do Estado da Bahia. Archived from the original on 18 September 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  8. ↑ "Diretores, sócios/as e colaboradores/as participam da Assembleia Geral do Irpaa". Notícias. Instituto Regional da Pequena Agropecuária Apropriada, Juazeiro. 4 March 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  9. ↑ Theo Borgermans (8 July 2005). "Twaalf jongeren uit het Zuiden". Wereldjongerendagen en het bisdom Gent. Stichting Rorate. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  10. ↑ "Emeritus bisschop Dom André De Witte overleden". De uit Scheldewindeke afkomstige André De Witte was ruim 25 jaar bisschop van het Braziliaanse Ruy Barbosa in de deelstaat Bahia. Studiecentrum Kerk en Media vzw (Kerknet), Antwerpen. 26 April 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
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