Diocese of Vera Paz, Guatemala 🇬🇹

Continent: Central America

Rite: Roman (Latin)

Type: Diocese Diocese

Name: Vera Paz / Cobán / Veræ Pacis (Latin)

Ecclesiastical Province: Santiago de Guatemala

Depends on: Dicastery for Bishops

Websites:

Celebrations

Patron Saint: Nuestra Señora del Rosario, Saint Dominic of Osma

Liturgical Calendar (National) 📅

History

1561.06.21: Established as Diocese of Vera Paz (from Diocese of Guatemala and became suffragan of México)
1603.06.23: Suppressed (to Diocese of Guatemala)
1921.07.27: Restored as Apostolic Vicariate of Verapaz and Petén (English) / de Verapaz et Peten (Latin) (from Metropolitan Archdiocese of Guatemala and became suffragan of Guatemala)
1935.01.14: Promoted as Diocese of Vera Paz / Cobán / Veræ Pacis (Latin)
1951.03.10: Lost territory to establish Apostolic Administration of El Petén

Present Prelates

Bishop (2001.02.22 – ...):

Bishop Rodolfo Valenzuela Núñez (71)

Ordinaries

Bishops of Vera Paz (Roman Rite)

Bishop Rodolfo Valenzuela Núñez (71)
(2001.02.22 – ...)

Bishop of Vera Paz (Guatemala)

Instaurare omnia in Christo

Born:	1954.06.26 (Quetzaltenango, Guatemala)
Ordained Priest:	1980.06.28
Consecrated Bishop:	1997.04.19

Priest of Los Altos, Quetzaltenango–Totonicapán (Guatemala) (1980.06.28 – 1997.02.19)

Coadjutor Bishop of Vera Paz (Guatemala) (1997.02.19 – 2001.02.22)

Bishop of Vera Paz (Guatemala) (2001.02.22 – ...)

President of Episcopal Conference of Guatemala (2012.03 – 2017.01.20)

Vice-President of Episcopal Conference of Guatemala (2020.01 – 2023.01.27)

President of Episcopal Conference of Guatemala (2023.01.27 – 2026.01.30)

Bishop Gerardo Humberto Flores Reyes
(1977.10.07 – 2001.02.22)

Born:	1925.12.09 (Quezaltenango, Guatemala)
Ordained Priest:	1949.12.17
Consecrated Bishop:	1966.10.07
Died:	2022.02.17 (Coban, Guatemala † 96)

Priest of Quetzaltenango, Los Altos (Guatemala) (1949.12.17 – 1966.07.26)

Auxiliary Bishop of Quetzaltenango, Los Altos (Guatemala) (1966.07.26 – 1969.05.09)

Titular Bishop of Nova Cæsaris (1966.07.26 – 1977.10.07)

Apostolic Administrator of Izabal (Guatemala) (1969.05.09 – 1977.10.07)

Bishop of Vera Paz (Guatemala) (1977.10.07 – 2001.02.22)

President of Episcopal Conference of Guatemala (1992 – 1994)

Bishop Juan José Gerardi Conedera
(1967.05.05 – 1974.08.22)

Constituido al servicio de Dios a favor de todos

Born:	1922.12.27 (Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala)
Ordained Priest:	1946.12.21
Consecrated Bishop:	1967.07.30
Died:	1998.04.26 († 75)

Bishop of Vera Paz (Guatemala) (1967.05.05 – 1974.08.22)

President of Episcopal Conference of Guatemala (1972 – 1978)

Bishop of Santa Cruz del Quiché (Guatemala) (1974.08.22 – 1984.08.14)

President of Episcopal Conference of Guatemala (1980 – 1982)

Titular Bishop of Guardialfiera (1984.08.14 – 1998.04.26)

Auxiliary Bishop of Guatemala (Guatemala) (1984.08.14 – 1998.04.26)

Bishop Raimundo María Julián Manguán-Martín y Delgado, O.P.
(1945.11.14 – 1966.05.28)

