Raúl Eduardo Vela Chiriboga (1 January 1934 – 15 November 2020) was an Ecuadorian prelate of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

who was the

Archbishop of Quito The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Quito is the Catholic archdiocese in the capital city of Ecuador, Quito. It was established as the Diocese of Quito on 8 January 1545, before being elevated to archdiocese level on January 13, 1848 b ...

from 2003 to 2010. He became a bishop coadjutor in 1972 and served as an auxiliary in Guayaquil, Bishop of Azogues, and Military Ordinary of Ecuador before his appointment in Quito. Pope Benedict XVI raised him to the rank of cardinal in 2010.

Biography

Raúl Eduardo Vela Chiriboga was born on 1 January 1934 in

Riobamba Riobamba (, full name San Pedro de Riobamba; Quechua: ''Rispampa'') is the capital of Chimborazo Province in central Ecuador, and is located in the Chambo River Valley of the Andes. It is located south of Ecuador's capital Quito and situated at ...

, Ecuador. He was one of nine children. He attended a Salesian high school there. In 1951 he entered the major seminary in Quito and studied theology and philosophy in the local seminary. On 28 July 1957, he was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Riobamba. He was the director of Caritas for that diocese. From 1968 to 1970 he served as undersecretary of the

Ecuadorian Episcopal Conference Ecuadorians () are people identified with the South American country of Ecuador. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Ecuadorians, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source o ...

and was then elected its secretary general. On 20 April 1972

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

appointed him titular Bishop of Ausafa and Auxiliary Bishop of Guayaquil. He received his episcopal consecration on 21 May 1972. During this time he worked with the Christian Family Movement. On 29 April 1975 Pope Paul named him Bishop of Azogues. In February 1979, he participated as a delegate of Ecuador's bishops in the third General Conference of Latin American Bishops and from 1981 to 1988 he was a member of the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM). On 8 July 1989,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

transferred him to the titular see of Pauzera and appointed Military Ordinary of Ecuador. On 21 March 2003, Pope John Paul appointed him Archbishop of Quito, where he worked above all for education and priestly formation.

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

accepted his resignation as Archbishop of Quito on 11 September 2010. Pope Benedict elevated Vela Chiriboga to the status of cardinal at a consistory on 20 November 2010, making him Cardinal-Priest of

Santa Maria in Via Santa Maria in Via is a church in Rome. The church or a chapel existed in the 9th century, but was rebuilt following reports of a miracle. In 1165, it is recorded as Santa Maria in Via, whose appellative means "on the Way", with a reference to ...

. He participated in the papal conclave of 2013 which elected

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

. He died on 15 November 2020 in Quito.

References

External links

*
Profile on the Archdiocese of Quito's website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vela Chiriboga, Raul Eduardo 1934 births 2020 deaths People from Riobamba 21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Ecuador Ecuadorian cardinals Cardinals created by Pope Benedict XVI 21st-century cardinals Roman Catholic bishops of Azogues Roman Catholic bishops of Guayaquil Roman Catholic archbishops of Quito