Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bogotá

The Archdiocese of Bogotá (Spanish: Arquidiócesis Metropolitana de Bogotá; Latin: Archidioecesis Metropolitae Bogotensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory of the Catholic Church in Colombia.[1][2] It was established in 1562 as the Diocese of Santa Fe en Nueva Granada, elevated to an archdiocese two years later, and was given its current name in 1891. It serves nearly 3.8 million Catholics in Bogotá and parts of the Cundinamarca Department, and covers a total area of 4,109 km2 (1,552 square miles). The current metropolitan archbishop is Luis José Rueda Aparicio since 2020.

Archdiocese of Bogotá

Archidioecesis Metropolitae Bogotensis
Location
Country Colombia
Ecclesiastical provinceBogotá
Statistics
Area4,019 km2 (1,552 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics
(as of 2006)
4,184,000
3,586,000 (85.7%)
Information
DenominationCatholic Church
Sui iuris churchLatin Church
RiteRoman Rite
Established11 September 1562 (462 years ago)
CathedralCathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception
Patron saintSt. Elizabeth of Hungary
Current leadership
PopeFrancis
Metropolitan ArchbishopLuis José Rueda Aparicio
Auxiliary BishopsLuis Manuel Alí Herrera
Germán Medina Acosta
Alejandro Díaz García
Bishops emeritusRubén Salazar Gómez
Map
Map of the archdiocese within Colombia
Map of the archdiocese within Colombia
Website
www.arquibogota.org.co

The archdiocese is the metropolitan see of the Ecclesiastical Province of Bogotá, which includes six suffragan dioceses:

The archdiocese's territory covers 14 of the 20 localities (administrative districts) of the city of Bogotá and 11 municipalities in the Cundinamarca Department. Prior to 2003, when three new urban dioceses were created, the archdiocese included all of Bogotá. The mother church of the archdiocese, and the seat of the archbishop, is the Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, located in Bolívar Square in Bogotá. Besides the archbishop, Luis José Rueda Aparicio, the archdiocese has two auxiliary bishops, Luis Manuel Alí Herrera and Pedro Manuel Salamanca Mantilla. The archdiocese is served by around 800 priests, 100 deacons, and nearly 1,500 religious sisters.

The Archdiocese of Bogotá has 275 parishes, containing numerous churches. The archdiocese runs two seminaries, the Major Seminary of Bogotá, which enrolls seminarians from the Archdiocese of Bogotá and other dioceses, and the Seminario Intermisional San Luis Beltrán, which trains priests for ministry in Colombia's missionary territories. It also contains several universities, dozens of secondary schools and primary schools. The archdiocese also runs a spiritual retreat house, a care center for physically and mentally disabled children, and a migrant charity foundation, among other ministries.

Structure

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Territory

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Map of the Archdiocese of Bogotá

The Archdiocese of Bogotá covers a total area of 4,109 km2 (1,552 square miles).[3] The archdiocese has a total population of 4.4 million, of whom 3.8 million (86%) are Catholic.[3] Its territory includes 14 of the 20 localities (administrative districts) of the city of Bogotá and 11 municipalities in the Cundinamarca Department. The Cundinamarca municipalities are: La Calera, Cáqueza, Fómeque, Choachí, Une, Chipaque, Fosca, Quetame, Ubaque, Guayabetal, and Gutiérrez. The Archdiocese of Bogotá included the entire city of Bogotá until 2003, when the three new urban dioceses of Engativá, Fontibón, and Soacha were created.[3]

 
Map of dioceses in Colombia in 1890. The Archdiocese of Bogotá is the lower green area.

At the time of its establishment in 1564, the Archdiocese of Bogotá included much of what would become Colombia, as well as part of what is now western Venezuela.[3] Beginning in the 1770s, the archdiocese gradually lessened in size as territory was split off to create new dioceses.[3] Territory that was once part of the Archdiocese of Bogotá now comprises the Archdiocese of Mérida (in Venezuela), the Archdiocese of Antioquía, the Archdiocese of Nueva Pamplona, the Archdiocese of Tunja, the Archdiocese of Ibagué, the Diocese of Garzón, the Archdiocese of Villavicencio, and Bogotá's six suffragan sees: the Diocese of Zipaquirá, the Diocese of Girardot, the Diocese of Facatativá, the Diocese of Engativá, the Diocese of Fontibón, and the Diocese of Soacha.[3]

