Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mérida in Venezuela

History

• On 16 February 1778 Pope Pius VI established the Diocese of Mérida, on territories split off from the then Diocese of Caracas and Metropolitan Archdiocese of Santafé en Nueva Granada in Colombia.
• It lost territory repeatedly : on 1863.03.07 to establish the Dioceses of Barquisimeto and Calabozo; on 1897.07.28 to establish Diocese of Zulia; on 1922.10.12 to establish its suffragan Diocese of San Cristóbal de Venezuela
• Pope Pius IX elevated the diocese to Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mérida on 11 June 11, 1923.
• It lost more territory to establish two more suffragans : on 1957.06.04 Trujillo, on 1965.07.23 Barinas
• It enjoyed a Papal visit from Pope John Paul II in January 1985.
• On 1994.07.07 it lost territory to establish the Diocese of El Vigía–San Carlos del Zulia
• On 3 December 2015 it was assigned another suffragan see, the newly created Diocese of Guasdualito

  Statistics

Bishops

Bishops of Merida

• Juan Manuel Antonio Ramos Lora, O.F.M.
• Cándido Manuel de Torrijos Riguerra, O.P.
• Antonio Ramón de Espinosa, O.P.
• Santiago Hernández Milanés
• Rafael Lasso de la Vega, appointed Bishop of Quito
• José Buenaventura Arias Bergara
• José Vicente de Unda
• Juan Hilario Bosset
• Thomas Zerpa, did not take effect
• Román Lovera
• Antonio Ramón Silva

  Archbishops of Mérida

• Antonio Ramón Silva
• Acacio Chacón Guerra
• José Rafael Pulido Méndez
• Angel Pérez Cisneros
• Miguel Antonio Salas Salas, C.I.M.
• Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo

  Coadjutor Archbishops

• Acacio Chacón Guerra
• José Humberto Quintero Parra, did not succeed to see; appointed Archbishop of Caracas, Santiago de Venezuela
• José Rafael Pulido Méndez
• Angel Pérez Cisneros

  Auxiliary Bishops

• Jose Buenaventura Arias Bergara
• Juan María Leonardi Villasmil, appointed Bishop of Punto Fijo
• Luis Alfonso Márquez Molina, C.I.M.
• Alfredo Enrique Torres Rondón, appointed Bishop of San Fernando de Apure
• Luis Enrique Rojas Ruiz

  Other priest of this diocese who became bishop

• Juan de Dios Peña Rojas, appointed Bishop of El Vigia-San Carlos del Zulia in 2015

  Ecclesiastical province

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Barinas, its daughter
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Guasdualito
• Roman Catholic Diocese of San Cristóbal de Venezuela, its daughter
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Trujillo, Venezuela