Born:	1882.01.07 (Caleruega, Burgos, Spain)
Ordained Priest:	1906.03.29
Consecrated Bishop:	1944.09.03
Died:	1975.12.08 (Cobán, Guatemala † 93)

Titular Bishop of Trocmades (1944.05.26 – 1945.11.14)

Auxiliary Bishop of Vera Paz (Guatemala) (1944.05.26 – 1945.11.14)

Bishop of Vera Paz (Guatemala) (1945.11.14 – 1966.05.28)

Apostolic Administrator of El Petén (Guatemala) (1951.03.10 – 1956)

Titular Bishop of Turris in Proconsulari (1966.05.28 – 1975.12.08)

Bishop José Luis Montenegro y Flores
(1935.01.23 – 1945.05.23)

Born:	1869.01.10 (Guatemala, Guatemala)
Ordained Priest:	1892.12.11
Consecrated Bishop:	1935.05.05
Died:	1945.05.23 († 76)

Bishop of Vera Paz (Guatemala) (1935.01.23 – 1945.05.23)

Archbishop Luis Durou y Sure, C.M.
(Apostolic Administrator 1928.11.12 – 1935.01.14)

Bishop Juan Fernández de Rosillo
(1592.06.12 – 1603.06.16)

Born:	1533 (Spain)
Died:	1606.10.29 († 72)

Bishop of Vera Paz (Guatemala) (1592.06.12 – 1603.06.16)

Bishop of Michoacán (Mexico) (1603.06.16 – 1606.10.29)

Bishop Antonio de Hervias, O.P.
(1579.01.09 – 1587.09.28)

Born:	(Valladolid, Spain)
Died:	1590

Bishop of Arequipa (Peru) (1577.04.15 – 1579.01.09)

Bishop of Vera Paz (Guatemala) (1579.01.09 – 1587.09.28)

Bishop of Cartagena (Colombia) (1587.09.28 – 1590)

Bishop Tomás de Cárdenas, O.P.
(1574.01.08 – 1578)

Born:	(Córdoba, Spain)
Died:	1578 (Colón, Guatemala)

Bishop of Vera Paz (Guatemala) (1574.01.08 – 1578)

Bishop-elect Pedro de la Peña, O.P.
(1564.03.01 – 1565.05.15)

Born:	(Covarrubias, Spain)
Consecrated Bishop:	1565.10.18
Died:	1583.03.07 (Lima, Peru)

Bishop of Vera Paz (Guatemala) (1564.03.01 – 1565.05.15)

Bishop of Quito (Ecuador) (1565.05.15 – 1583.03.07)

Fr. Pedro de Angulo, O.P.
(1561.06.27 – 1562.04.01 not possessed)

Died:

1562.04.01

Bishop of Vera Paz (Guatemala) (1561.06.27 – 1562.04.01 not possessed)

Former Prelates

Coadjutor Bishop: Bishop Rodolfo Valenzuela Núñez (71) (1997.02.19 – 2001.02.22)
Auxiliary Bishop: Bishop Humberto Lara Mejía, C.M. (1957.07.19 – 1967.05.05)
Auxiliary Bishop: Bishop Raimundo María Julián Manguán-Martín y Delgado, O.P. (1944.05.26 – 1945.11.14)

Special Churches

Cathedral: Catedral de Santo Domingo de Guzmán, Cobán, Alta Verapaz
Jubilee Churches in the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy (2016)

Santiago de Guatemala (↙), Quiché (←), El Petén (↑), Izabal (→), Zacapa (↘), Jalapa (↘)

Statistics (2022.12.31)

Area: 11,810 km²

Population: 1,483,000 Catholics (85.0% of 1,745,000 total)

Pastoral Centres: 37 parishes

Personnel: 55 priests (25 diocesan, 30 religious), 171 religious (35 brothers, 136 sisters), 10 seminarians