The Titular Patriarchate of the West Indies ( la, Patriarchatus Indiarum Occidentalium) is a Latin Rite titular patriarchate of the Roman Catholic Church. It is vacant since the death of its last holder in 1963."Patriarchate of West Indies"
'' Catholic-Hierarchy.org''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved February 29, 2016"Titular Patriarchal See of Indias Occidentales"
''GCatholic.org''. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved February 29, 2016

Attempt to create a jurisdictional Patriarchate in the Spanish West Indies

King

Ferdinand V of Castile Ferdinand II ( an, Ferrando; ca, Ferran; eu, Errando; it, Ferdinando; la, Ferdinandus; es, Fernando; 10 March 1452 – 23 January 1516), also called Ferdinand the Catholic (Spanish: ''el Católico''), was King of Aragon and Sardinia from ...

asked Pope Leo X to establish a patriarchate for the ecclesiastical government of the American territories discovered by the Spaniards. The Holy See was not keen to accept the establishment of such an autonomous Spanish American church and, on 11 May 1524, Clement VII agreed to create it but only as honorific, without jurisdiction and without clergy. In addition, the Patriarch was banned from actually residing in the Americas. Antonio de Rojas,

archbishop of Granada The archdiocese of Granada ( la, archidioecesis Granatensis) is an ecclesiastical province of the Catholic Church in Spain.

and

bishop of Palencia The Roman Catholic Diocese of Palencia ( la, Palentin(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Palencia in the ecclesiastical province of Burgos, Spain.

, was the first patriarch. The following patriarchs were the

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

Esteban Gabriel Merino Esteban Gabriel Merino (died 1535) was a Spanish Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal. Biography Merino was born in Santisteban del Puerto, ca. 1472, the son of Alonso Merino and Mayor de Amorcuende, a family of the lowest condition. His father d ...

(1530–1535) and the archbishop of Granada Fernando Niño de Guevara (not the homonymous cardinal) (1546–1552). After the Niño de Guevara's death, the office remained vacant because Philip II, against the Holy See policy, wished an actual jurisdictional Patriarchate. Finally, the king agreed in 1591 to propose the

archbishop of Mexico City The Archdiocese of Mexico ( la, Archidioecesis Mexicanensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church that is situated in Mexico City, Mexico. It was erected as a diocese on 2 September 1530 and elevated to ...

(but who was actually resident in Madrid as President of the Council of the Indies) Pedro Moya de Contreras. However, the new patriarch died before he could take the oath of his new office. In 1602, Philip III abandoned the idea of a jurisdictional Patriarchate and used it as an honorific title for noble clergymen.Hernández Ruigómez, Manuel: "Patriarcado de Indias", in Artola, M. (ed.): ''Enciclopedia de Historia de España'', Madrid: Alianza, V, pp. 927-928

Merge with the Spanish Military Vicariate

In 1705,

Pope Clement XI Pope Clement XI ( la, Clemens XI; it, Clemente XI; 23 July 1649 – 19 March 1721), born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 November 1700 to his death in March 1721. Clement XI w ...

named Patriarch Carlos de Borja Centellas the Military Vicar (General) of the Spanish Armies. Beginning in 1736, Pope Clement XII merged the office of Vicar General of the Spanish Armies with the Patriarchate of the West Indies ''pro tempore et ad septennium'', that is, "temporarily for seven years", and added to those titles the Royal Palace's Chaplaincy in 1741. Clement XIII decreed the merger of the Patriarchate and the Military Vicariate in 1762.Arzobispadocastrense.com: Raíces históricas de la pastoral con los militares

Last incumbent and current status

In 1933, Patriarch Ramón Pérez Rodríguez was appointed Bishop of Cádiz and Ceuta.Catholic Hierarchy: Archdiocese of West Indies
an

/ref> The previous year, the

Republican Government Representative democracy, also known as indirect democracy, is a type of democracy where elected people represent Represent may refer to: * ''Represent'' (Compton's Most Wanted album) or the title song, 2000 * ''Represent'' (Fat Joe album), ...

had abolished the Military Vicariate. Thus, the Patriarchate remained vacant. During the Civil War, the Nationalists organized a religious military service and the Holy See appointed

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 ...

Isidro Gomá, Archbishop of Toledo, as interim Pontifical Delegate. In 1940, Gomá died and the auxiliary bishop Gregorio Modrego was commissioned with the deceased cardinal's military duties. In 1942, Modrego was appointed bishop of Barcelona. During all that time, the Patriarchate remained vacant. In 1946, the

Bishop of Madrid The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Madrid is one of Spain's fourteen metropolitan archbishoprics. Since 28 August 2014 the archbishop of Madrid has been Carlos Osoro Sierra. Although Madrid has been the seat of the Spanish Crown since 1561, the ...

Leopoldo Eijo y Garay Leopoldo is a given name, the Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese form of the English, German, Dutch, Polish, and Slovene name, Leopold. Notable people with the name include: *Leopoldo de' Medici (1617–1675), Italian cardinal and Governor of Sien ...

was appointed Patriarch of the West Indies, but without the Military Ordinariate, which was established once more as a military archbishopric in 1950, this time without any association with the patriarch's title. Since Eijo's death, this titular patriarchate has remained vacant and is not considered likely to be filled.

List of Patriarchs of the West Indies

References

External links