Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mérida in Venezuela
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mérida (Latin: Archidioecesis Emeritensis in Venetiola) is a Latin rite Metropolitan Archdiocese in western Venezuela.
Archdiocese of Mérida Archidioecesis Emeritensis in Venetiola | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Country | Venezuela |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 8,109 km2 (3,131 sq mi) |
| Population - Total - Catholics (including non-members) | (as of 2004) 603,464 543,118 (90.0%) |
| Information | |
| Rite | Latin Rite |
| Established | 16 February 1778 (242 years ago) |
| Cathedral | Catedral Basílica Menor de la Inmaculada Concepción de Mérida |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Francis |
| Bishop | Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo |
| Auxiliary Bishops | Luis Enrique Rojas Ruiz |
| Bishops emeritus | Luis Alfonso Márquez Molina, C.I.M. |
| Map | |
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Its cathedral archiepiscopal see is Catedral Basílica Menor de la Inmaculada Concepción de Mérida, a minor basilica located in the city of Mérida. It also has the Minor Basilica of Santa Lucía, in Timotes town, Miranda, Mérida municipality.
History
- On 16 February 1778 Pope Pius VI established the Diocese of Mérida, on territories split off from the then Diocese of Caracas and Metropolitan Archdiocese of Santafé en Nueva Granada in Colombia.
- It lost territory repeatedly : on 1863.03.07 to establish the Dioceses of Barquisimeto (now a Metropolitan) and Calabozo; on 1897.07.28 to establish Diocese of Zulia; on 1922.10.12 to establish its suffragan Diocese of San Cristóbal de Venezuela
- Pope Pius IX elevated the diocese to Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mérida on 11 June 11, 1923.
- It lost more territory to establish two more suffragans : on 1957.06.04 Trujillo, on 1965.07.23 Barinas
- It enjoyed a Papal visit from Pope John Paul II in January 1985.
- On 1994.07.07 it lost territory to establish the Diocese of El Vigía–San Carlos del Zulia
- On 3 December 2015 it was assigned another suffragan see, the newly created Diocese of Guasdualito
Statistics
As per 2014, it pastorally served 566,519 Catholics (85.0% of 666,491 total) on 8,109 km² in 62 parishes and 14 missions with 133 priests (98 diocesan, 35 religious), 21 deacons, 277 lay religious (59 brothers, 218 sisters) and 46 seminarians.
Bishops
(all Roman Rite)
Bishops of Merida
- Juan Manuel Antonio Ramos Lora, O.F.M. (1782–1790)
- Cándido Manuel de Torrijos Riguerra, O.P. (1791–1794)
- Antonio Ramón de Espinosa (y Lorenzo), O.P. (1795–1800)
- Santiago Hernández Milanés (1801–1812)
- Rafael Lasso de la Vega (1816–1828), appointed Bishop of Quito
- José Buenaventura Arias Bergara (1828–1831)
- José Vicente de Unda (1836–1840)
- Juan Hilario Bosset (1842–1873)
- Thomas Zerpa (1876), did not take effect
- Román Lovera (1880–1892)
- Antonio Ramón Silva (1894–1923)
Archbishops of Mérida
- Antonio Ramón Silva (1923–1927)
- Acacio Chacón Guerra (1927–1966)
- José Rafael Pulido Méndez (1966–1972)
- Angel Pérez Cisneros (1972–1979)
- Miguel Antonio Salas Salas, C.I.M. (1979–1991)
- Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo (1991–present) (elevated to Cardinal in 2016)
Coadjutor Archbishops
- Acacio Chacón Guerra (1926-1927)
- José Humberto Quintero Parra (1953-1960), did not succeed to see; appointed Archbishop of Caracas, Santiago de Venezuela (Cardinal in 1961)
- José Rafael Pulido Méndez (1961-1966)
- Angel Pérez Cisneros (1969-1972)
Auxiliary Bishops
- Jose Buenaventura Arias Bergara (1827–1829)
- Juan María Leonardi Villasmil (1994–1997), appointed Bishop of Punto Fijo
- Luis Alfonso Márquez Molina, C.I.M. (2001–2013)
- Alfredo Enrique Torres Rondón (2013–2016), appointed Bishop of San Fernando de Apure
- Luis Enrique Rojas Ruiz (2017–present)
Other priest of this diocese who became bishop
- Juan de Dios Peña Rojas, appointed Bishop of El Vigia-San Carlos del Zulia in 2015
Ecclesiastical province
The Metropolitan's ecclesiastical province comprises his own archbishopric and the following Suffragan sees :
See also
- List of Catholic dioceses in Venezuela
- Roman Catholicism in Venezuela
Sources and external links
- GCatholic.org - data for all sections
- Diocese website
- Catholic Hierarchy [self-published]
| Province of Barquisimeto | |
|---|---|
| Province of Calabozo | |
| Province of Caracas | |
| Province of Ciudad Bolívar | |
| Province of Coro | |
| Province of Cumaná | |
| Province of Maracaibo | |
| Province of Mérida | |
| Province of Valencia en Venezuela | |
| Sui iuris Jurisdictions | |
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Authority control  |
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