Diocese of Escuintla, Guatemala

Continent: Central America

Rite: Roman (Latin)

Type: Diocese Diocese

Name: Escuintla / Escuintlen(sis) (Latin)

Ecclesiastical Province: Santiago de Guatemala

Depends on: Dicastery for Bishops

Website:

Celebrations

Patron Saint: Nuestra Señora de la Inmaculada Concepción

Liturgical Calendar (National) 📅

History

1969.05.09: Established as Territorial Prelature of Escuintla / Escuintlen(sis) (Latin) (from Metropolitan Archdiocese of Guatemala and became suffragan of Guatemala)
1994.07.28: Promoted as Diocese of Escuintla / Escuintlen(sis) (Latin)

Present Prelates

Bishop:

vacant

Ordinaries

Bishops of Escuintla (Roman Rite)

Bishop Victor Hugo Palma Paúl (66) (later Archbishop)
(2004.04.03 – 2024.12.10)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Los Altos, Quetzaltenango–Totonicapán (Guatemala)

In manus tuas

Born:	1958.04.10 (Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala)
Ordained Priest:	1983.12.23
Consecrated Bishop:	2001.09.01

Priest of Guatemala (Guatemala) (1983.12.23 – 2001.07.14)

Coadjutor Bishop of Escuintla (Guatemala) (2001.07.14 – 2004.04.03)

Bishop of Escuintla (Guatemala) (2004.04.03 – 2024.12.10)

Metropolitan Archbishop of Los Altos, Quetzaltenango–Totonicapán (Guatemala) (2024.12.10 – ...)

Bishop Fernando Claudio Gamalero González
(1994.07.28 – 2004.04.03)

Born:	1930.05.19 (Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala)
Ordained Priest:	1961.05.06
Consecrated Bishop:	1986.05.10
Died:	2004.04.03 († 73)

Bishop-Prelate of Escuintla (Guatemala) (1986.03.13 – 1994.07.28)

Bishop of Escuintla (Guatemala) (1994.07.28 – 2004.04.03)

Prelates of Escuintla (Roman Rite)

Bishop Fernando Claudio Gamalero González
(1986.03.13 – 1994.07.28)

(see above)

Bishop José Ramiro Pellecer Samayoa
(Apostolic Administrator sede plena 1982 – 1986.03.13)

Bishop Mario Enrique Ríos Montt, C.M. (93)
(1974.07.13 – 1984.03.03)

Titular Bishop of Tiguala
Auxiliary Bishop emeritus of Guatemala (Guatemala)

Born:	1932.03.17 (Huehuetenango, Guatemala)
Ordained Priest:	1959.07.12
Consecrated Bishop:	1974.09.27

Bishop-Prelate of Escuintla (Guatemala) (1974.07.13 – 1984.03.03)

Titular Bishop of Tiguala (1974.07.13 – ...)

Auxiliary Bishop of Guatemala (Guatemala) (1987.01.24 – 2010.10.02)

Apostolic Administrator of Izabal (Guatemala) (2011.07.26 – 2013.02.09)

Bishop José Julio Aguilar García
(1969.05.09 – 1972.11.02)

Born:	1923.12.09 (Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala)
Ordained Priest:	1951.10.21
Consecrated Bishop:	1971.02.15
Died:	1999.12 († 76)

Bishop-Prelate of Escuintla (Guatemala) (1969.05.09 – 1972.11.02)

Titular Bishop of Bononia (1970.12.05 – 1972.11.02)

Bishop of Santa Cruz del Quiché (Guatemala) (1972.11.02 – 1974.08.22)

Former Prelates

Coadjutor Bishop: Bishop Victor Hugo Palma Paúl (66) (later Archbishop) (2001.07.14 – 2004.04.03)

Special Churches

Cathedral: Catedral Nuestra Señora de Concepción, Escuintla, Escuintla
Jubilee Churches in the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy (2016)

Churches by City (15)

Suchitepéquez–Retalhuleu (←), Sololá–Chimaltenango (↑), Santiago de Guatemala (↗), Santa Rosa de Lima (→)

Statistics (2022.12.31)

Area: 4,384 km²

Population: 1,297,515 Catholics (77.0% of 1,684,130 total)

Pastoral Centres: 19 parishes

Personnel: 36 priests (27 diocesan, 9 religious), 44 religious (9 brothers, 35 sisters), 8 seminarians