Pastoral divisions

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The Archdiocese of Bogotá is divided into eight vicariates, pastoral divisions covering a certain area that each contain a number of parishes and are each headed by an episcopal vicar. Each vicariate is subdivided into a number of arciprestazgos, or deaneries, which are each headed by an archpriest (dean). The vicariates are:

Episcopal vicariate Territory Deaneries Parishes Episcopal vicar Ref.
Vicariate of the Immaculate Conception

Vicaría Inmaculada Concepción

Central Bogotá

(including cathedral)

8 54 Daniel Arturo Delgado Guana [4]
Vicariate of Christ the Priest

Vicaría Cristo Sacerdote

Northeastern Bogotá 7 42 Carlos Julio López Ramírez [5]
Vicariate of the Holy Spirit

Vicaría Espíritu Santo

Southwestern Bogotá 6 44 Luis Augusto Campos Flórez [6]
Vicariate of St. John

Vicaría San José

Southeastern Bogotá, Chipaque, Caqueza, Une, Quetame, Fosca, Gutiérrez, Guayabetal, Choachí, Fómeque & Ubaque 7 47 Julio Hernando Solórzano Solórzano [7]
Vicariate of St. Peter

Vicaría San Pedro

Northern Bogotá 5 26 Germán Medina Acosta [8]
Vicariate of St. Paul

Vicaría San Pablo

Southeastern Bogotá 33 Alberto Forero Castro [9]
Vicariate of the Merciful Father

Vicaría Padre Misericordioso

Parts of Bogotá 6 30 Alberto José Ojalvo Prieto [10]
Vicariate of St. Elizabeth of Hungary

Vicaría Santa Isábel de Hungría

[11]

Personnel

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Cathedral of Bogotá next to Sacred Chapel and Archiepiscopal Palace

The metropolitan archdiocese is led by its metropolitan archbishop, Luis José Rueda Aparicio.[3] The Metropolitan Archbishop of Bogotá also holds the title Primate of Colombia. The archbishop is assisted by auxiliary bishops, the number of which has varied throughout history, from just one to as many as six. Currently, there are two auxiliary bishops, Luis Manuel Alí Herrera and Pedro Manuel Salamanca Mantilla.[3] The archdiocese also has a chancellor, who heads the chancery, which is responsible for all archdiocesan records and publications. The current chancellor is Ricardo Alfonso Pulido Aguilar.[12] Additionally, there are eight episcopal vicars who oversee a vicariate, or region, within the archdiocese.

The archdiocese is served by approximately 740 priests, including more than 300 diocesan priests, and around 425 religious priests, or priests who are members of religious institutes.[3] There are also 130 deacons, a number that has increased from just 20 in 2001.[3] In addition, there are 1,450 religious sisters and nuns living and working in the archdiocese.[3]

Ecclesiastical province

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Map of the Ecclesiastical Province of Bogotá

The Archdiocese of Bogotá is the metropolitan see of the Ecclesiastical Province of Bogotá, which, in addition to the archdiocese, includes the six suffragan dioceses of Engativá, Facatativá, Fontibón, Girardot, Soacha, and Zipaquirá. The Archbishop of Bogotá is the metropolitan archbishop of the ecclesiastical province, and as such, holds some authority over the suffragan bishops of the other dioceses.

Education

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Seminaries

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Seminary Location Oversight Est.
Major Seminary of Bogotá Bogotá Archdiocese 1581
Seminario Intermisional San Luis Beltrán Bogotá Archdiocese 1961[13]
Seminario Redemptoris Mater de Bogotá Bogotá Neocatechumenal Way 2005[14]

Universities

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University Location Oversight Est.
Catholic University of Colombia Bogotá Archdiocese 1970
Del Rosario University Bogotá Private 1653
Pontifical Xavierian University Bogotá Society of Jesus 1623
Saint Thomas Aquinas University Bogotá Dominican Order 1580

