Juan Fremiot Torres Oliver


Juan Fremiot Torres Oliver was a Puerto Rican prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the longest-serving bishop for the Diocese of Ponce in Ponce, Puerto Rico, with 36 years of service from 1964 to 2000.

Priesthood and episcopacy

Torres Oliver was ordained priest in Ponce at age 24, on 10 April 1950. He was appointed bishop of Ponce on 4 November 1964 at age 39 and was consecrated on 21 December 1964. He retired as bishop of Ponce at age 75, on 10 November 2000, after a 36-year episcopate. He was a bishop emeritus of the diocese of Ponce.
From 1983 to 1994, Torres Oliver was president of the Conferencia Episcopal Puertorriqueña, CEP.
One of Torres Oliver's most controversial decisions was the one he made in early January 1974. At the death of Isabel la Negra he refused to admit her body into the Ponce Cathedral or to administer her the holy sacraments posthumously.

Legacy

The School of Law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico is named after him.

Death

Torres Oliver died in Ponce on 26 January 2012 at the age of 86. His death was the result of a heart attack. His remains will be rest at the Catedral Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe in Ponce.