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

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of seve ...

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 denominatio ...

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 adm ...

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

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 teachi ...

(O.F.M.) (1955.11.30 – 1980.02.16) * Rodolfo Quezada Toruño (1980.02.16 – 2001.06.19), succeeding as former Coadjutor Bishop 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 (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 (2004.05.13 – 2007.04.27), also Bishop-Prelate of Santo Cristo de Esquipulas (Guatemala) (2004.05.13 – 2007.04.27) * Rosolino Bianchetti Boffelli (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 (2016.02.22 – present); until then Subcoordinator of COPADENA for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jalapa 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, ...

) Parish, in El Progreso Achuapa, Jutiapa

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