Secondary schools

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School Location Oversight Est.
Aspaen Gimnasio Iragua Bogotá Private (Opus Dei) 1968
Colegio Agustiniano Norte Bogotá Order of Augustinian Recollects 1969
Colegio Augustiniano Ciudad Salitre Bogotá Order of Augustinian Recollects
Colegio Franciscano del Virrey Solis Bogotá Franciscans
Colegio Jordán de Sajonia Bogotá Dominican Order 1954
Colegio de la Presentación Centro Bogotá Dominican Sisters of the Presentation
Colegio de la Presentación Las Ferias Bogotá Dominican Sisters of the Presentation
Colegio de la Presentación Luna Park Bogotá Dominican Sisters of the Presentation
Colegio de la Presentación Sans Façon Bogotá Dominican Sisters of the Presentation 1898
Colegio del Sagrado Corazón De Jesus Bogotá Bethlehemite Sisters
Colegio Salesiano de Leon XIII Bogotá Salesians of Don Bosco 1890
Colegio San Bartolomé La Merced Bogotá Society of Jesus 1941
Colegio San Carlos Bogotá Order of Saint Benedict 1961
Colegio San Felipe Neri Bogotá Congregation of the Oratory 1965[15]
Colegio De La Salle Bogotá De La Salle Brothers [16]
Colegio San Viator Bogotá Clerics of Saint Viator 1963[17]
Colegio Santa Francisca Romana Bogotá Congregation of Our Lady of Lourdes 1963[18]
Colegio Santa María Bogotá Private 1963[19]
Colegio del Santo Ángel Bogotá Sisters of the Guardian Angel[20]
Colegio Santo Tomás de Aquino Bogotá Dominican Order[21]
Gimnasio Los Caobos Bogotá Society of Jesus 1991
Instituto San Juan de Dios Bogotá Brothers Hospitallers of St. John of God 1948[22]
Instituto de la Virgen de Fátima (closed)[23] Bogotá

Ordinaries

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Archbishops of Santa Fe en Nueva Granada

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  1. Juan de los Barrios, OFM (22 March 1564 – 12 February 1569)
  2. Luis Zapata de Cárdenas, OFM (8 January 1570 – 24 February 1590)
  3. Alfonso López de Avila (29 November 1591 – 30 December 1591)
  4. Bartolomé Martinez Menacho y Mesa (30 April 1593 – 17 August 1594)
  5. Bartolomé Lobo Guerrero (12 August 1596 – 19 November 1607)
  6. Juan Castro, OSA (7 January 1608 – June 1609)
  7. Pedro Ordóñez y Flórez (19 April 1610 – 11 June 1614)
  8. Hernando de Arias y Ugarte (January 1618 – 30 July 1625)
  9. Julián de Cortázar (7 April 1625 – 31 October 1630)
  10. Bernardino de Almansa Carrión (15 December 1631 – 26 September 1633)
  11. Cristóbal de Torres, OP (8 January 1635 – 8 July 1654)
  12. Juan de Arguinao y Gutiérrez, OP (10 November 1659 – 1678)
  13. Antonio Sanz Lozano (22 February 1681 – 28 May 1688)
  14. Ignacio de Urbina, OSH (26 September 1690 – 9 April 1703)
  15. Francisco de Cosío y Otero (14 January 1704 – 29 November 1715)
  16. Francisco del Rincón, OM (5 October 1716 – 28 June 1723)
  17. Antonio Claudio Álvarez de Quiñones (29 January 1725 – 21 October 1736)
  18. Juan de Galavís, O. Praem (3 March 1738 – 14 November 1739)
  19. Diego Fermín de Vergara, OSA (12 December 1740 – 7 February 1744)
  20. Pedro Felipe de Azúa e Iturgoyen (18 December 1744 – 11 August 1753)
  21. José Javier de Arauz y Rojas (2 June 1754 – February 1764)
  22. Manuel Sosa Betencourt (22 April 1765 – 12 November 1765)
  23. Francisco Antonio de la Riva Mazo (9 December 1765 – 8 December 1768)
  24. Lucas Ramírez Galán, OFM (21 August 1769 – 12 December 1770)
  25. Agustín Manuel Camacho y Rojas, OP (28 September 1771 – 13 April 1774)
  26. Agustín de Alvarado y Castillo (13 March 1775 – 14 December 1778)
  27. Antonio Caballero y Góngora (14 December 1778 – 15 September 1788)
  28. Baltasar Jaime Martínez de Compañón (15 December 1788 – 17 August 1797)
  29. Fernando del Portillo y Torres, OP (29 October 1798 – 20 January 1804)
  30. Juan Bautista Sacristán y Galiano (20 August 1804 – 1 February 1817)
  31. Isidoro Domínguez, CRM (23 August 1819 – April 1822)
  32. Fernando Caycedit Florez (19 July 1827 – 17 February 1832)
  33. Manuel José Mosquera y Arboleda (21 September 1835 – 10 December 1853)
  34. Antonio Herrán y Zaldúa (21 January 1855 – 6 February 1868)
  35. Vicente Arbeláez Gómez (6 February 1868 – 29 June 1884)
  36. José Telésforo Paúl, SJ (6 August 1884 – 8 April 1889)
  37. Ignacio León Velasco, SJ (6 October 1889 – 10 April 1891)
  38. Bernardo Herrera Restrepo (4 June 1891 – 2 January 1928)

