Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mérida in Venezuela

Roman Catholic archdiocese in Venezuela

Archdiocese of Mérida

Archidioecesis Emeritensis in Venetiola

Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception

Coat of arms

Location
Country| Venezuela
Statistics
Area| 8,109 km2 (3,131 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics| (as of 2004)
603,464
543,118 (90.0%)
Information
Rite| Latin Rite
Established| 16 February 1778 (246 years ago)
Cathedral| Catedral Basílica Menor de la Inmaculada Concepción de Mérida
Current leadership
Pope| Francis
Metropolitan Archbishop| Helizandro Terán Bermúdez
Auxiliary Bishops| Luis Enrique Rojas Ruiz
Bishops emeritus| Luis Alfonso Márquez Molina, C.I.M.
Map

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mérida (Latin: Archidioecesis Emeritensis in Venetiola) is a Latin Rite Metropolitan Archdiocese in western Venezuela.

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

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* 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

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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.

## Leadership

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### Bishops of Merida

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* Juan Ramos de Lora [es], 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

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* 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 (1991–2023) (elevated to cardinal in 2016)
* Helizandro Terán Bermúdez (2023–present)

### Coadjutor Archbishops

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* 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)
* Helizandro Terán Bermúdez (2022–2023)

### Auxiliary Bishops

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* 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

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* Juan de Dios Peña Rojas, appointed Bishop of El Vigia-San Carlos del Zulia in 2015

## Ecclesiastical province

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The Metropolitan's ecclesiastical province comprises his own archbishopric and the following Suffragan sees :

* Roman Catholic Diocese of Barinas, its daughter
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Guasdualito
* Roman Catholic Diocese of San Cristóbal de Venezuela, its daughter
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Trujillo, Venezuela

## See also

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* List of Catholic dioceses in Venezuela
* Roman Catholicism in Venezuela

## Sources and external links

[edit]

* GCatholic.org - data for all sections
* Diocese website
* Catholic Hierarchy [self-published]

Portals:

* Christianity
* Venezuela

* v
* t
* e

Catholic dioceses in Venezuela

Province of Barquisimeto|

* Archdiocese of Barquisimeto
* Diocese of Acarigua–Araure
* Diocese of Carora
* Diocese of Guanare
* Diocese of San Felipe

Province of Calabozo|

* Archdiocese of Calabozo
* Diocese of San Fernando de Apure
* Diocese of Valle de la Pascua

Province of Caracas|

* Archdiocese of Caracas
* Diocese of Guarenas
* Diocese of La Guaira
* Diocese of Los Teques
* Diocese of Petare

Province of Ciudad Bolívar|

* Archdiocese of Ciudad Bolívar
* Diocese of Ciudad Guayana
* Diocese of Maturín

Province of Coro|

* Archdiocese of Coro
* Diocese of Punto Fijo

Province of Cumaná|

* Archdiocese of Cumaná
* Diocese of Barcelona
* Diocese of Carúpano
* Diocese of El Tigre
* Diocese of Margarita

Province of Maracaibo|

* Archdiocese of Maracaibo
* Diocese of Cabimas
* Diocese of El Vigía–San Carlos del Zulia
* Diocese of Machiques

Province of Mérida|

* Archdiocese of Mérida
* Diocese of Barinas
* Diocese of Guasdualito
* Diocese of San Cristóbal de Venezuela
* Diocese of Trujillo

Province of Valencia en Venezuela|

* Archdiocese of Valencia in Venezuela
* Diocese of Maracay
* Diocese of Puerto Cabello
* Diocese of San Carlos de Venezuela

Sui iuris jurisdictions|

* Military Ordinariate of Venezuela
* Melkite Greek Catholic Apostolic Exarchate of Venezuela
* Syriac Catholic Apostolic Exarchate of Venezuela
* Apostolic Vicariate of Caroní
* Apostolic Vicariate of Puerto Ayacucho
* Apostolic Vicariate of Tucupita

* Catholicism portal

8°35′50″N 71°08′38″W﻿ / ﻿8.59722°N 71.14389°W﻿ / 8.59722; -71.14389

Authority control databases |

* VIAF

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