Roman Catholic Diocese of Comayagua


The Roman Catholic Diocese of Comayagua is a Latin suffragan bishopric in the ecclesiastical province of the Archdiocese of Tegucigalpa. The present diocese, erected 13 March 1963, revives a larger colonial bishopric.
Its present cathedral episcopal see is the Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción, devoted to the Immaculate Concepcion, in Comayagua, which city also has the former cathedral: Iglesia de La Merced Iglesia de La Merced, devoted to Our Lady of Mercy.

History

In 1561, the first bishopric was established as Diocese of Comayagua, on territory split off from the then Roman Catholic Diocese of Trujillo, and in 1571 gained its mother bishopric's remaining territory at its suppression.
Like many missionary dioceses, it had mainly regular priests as Ordinaries, who generally died in office or were transferred/promoted within the vast Spanish colonial empire.
On 1916.02.02 it was suppressed, its territory being divided to establish the Archdiocese of Tegucigalpa, the then Apostolic Vicariate of San Pedro Sula and the Diocese of Santa Rosa de Copán.
It was restored on 1963.03.13, as Diocese of Comayagua, on much smaller territory split off from its Metropolitan, the Archdiocese of Tegucigalpa.

Statistics

As per 2014, it has a population of 635,586 Catholics, pastorally served in 32 parishes by 56 priests, 102 lay religious and 30 seminarians.

Ordinaries

Bishops of Comayagua (1531–1916)

  1. Alfonso de Talavera, OSH
  2. Cristóbal de Pedraza
  3. Jerónimo de Corella, OSH
  4. Alfonso de la Cerda, OP, appointed Bishop of La Plata o Charcas
  5. Gaspar de Andrada, OFM
  6. Alfonso del Galdo, OP
  7. Luis de Cañizares, OFM
  8. Juan Merlo de la Fuente
  9. Martín de Espinosa y Monzón
  10. Ildefonso Vargas y Abarca, OSA
  11. Pedro Reyes de los Ríos de Lamadrid, OSB, appointed Bishop of Yucatán
  12. Juan Pérez Carpintero, OPraem
  13. Antonio López Portillo de Guadalupe, OFM
  14. Francisco de Molina, OSBas
  15. Diego Rodríguez de Rivas y Velasco, appointed Bishop of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
  16. Isidro Rodríguez Lorenzo, OSBas, appointed Archbishop of Santo Domingo
  17. Antonio Macarulla Minguilla de Aguilain, appointed Bishop of Durango
  18. Francisco José de Palencia
  19. Francisco Antonio Iglesia Cajiga, OSH, appointed Bishop of Michoacán
  20. José Antonio de Isabela
  21. Fernando Cardiñanos, OFM
  22. Vicente Navas, OP
  23. Manuel Julián Rodríguez del Barranco
  24. Francisco de Paula Campo y Pérez
  25. Hipólito Casiano Flórez
  26. Juan Félix de Jesús Zepeda
  27. Manuel Francisco Vélez
  28. José María Martínez y Cabañas, appointed Archbishop of Tegucigalpa

    Bishops of Comayagua (1963–present)

  29. Bernardino N. Mazzarella, OFM
  30. Geraldo Scarpone Caporale, OFM
  31. Robert Camilleri Azzopardi, OFM

    Coadjutor bishop