The Roman Catholic Diocese of Verapaz (also Vera Paz, Cobán) is a Latin

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 ...

diocese 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 Archdiocese of Guatemala. Its

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

episcopal see is the Catedral de Santo Domingo de Guzman, dedicated to Saint Dominic of Guzman, at

Cobán Cobán (), fully Santo Domingo de Cobán, is the capital of the department of Alta Verapaz in central Guatemala. It also serves as the administrative center for the surrounding Cobán municipality. It is located 219 km from Guatemala City. A ...

, in

Alta Verapaz Alta Verapaz () is a department in the north central part of Guatemala. The capital and chief city of the department is Cobán. Verapaz is bordered to the north by El Petén, to the east by Izabal, to the south by Zacapa, El Progreso, and ...

History

It was erected a first time on 1561.06.21 as Diocese of Verapaz, on territory split off from the then Roman Catholic Diocese of Guatemala, as a suffragan of the Metropolitan

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, but was suppressed on 1603.06.23. It was restored on 27 July 1921 albeit demoted, as the

Apostolic Vicariate An apostolic vicariate is a territorial jurisdiction of the Catholic Church under a titular bishop centered in missionary regions and countries where dioceses or parishes have not yet been established. The status of apostolic vicariate is often ...

of Verapaz and Petén, on territory split off from the meanwhile Metropolitan Archdiocese of Guatemala, a missionary pre-diocesan jurisdiction, exempt (directly subject to the Holy See, not yet part of an ecclesiastical province). On 14 January 1935, it was promoted as Diocese of Vera Paz, also known after its see as Diocese of Cobán. On 1951.03.10, it lost territory to establish the then Apostolic Administration of El Petén. On Tuesday, 22 July 2014, according to the official Daily Bulletin of the

Holy See Press Office The Holy See Press Office (; ) is the press office of the Holy See. It publishes the official news of the activities of the Pope and of the various departments of the Roman Curia. All speeches, messages and documents, as well as the statements ...

for the day (which also lists papal appointments and resignations, as part of the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...

's website),

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 ...

appointed the incumbent Bishop of Verapaz, Cobán, Rodolfo Valenzuela Núñez, to a five-year-long, renewable term as a Member of the

Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity The Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, previously named the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU), is a dicastery within the Holy See whose origins are associated with the Second Vatican Council which met intermittently fr ...

Bishops

Episcopal ordinaries

; ''Colonial Suffragan Bishops of Verapaz'' * Pedro (de) Angulo, O.P. (1561.07.27 – death 1562.04.01)"Father Pedro de Angulo, O.P."
''

Catholic-Hierarchy.org ''Catholic-Hierarchy.org'' is an online database of bishops and dioceses of the Latin Church and the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches that are in full communion with Rome. The website, not officially sanctioned by the Church, is run as a private pro ...

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved September 11, 2016 *

Pedro de la Peña Pedro de la Peña, O.P. (died 7 March 1583) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as the second Bishop of Quito (1565–1583) and the second Bishop of Verapaz (1564–1565). ''(in Latin)''O.P. (1564.03.01 – 1565.05.15 Appointed,

Bishop of Quito The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Quito is the Catholic archdiocese in the capital city of Ecuador, Quito. It was established as the Diocese of Quito on 8 January 1545, before being elevated to archdiocese level on January 13, 1848 b ...

)"Bishop Pedro de la Peña, O.P."
'

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved September 11, 2016 *

Tomás de Cárdenas Tomás may refer to: * Tomás (given name) * Tomás (surname) Tomás is a Spanish, Portuguese, or Irish surname, equivalent of '' Thomas''. It may refer to: * Antonio Tomás (born 1985), professional Spanish footballer * Belarmino Tomás (18 ...

, O.P. (1574.01.08 – death 1578)"Bishop Tomás de Cárdenas, O.P."
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved September 11, 2016 *

Antonio de Hervias Antonio de Hervias, O.P. (died in 1590), was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Cartagena (1587–1590), ''(in Latin)'' Bishop of Verapaz (1579–1587), ''(in Latin)'' and the first Bishop of Arequipa (1577–1579). ''(in ...

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic Church, Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilians, Castilian priest named Saint Dominic, Dominic de Gu ...

(O.P.) (1579.01.09 – 1587.09.28), previously Bishop of Arequipa (Peru) (1577.04.15 – 1579.01.09), later

Bishop of Cartagena The Diocese of Cartagena () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in the city of Cartagena in the ecclesiastical province of Granada in Spain."Bishop Antonio de Hervias, O.P."
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved September 11, 2016 * Juan Fernández de Rosillo (1592.06.12 – 1603.06.16), later

Bishop of Michoacán The Archdiocese of Morelia () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in western central Mexico.

