The Roman Catholic Diocese of Zacapa (y Santo Cristo de Esquipulas) is a Latin

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...

diocese in the

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United State ...

of the Archdiocese of Guatemala. Its

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

episcopal see is catedral San Pedro (dedicated to saint Peter), in

Zacapa Zacapa () is the departmental capital municipality of Zacapa Department, one of the 22 Departments of Guatemala. It is located approximately from Guatemala City. Sports Football club Deportivo Zacapa competes in Guatemala's top division and p ...

. It also had a virtual Co-cathedral, Basílica del Cristo Negro de Esquipulas, which is officially still the cathedral of the

Territorial Prelature of Santo Cristo de Esquipulas A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or an ...

History

It was erected 10 March 1951, as the Diocese of Zacapa, on territory split off from the Archdiocese of Guatemala (still its Metropolitan]. On 16 September 1956, it lost territory to establish the

, and again on 30 April 1968 to establish the then

Apostolic Administration of Izabal The Apostolic Vicariate of Izabal is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or apostolic vicariate of the Catholic Church in eastern Guatemala's Izabal Department. It is exempt directly to the Holy See and not part of any ecclesiastical provinc ...

. It was (re)united ''aeque principaliter'' (in permanent personal union) with the

on 24 June 1986 and since assumed the name Diocese of Zacapa y Santo Cristo de Esquipulas. It enjoyed a papal visit from

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

in February 1996.

Bishops

Episcopal ordinaries

* ''

Apostolic Administrator An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

Miguel Ángel García y Aráuz (1951 – 1955.11.30), while first Bishop of

Jalapa Xalapa or Jalapa (, ), officially Xalapa-Enríquez (), is the capital city of the Mexican state of Veracruz and the name of the surrounding municipality. In the 2005 census the city reported a population of 387,879 and the municipality of which ...

(Guatemala) (1951.04.11 – 1987.01.29); previously

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

Sophene Sophene ( hy, Ծոփք, translit=Tsopkʻ, grc, Σωφηνή, translit=Sōphēnē or hy, Չորրորդ Հայք, lit=Fourth Armenia) was a province of the ancient kingdom of Armenia, located in the south-west of the kingdom, and of the Ro ...

(1944.05.16 – 1951.04.11) & Auxiliary Bishop of Archdiocese of Guatemala (1944.05.16 – 1951.04.11)'' * Costantino Cristiano Luna Pianegonda,

Friars Minor The Order of Friars Minor (also called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis of Assisi. The order adheres to the teachin ...

(O.F.M.) (1955.11.30 – 1980.02.16) * Rodolfo Quezada Toruño (1980.02.16 – 2001.06.19), succeeding as former

Coadjutor Bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co ...

of Zacapa (1975.09.11 – 1980.02.16); also Bishop-Prelate of the

(1986.06.24 – 2001.06.19), President of Episcopal Conference of Guatemala (1988–1992); previously Titular Bishop of

Gadiaufala Ksar Sbahi is a town and commune in Oum El Bouaghi Province, Algeria and the site of Ancient Gadiaufala, a Roman city and former bishopric, now a Latin Catholic titular see. According to the 1998 census it has a population of 11,095. History ...

(1972.04.05 – 1975.09.11) & Auxiliary Bishop of Zacapa (1972.04.05 – 1975.09.11); later Metropolitan Archbishop of

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

(2001.06.19 – 2010.10.02), President of Episcopal Conference of Guatemala (2002–2006),

Cardinal-Priest A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

of S. Saturnino (2003.10.21 004.03.13– 2012.06.04) *

José Aníbal Casasola Sosa José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

(2004.05.13 – 2007.04.27), also Bishop-Prelate of Santo Cristo de Esquipulas (Guatemala) (2004.05.13 – 2007.04.27) *

Rosolino Bianchetti Boffelli Rosolino is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Frank Rosolino (1926–1978), American jazz trombonist * Massimiliano Rosolino Massimiliano "Massi" Rosolino (born 11 July 1978) is an Italian retired competitive swim ...

(2008.11.20 – 2012.09.14), also Bishop-Prelate of Santo Cristo de Esquipulas (Guatemala) (2008.11.20 – 2012.09.14); later Bishop of Quiché (Guatemala) (2012.09.14 – ...) * Vacant see (

sede vacante ''Sede vacante'' ( in Latin.) is a term for the state of a diocese while without a bishop. In the canon law of the Catholic Church, the term is used to refer to the vacancy of the bishop's or Pope's authority upon his death or resignation. Hi ...

): 2012–2016 *

Ángel Antonio Recinos Lemus Angel is a given name meaning "angel", " messenger". In the English-speaking world Angel is used for both boys and girls. From the medieval Latin masculine name ''Angelus'', which was derived from the name of the heavenly creature (itself derived ...

(2016.02.22 – present); until then Subcoordinator of COPADENA for the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Jalapa The Diocese of Jalapa is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in southeastern Guatemala. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Santiago de Guatemala. I ...

and Pastor of the "Nuestra Señora de Lourdes" (

Our Lady of Lourdes Our Lady of Lourdes (french: Notre-Dame de Lourdes) is a title of the Virgin Mary. She is venerated under this title by the Roman Catholic church due to her apparitions that occurred in Lourdes, France. The first apparition of 11 February 1858, o ...

) Parish, in

El Progreso Achuapa EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American p ...

Jutiapa Jutiapa is a city and a municipality in the Jutiapa department of Guatemala. Located 124 km from the city of Guatemala City, at an altitude of 892 m (2,926 ft),

Coadjutor bishop

* Rodolfo Quezada Toruño (1975-1980); future Cardinal

Auxiliary bishop

* Rodolfo Quezada Toruño (1972-1975), appointed Coadjutor here; future Cardinal

Other priest of this diocese who became bishop

* Domingo Buezo Leiva, appointed Vicar Apostolic of Izabal in 2013

External links and references

Sources and external links

GigaCatholic, with incumbent biography links

References

Zacapa y Santo Cristo de Esquipulas Zacapa y Santo Cristo de Esquipulas Zacapa y Santo Cristo de Esquipulas 1951 establishments in Guatemala Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Santiago de Guatemala {{RC-diocese-stub