Pope Francis accepted the prelate's resignation, presented as per Canon Law after his 75th birthday in June. His replacement: the bishop of the Armed Forces.
Bishop Valério’s nomination came as a surprise to many since Pope Francis had named Américo Manuel Alves Aguiar, auxiliary bishop of Lisbon, a cardinal on July 9. It had been wrongly presumed then that the pope would appoint the cardinal-elect as the new patriarch after the World Youth Day celebrations.