The Rev. Canon Eleita Marinez Bassotto elected on the first ballot as bishop of the Diocese of the Amazon.

The Diocese of the Amazon has elected the first female bishop for the Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil. On 20 Jan 2018 the Rev. Canon Eleita Marinez Bassotto was elected on the first ballot by the diocesan electoral synod meeting in Belém to succeed the Rt. Rev. Mauricio de Barros, the first bishop of the diocese elected in 2006.

The former dean of Holy Trinity Cathedral in Porto Alegre, Bishop-elect Bassotto is married and has two adult children. She presently serves as priest in charge of a parish in south Sao Paulo and is custodian of the Brazilian Book of Common Prayer and member of several church commissions.

In a statement released by the IEAB press office, the Most Rev. Francisco de Assis da Silva, stated: “We certainly live a special moment of our Province with the election of our first female bishop. A fresh wind is blowing through our church and this represents new times and a new way of exercising this special ministry.  and that certainly represents new times and new way of exercising this very special ministry. The Diocese of the Amazon and the IEAB are taking a decisive step towards gender equality and for this we are very happy.”

The Anglican Diocese of the Amazon covers the states of Pará, Amapá, Roraima, Amazonas and Acre, and is centered at Santa Maria cathedral in Belém.