Adalberto Martínez Flores (born 8 July 1951) is a

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

an 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 named as the Archbishop of Asunción in 2022. He has been a

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy 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 and administration of di ...

since 1997. Flores was created a

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

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 ...

at a consistory on 27 August 2022. He is the first cardinal from Paraguay.

Biography

Adalberto Martínez Flores was born in Asunción, Paraguay, on 8 July 1951. He studied economics at the

National University of Asunción National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

for three years and then studied advanced English in Washington, D.C., and then philosophy at Oblate College in San Antonio, Texas. In 1977, he moved to Frascati to study at the International School for Priests of the Focolare Movement. He completed his studies in philosophy and theology at the

Pontifical Lateran University The Pontifical Lateran University (; ), also known as Lateranum, is a pontifical university based in Rome. The university also hosts the central session of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. The university ...

in 1981. He was ordained a priest on 24 August 1985 by

Seán O'Malley Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Hiberno-English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as ''Shaun/Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; angli ...

, then bishop coadjutor of St. Thomas. He served as priestly minister in the Diocese of Saint Thomas in the

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from 1985 to 1994, first on St. Croix and then on St. Thomas. He was then incardinated in the

Archdiocese of Asunción In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

in 1994, he was parish priest of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary parish from 1994 to 1997. On 14 August 1997,

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 ...

appointed him as an

auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

of Asunción. He received his episcopal consecration on 8 November from Felipe Santiago Benitez Avalos, Archbishop of Asunción. On 18 May 2000, he was appointed the first bishop of the new Diocese of San Lorenzo. On 19 February 2007, he was transferred to the Diocese of San Pedro and on 14 March 2012 appointed to the Military Ordinariate of Paraguay. On 23 July 2018, he was transferred to Villarrica del Espíritu Santo while continuing as apostolic administrator of the Military Ordinariate. In November 2018, he was elected to a three-year term as president of the Episcopal Conference of Paraguay and he was elected to another term in November 2021. On 17 February 2022,

appointed him Archbishop of Asunción. On 27 August 2022, Pope Francis made him a

cardinal priest A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. Ca ...

, assigning him the title of

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. He participated as a

cardinal elector A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. Ca ...

in the

2025 papal conclave A conclave was held on 7 and 8 May 2025 to elect a new pope to succeed Pope Francis, Francis, who had died on 21 April 2025. Of the 135 eligible Cardinal electors in the 2025 papal conclave, cardinal electors, all but two attended. Cardinal Piet ...

that elected

Pope Leo XIV Pope Leo XIV (born Robert Francis Prevost, September 14, 1955) has been head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State since May 2025. He is the first pope to have been born in the United States and North America, the fir ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Martinez Flores, Adalberto Living people 1951 births People from Asunción Universidad Nacional de Asunción alumni Pontifical Lateran University alumni Paraguayan Roman Catholic archbishops Paraguayan cardinals Cardinals created by Pope Francis

Biography

See also

References

External links