The Diocese of Linares (also known as the Diocese of San Ambrosio de Linares; ) is a

Latin Church The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical ...

ecclesiastical territory or

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, 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 Roman province, prov ...

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 ...

Linares, Chile Linares is a Chilean city and Communes of Chile, commune located in the Maule Region and lies in the fertility (soil), fertile Chilean Central Valley, south of Santiago, Chile, Santiago and south of Talca, the Maule Region, regional capital. Lin ...

. It was established by

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI (; born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, ; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939) was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 until his death in February 1939. He was also the first sovereign of the Vatican City State u ...

on October 18, 1925 in his

papal bull A papal bull is a type of public decree, letters patent, or charter issued by the pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the leaden Seal (emblem), seal (''bulla (seal), bulla'') traditionally appended to authenticate it. History Papal ...

''Notabiliter Aucto''. The Diocese of Linares is a

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led ...

in the

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian churches, including those of both Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity, that have traditional hierarchical structures. An ecclesiastical province consist ...

of the

metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: Areas and governance (secular and ecclesiastical) * Metropolitan archdiocese, the jurisdiction of a metropolitan archbishop ** Metropolitan bishop or archbishop, leader of an ecclesiastical "mother see" * Metropolitan ar ...

Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile. The diocese is located in the geographical center of Chile. The diocesan territory comprises two Chilean full provinces,

Linares Province Linares () is one of four provinces of the central Chilean region of Maule (VII). The provincial capital and most populous center is the city of Linares. Administration As a province, Cachapoal is a second-level administrative division of Chile ...

and

Cauquenes Province Cauquenes Province () is one of four provinces of the central Chilean region of Maule (VII). The provincial capital is the city of Cauquenes. Geography and demography The provincial capital, Cauquenes, lies approximately southwest of Santiag ...

, and part of a third,

Talca Province Talca Province () is one of four Provinces of Chile, provinces of the central Chilean Regions of Chile, region of Maule Region, Maule (VII). Its capital is the city of Talca, Chile, Talca. Administration As a province, Talca is a second-level ad ...

, all of them in the

Maule Region The Maule Region (, ) is one of Chile's 16 first order administrative divisions. Its capital is Talca. The region derives its name from the Maule River which, running westward from the Andes, bisects the region and spans a basin of about 20,6 ...

of Chile.

Diocesan statistics

The Diocese of Linares has an area of 15,111 km² and a population close to 350,000.

Deaneries and parishes

There are 33

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

es grouped into six

Deaneries A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a ...

, including:

Urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

Linares, Parral,

Cauquenes Cauquenes, a city and commune in Chile, is the capital of the Cauquenes Province and is located in the Maule Region. History According to the historical records of Alonso de Ercilla, Cauquenes was originally inhabited by an indigenous community ...

, Constitución, San Javier,

Rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically desc ...

Linares.

Ordinaries

Bishops of Linares

* Miguel León Prado (1925–1934) *

Juan Subercaseaux Errázuriz Monsignor Juan Subercaseaux Errázuriz (26 August 1896 – 9 August 1942) was a Chilean Roman Catholic archbishop. Juan Subercaseaux was of French and Basque descent. Biography Juan Subercaseaux was born in Santiago, the son of Ramón Subercas ...

(1935–1940), appointed Archbishop of La Serena * Francisco Javier Valdivia Pinedo (1940–1941) * Roberto Moreira Martínez (1941–1958) * Augusto Osvaldo Salinas Fuenzalida (1958–1976) *

Carlos Marcio Camus Larenas Bishop Carlos Marcio Camus Larenas (14 January 1927 – 16 March 2014) emeritus (retired) bishop of the Linares, Chile and human rights advocate. He was a proponent of excommunication for those guilty of torture. Born in Valparaíso, on 14 Jan ...

(1976–2003) * Tomislav Koljatic Maroevic (2003–present)

Notes

External links

Website of the diocese (in Spanish)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Linares Roman Catholic dioceses in Chile Christian organizations established in 1925 Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century Linares, Roman Catholic Diocese of