The Diocese of Barinas (Latin: Dioecesis Barinensis) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of Mérida, in western Venezuela's land-locked Barinas state.
Its cathedral is the Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Pilar, dedicated to Our Lady of the Pillar, located in the eponymous state capital Barinas.
History
- On 23 July 1965 Pope Paul VI established the Diocese of Barinas on territories split off from the Diocese of Calabozo and from their Metropolitan, Mérida in Venezuela.
- It lost territory on 3 December 2015 to establish (part of) the Roman Catholic Diocese of Guasdualito, in the same province.
Bishops
Episcopal ordinaries
- Rafael Angel González Ramírez (1965.07.23 – 1992.08.01)
- Antonio José López Castillo (1992.08.01 – 2001.12.27); previously Titular Bishop of Theuzi (1988.02.26 – 1992.08.01) and Auxiliary Bishop of Maracaibo (Venezuela) (1988.02.26 – 1992.08.01; later Metropolitan Archbishop of Calabozo (Venezuela) (2001.12.27 – 2007.12.22), Metropolitan Archbishop of Barquisimeto (Venezuela) (2007.12.22 – ...)
- Ramón Antonio Linares Sandoval (2002.07.16 – retired 2013.08.30), previously Bishop of Puerto Cabello (Venezuela) (1994.07.05 – 2002.07.16); later Apostolic Administrator of Acarigua–Araure (Venezuela) (2013.12 – 2015.08.10)
- José Luis Azuaje Ayala (2013.08.30 – 2018.05.24), also Vice-President of Episcopal Conference of Venezuela (2012.01.12 – ...); previously titular Bishop of Italica (1999.03.18 – 2006.07.15) and Auxiliary Bishop of Barquisimeto (Venezuela) (1999.03.18 – 2006.07.15), Apostolic Administrator of El Vigía–San Carlos del Zulia (Venezuela) (2005 – 2006.07.15), promoted Bishop of El Vigía–San Carlos del Zulia (2006.07.15 – 2013.08.30); later Archbishop of Maracaibo 2018.05.24 - ...)
- Jesús Alfonso Guerrero Contreras, OFMCap (2018.12.21 - ...), previously titular Bishop of Leptiminus (1995.12.06 - 2011.04.09) and Vicar Apostolic of Caroní (1995.12.06 - 2011.04.09), Bishop of Machiques (2011.04.09 - 2018.12.21)
Auxiliary bishops
- José Vicente Henriquez Andueza, SDB (1981-1985), appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Caracas, Santiago de Venezuela
- Alejandro Figueroa Medina (1986-1995), appointed Bishop of Guanare
Other priest of this diocese who became bishop
- Polito Rodríguez Méndez, appointed Bishop of San Carlos de Venezuela in 2016
Sources and external links
- GCatholic.org, with incumbent biography links
- Catholic Hierarchy
8°37′54″N 70°12′35″W / 8.6317°N 70.2098°W / 8.6317; -70.2098