Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo (; born 10 October 1944) is a Venezuelan prelate of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, who was named Metropolitan Archbishop of Caracas in 2023 after serving as apostolic administrator there for four and a half years. He was auxiliary bishop of Mérida from 1983 to 1991 and then metropolitan archbishop of Mérida from 1991 to 2023.

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

made him a

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

in 2016.

Life

Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo was born on 10 October 1944 in

Caracas Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...

. He attended Colegio Fray Luis de León and St. Teresa parish school. He studied philosophy at the Saint Rose of Lima Interdiocesan Seminary in Caracas. He earned a licentiate in theology and a doctorate in pastoral theology at the

Pontifical University of Salamanca The Pontifical University of Salamanca (in Spanish: ''Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca'') is a private Roman Catholic university based in Salamanca, Spain. History This Pontifical University has its origins in the unique University of ...

in Spain. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

to the priesthood on 30 July 1967 by Miguel Antonio Salas Salas. He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Mérida on 23 July 1983 and received his

episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or offic ...

on 17 September 1983 from Cardinal

José Lebrún Moratinos José Lebrún Moratinos (19 March 1919 – 21 February 2001) was a Roman Catholic Cardinal and Archbishop of Caracas. Besides his native Spanish, he spoke Italian, Latin and French. Early life and priesthood He was born in Puerto Cabello, ...

. He was appointed Metropolitan Archbishop of Mérida on 31 October 1991 and was installed there on 5 December. He served as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of San Cristóbal from 2 March 1998 to 8 June 1999. He was president of the

Venezuelan Episcopal Conference The Venezuelan Episcopal Conference (CEV) ( es, Conferencia Episcopal Venezolana) is a permanent institution. Its stated aim is, according to Second Vatican Council, associated with the Bishops of the Republic to exercise together, as an express ...

from 1999 to 2006. Within the

Episcopal Conference of Latin America Based in Bogotá ( Colombia), the Latin American Episcopal Council ( es, Consejo Episcopal Latinoamericano; pt, Conselho Episcopal Latino-Americano), better known as CELAM, is a council of the Roman Catholic bishops of Latin America, created i ...

(CELAM), he was president of the Department of the Laity from 1995 to 1999 and of the Department of Communication from 2003 to 2007. He served as the organization's first vice president from 2007 to 2011.

announced on 9 October 2016 that he would make him a cardinal at a consistory on 19 November 2016. At that consistory Porras was named Cardinal-Priest of

Santi Giovanni Evangelista e Petronio Santi Giovanni e Petronio dei Bolognesi is a Roman Catholic church in central Rome, Italy. It is named after the Saints John the Evangelist and Petronius, who are patrons of the city of Bologna. This church was made the "national church" of the ...

. Francis made him a member of the

Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life The Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life is a dicastery of the Roman Curia. Pope Francis announced its creation on 15 August 2016, effective 1 September 2016. It took over the functions and responsibilities of the Pontifical Council for the La ...

on 23 December 2017. In September 2019, Pope Francis named him one of the three cardinals to serve as presidents of the Synod for the Amazon. Pope Francis named him Apostolic Administrator of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of

on 9 July 2018. He was named a member of the

Pontifical Council for Culture The Pontifical Council for Culture ( la, Pontificium Consilium de Cultura) was a dicastery of the Roman Curia charged with fostering the relationship of the Catholic Church with different cultures. It was erected by Pope John Paul II on 20 May ...

on 11 November 2019. Pope Francis appointed him Metropolitan Archbishop of Caracas on 17 January 2023.

References

External links

*
Catholic Hierarchy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Porras Cardozo, Baltazar Enrique 1944 births 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Venezuela 21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Venezuela Living people People from Caracas Cardinals created by Pope Francis Venezuelan cardinals Roman Catholic archbishops of Mérida in Venezuela Roman Catholic bishops of Mérida in Venezuela Venezuelan Roman Catholic archbishops

Life

See also

References

External links