Archbishops of Bogotá

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  1. Bernardo Herrera Restrepo (4 June 1891 – 2 January 1928)
  2. Ismael Perdomo Borrero (2 January 1928 – 3 June 1950)
  3. Crisanto Luque Sánchez (14 July 1950 – 7 May 1959); Cardinal in 1953
  4. Luis Concha Córdoba (18 May 1959 – 22 July 1972); Cardinal in 1961
  5. Aníbal Muñoz Duque (29 July 1972 – 25 June 1984); Cardinal in 1973
  6. Mario Revollo Bravo (25 June 1984 – 27 December 1994); Cardinal in 1988
  7. Pedro Rubiano Sáenz (27 December 1994 – 8 Jul 2010); Cardinal in 2001
  8. Rubén Salazar Gómez (8 July 2010 – 24 April 2020); Cardinal in 2012
  9. Luis José Rueda Aparicio (25 April 2020 – present); Cardinal in 2023

Other affiliated bishops

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Coadjutor archbishops

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Auxiliary bishops

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Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Cheney, David M. "Archdiocese of Bogotá". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. Retrieved 25 March 2018.self-published
  2. ^ Chow, Gabriel. "Metropolitan Archdiocese of Bogotá". GCatholic.org. Retrieved 25 March 2018.self-published
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Cheney, David M. "Bogotá (Archdiocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  4. ^ "Vicaría Inmaculada Concepción - Inicio". vetinmaculada.arquibogota.org.co. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  5. ^ "Vicaria Cristo Sacerdote - Inicio". vetcristosacerdote.arquibogota.org.co. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  6. ^ "Vicaría Espíritu Santo - Inicio". vetespiritusanto.arquibogota.org.co. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  7. ^ "Vicaría San José - Vicaría". vetsanjose.arquibogota.org.co. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  8. ^ "Vicaría San Pedro - Inicio". vetsanpedro.arquibogota.org.co. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  9. ^ "Vicaría San Pablo - Inicio". vetsanpablo.arquibogota.org.co. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  10. ^ "Vicaría Padre Misericordioso - Inicio". vetpadremisericordioso.arquibogota.org.co. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  11. ^ "Vicaría Santa Isábel de Hungría - Inicio". vetsantaisabelhungria.arquibogota.org.co. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  12. ^ "Arquidiócesis de Bogotá - Cancillería Eclesiástica". arquibogota.org.co. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  13. ^ "Seminario Intermisional San Luis Beltrán". directorio.arquibogota.org.co. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  14. ^ "Seminario Redemptoris Mater". directorio.arquibogota.org.co. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  15. ^ "Portal Colegio San Felipe Neri". www.sanfelipeneribogota.edu.co. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  16. ^ "..:: Colegio De La Salle - Bogota - Colombia ::.. -Web Interactiva Lasallista-". www.colsalle.edu.co. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  17. ^ "Colegio San Viator". Colegio San Viator (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  18. ^ "Información General - Colegio Santa Francisca Romana". csfr.edu.co (in European Spanish). Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  19. ^ "Home". www.csm.edu.co (in European Spanish). Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  20. ^ "Santo Ángel Bogotá - Historia". www.colegiodelsantoangel.edu.co (in European Spanish). Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  21. ^ "colegio| DOMINICOS". www.santotomas.edu.co (in European Spanish). Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  22. ^ "Historia". www.isjd.edu.co (in European Spanish). Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  23. ^ educacionencolombia.com.co. "INSTITUTO DE LA VIRGEN DE FATIMA COLOMBIA BOGOTÁ". educacionencolombia.com.co (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 October 2017.
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4°35′52″N 74°04′30″W / 4.5978°N 74.0750°W / 4.5978; -74.0750