When Pope Paul VI created the Roman Catholic Diocese of Setúbal on 16 July 1975, under the Papal bull "Studentes Nos", the Monument of Christ the King and the Seminary of Almada were still under the control of the Patriarchate of Lisbon. In June 1999 the site came under the authority of the Diocese of Setúbal, which immediately started to restore the monument. The municipal authority was responsible for public works, beginning in May 2001 to clean the area and reorganize the public spaces, under technical supervision of the School of Sciences and Technology of the Nova University of Lisbon. Following the restoration projects, the monument was reopened in a solemn ceremony on 1 February 2001. Due to its national importance, the Conference of Bishops determined that funds collected throughout the country on 23 November 2003 would be used for the restoration.