Tulio Ramírez Padilla

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Tulio Luis Ramírez Padilla (28 February 1960 – 12 August 2026) was a Venezuelan Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Guarenas from 2020 until his death in 2026. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Caracas and as titular bishop of Ausuccura from 2012 to 2020.[1]

Early life and education

Ramírez Padilla was born in Caracas, Venezuela, on 28 February 1960. He studied philosophy at the Interdiocesan Major Seminary of Caracas and theology at the Seminario Mayor San Ildefonso de Toledo in Toledo, Spain. He subsequently obtained a licentiate in canon law from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.[1]

He was ordained a priest on 5 August 1984 for the Archdiocese of Valencia in Venezuela. His early pastoral assignments included serving as parochial vicar of San Agustín in Guacara, and parish priest of Nuestra Señora del Carmen in Miranda, San Diego de Alcalá in San Diego, Nuestra Señora de Begoña in Naguanagua, and again San Agustín in Guacara. He also served as a professor at the major seminary, a judge of the archdiocesan ecclesiastical tribunal, and later as vicar general and moderator of the curia of the Archdiocese of Valencia in Venezuela.[2]

Episcopate

On 4 April 2012, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Ramírez Padilla auxiliary bishop of Caracas and titular bishop of Ausuccura.[1] He received his episcopal consecration on 8 July 2012.[2]

On 11 December 2020, Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of Guarenas, succeeding Gustavo García Naranjo.[2] He was installed as the second diocesan bishop of Guarenas on 6 February 2021.[3]

During his episcopate in Guarenas, Ramírez Padilla was particularly associated with the cause for the beatification of Venezuelan physician José Gregorio Hernández. He served as vice-postulator of the cause and was also credited by the Diocese of Guarenas with promoting the approval of the canonical coronation of the diocese's patroness.[4]

Death

Ramírez Padilla died on 12 August 2026, at the age of 66. L'Osservatore Romano reported that he died in the morning at a hospital in Caracas, where he had been hospitalized earlier that month because of a serious illness.[5]

His funeral was scheduled for 14 August, at a church in Guatire, within the Diocese of Guarenas.[5][6]

References

  1. 1.[1.2][1.3]"Rinunce e nomine, 04.04.2012" (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 4 April 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
  2. 2.[2.2][2.3]"Rinunce e nomine, 11.12.2020" (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 11 December 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
  3. 3."Bishop Tulio Luis Ramírez Padilla". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
  4. 4."Murió el obispo venezolano monseñor Tulio Ramírez". El Universal (in Spanish). 12 August 2026. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
  5. 5.[5.2]"Lutto nell'episcopato". L'Osservatore Romano (in Italian). 13 August 2026. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
  6. 6."Falleció monseñor Tulio Ramírez, II obispo de Guarenas". Primicia (in Spanish). 12 August 2026. Retrieved 13 August 2026.