Archdiocese of Ciudad Bolívar


The Archdiocese of Ciudad Bolívar is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the city of Ciudad Bolívar in Venezuela. Established on 20 May 1790, it became part of the ecclesiastical province of the Archdiocese of Caracas. On 21 June 1958 it was elevated the diocese to the rank of metropolitan archdiocese.

History

Diocese

The Diocese of Guayana, or Santo Tomás de Guayana, was erected on 20 May 1790, deriving its territory from the diocese of Puerto Rico. The original territory of the diocese included the mainland provinces of Guayana and Cumaná, as well as the island provinces of Trinidad and Margarita, in the captaincy general of Venezuela. The seat of the diocese was the city of Angostura also known as Santo Tomé de Guayana. Its first bishop was Francisco Ibarra Herrera from 19 December 1791 until 14 December 798, when he was named bishop of Caracas.
Originally a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Santo Domingo, on 24 November 1803, per the In universalis Ecclesiae regimine bull of Pope Pius VII it became part of the ecclesiastical province of the Archdiocese of Caracas.
On 4 March 1922, it ceded a portion of its territory for the erection of the Apostolic Vicariate of Caroní through the Quoties Romani bull of Pope Pius XI, and on 12 October of the same year it ceded a portion of its territory for the erection of the diocese of Cumaná through the Ad munus papal bull. On 5 February 1932, another portion of its territory was ceded for the erection of the Apostolic Prefecture of the Upper Orinoco through the Quo melius decree of the Consistorial Congregation.
On 2 January 1953, following the Apostolicis sub plumbo Litteris decree of the Consistorial Congregation, it assumed the name of diocese of Ciudad Bolívar. On 7 June 1954, the Summa Dei bull of Pope Pius XII ceded a portion of its territory for the erection of the diocese of Barcelona.
On July 30, 1954, the Post latum decree of the Congregation of Propaganda Fide exchanged its territory with the apostolic vicariate of Caroní, receiving the parishes of Upata, San Félix, El Palmar, Guasipati, El Callao and Tumeremo, and transferring the territory west of the Paragua River which is in the basin of the Caroní River.
On May 24, 1958 it ceded another portion of its territory for the erection of the Diocese of Maturín through the Regnum Dei Bull of Pope Pius XII.

Archdiocese

On 21 June 1958 the Magna quidem bull of Pope Pius XII elevated the diocese to the rank of metropolitan archdiocese.
On 20 August 1979 the Cum nos Domini Nostri mandato bull of Pope John Paul II ceded another portion of its territory for the erection of the diocese of Ciudad Guayana. On 25 March 1988 it ceded the municipalities of Piar, Roscio and Sifontes for a substantial modification of the diocesan limits through the Quo aptius decree of the Congregation for Bishops.

Bishops

Ordinaries

  • Francisco de Ibarra y Herrera † Appointed, Bishop of Caracas
  • José Antonio García Mohedano †
  • Mariano Talavera y Garcés †
  • Mariano Fernández Fortique †
  • José Manuel Arroyo y Niño †
  • Manuel Felipe Rodríguez Delgado †
  • Antonio María Durán †
  • Sixto Sosa Díaz † Appointed, Bishop of Cumaná
  • Miguel Antonio Mejía †
  • Juan José Bernal Ortiz † Appointed, Archbishop of Los Teques
  • Crisanto Darío Mata Cova †
  • Medardo Luis Luzardo Romero †
  • Ulises Antonio Gutiérrez Reyes, O. de M.

Auxiliary bishops

Suffragan dioceses