(Mexico) (1603.06.16 – death 1606.10.29)"Bishop Juan Fernández de Rosillo (Rovillo)"
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved September 11, 2016"Bishop Juan Fernández de Rosillo"
''GCatholic.org.'' Gabriel Chow. Retrieved September 11, 2016 ; ''Apostolic Vicars of Verapaz'' ? * ''Luis Durou y Sure,

Lazarists The Congregation of the Mission (), abbreviated CM and commonly called the Vincentians or Lazarists, is a Catholic society of apostolic life of pontifical right for men founded by Vincent de Paul. It is associated with the Vincentian Family, ...

(C.M.),

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 admi ...

1928.11.12 – 1935.01.14), while Metropolitan Archbishop of

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

(Guatemala) (1928.06.30 – 1938.12.17)'' ; ''Modern Suffragan Bishops of Verapaz'' * José Luis Montenegro y Flores (1935.01.23 – death 1945.05.23) * Raymundo Julian Martín, O.P. (1945.11.14 – 1966.05.28), 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 an ...

of Trocmades (1944.05.26 – 1945.11.14) &

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 Vera Paz 1944.05.26 – 1945.11.14); also

''ad nutum Sanctae Sedis'' of

El Petén EL, El or el may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * El, a character from the manga series ''Shugo Chara!'' by Peach-Pit * Eleven (''Stranger Things'') (El), a fictional character in the TV series ''Stranger Things'' * El, fami ...

(Guatemala) (1951.03.10 – 1956); later Titular Bishop of Turris in Proconsulari (1966.05.28 – 1975.12.08) *

Juan José Gerardi Conedera Juan José Gerardi Conedera (27 December 1922 – 26 April 1998) was a Guatemalan Roman Catholic bishop and human rights defender who was long active in working with the indigenous Mayan peoples of the country. In the 1970s, he gained governme ...

(1967.05.05 – 1974.08.22), also President of Episcopal Conference of Guatemala (1972–1978); later Bishop of

Santa Cruz del Quiché Santa Cruz del Quiché is a city, with a population of 78,279 (2018 census), in Guatemala. It serves as the capital of the El Quiché department and the municipal seat of Santa Cruz del Quiché municipality. The city is located at , at an elevati ...

(Guatemala) (1974.08.22 – 1984.08.14), President of Episcopal Conference of Guatemala (1980–1982), Titular Bishop of Guardialfiera (1984.08.14 – 1998.04.26) & Auxiliary Bishop of

(Guatemala) (1984.08.14 – 1998.04.26) * Gerardo Humberto Flores Reyes (1977.10.07 – 2001.02.22), previously Auxiliary Bishop of Quetzaltenango, Los Altos (Guatemala) (1966.07.26 – 1969.05.09) & Titular Bishop of

Nova Cæsaris A nova ( novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. All observed novae involve white d ...

(1966.07.26 – 1977.10.07),

of Izabal (Guatemala) (1969.05.09 – 1977.10.07); also President of Episcopal Conference of Guatemala (1992–1994) * Rodolfo Valenzuela Núñez (2001.02.22 – ...), also President of Episcopal Conference of Guatemala (2012.03 – ...); succeeding as former

Coadjutor Bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) ("co-assister" in Latin) is a bishop in the Latin Catholic, Anglican and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in administering the diocese. The coa ...

of Vera Paz (1997.02.19 – 2001.02.22)

Coadjutor bishop

* Rodolfo Valenzuela Núñez (1997-2001)

Auxiliary bishops

* Raimundo María Julián Manguán-Martín y Delgado, O.P. (1944-1945), appointed Bishop here *

Humberto Lara Mejía Humberto is a Portuguese and Spanish masculine given name of Germanic origin. Notable people with this name include: A *Humberto Aguilar Coronado *Humberto Ak'ab'al * Humberto Albornoz * Humberto Alonso Morelli * Humberto Alonso Razo *Humberto Álva ...

(1957-1967), appointed Bishop of Santa Cruz del Quiché

Sources and external links

* (for Chronology of Bishops) * (for Chronology of Bishops)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Verapaz, Coban, Diocese Roman Catholic dioceses in Guatemala Christian organizations established in 1921 Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century 1921 establishments in Guatemala Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Santiago de Guatemala