Archdiocese of Asunción

Historical Details

• Diocese of Paraguay
  • Latin Name: de Paraguay
  • Erected: 1 July 1547
  • Country: Paraguay

Past and Present Ordinaries

• Juan de los Barrios, O.F.M. † (1 Jul 1547 Appointed - 2 Apr 1552 Appointed, Bishop of Santa Marta)
• Pedro de la Torre, O.F.M. † (27 Aug 1554 Appointed - 1573 Died)
• Alfonso Guerra, O.M. † (6 Feb 1579 Appointed - 17 Mar 1592 Appointed, Bishop of Michoacán)
• Thomas Vásquez del Cano † (18 Dec 1596 Appointed - 1600 Died)
• Martín Ignacio de Loyola † (19 Nov 1601 Appointed - 1605 Died)
• Reginaldo de Lizárraga, O.P. † (20 Jul 1609 Appointed - 10 Nov 1609 Died)
• Lorenzo Pérez de Grado † (16 Sep 1615 Appointed - 18 Mar 1619 Appointed, Bishop of Cuzco)
• Tomás de la Torre Gibaja, O.P. † (30 Mar 1620 Appointed - 11 Dec 1628 Appointed, Bishop of Córdoba (Tucumán))
• Cristóbal de Aresti Martínez de Aguilar, O.S.B. † (12 Feb 1629 Appointed - 3 Dec 1635 Appointed, Bishop of Buenos Aires)
• Francisco de la Serna, O.S.A. † (17 Dec 1635 Appointed - 25 Aug 1637 Appointed, Bishop of Popayán)
• Bernardino de Cárdenas Ponce, O.F.M. † (13 Aug 1640 Appointed - 7 Jun 1666 Appointed, Bishop of Santa Cruz de la Sierra)
• Gabriel de Guillistegui, O.F.M. † (15 Dec 1666 Appointed - 1 Sep 1670 Appointed, Bishop of La Paz)
• Ferdinandus de Valcácer † (16 May 1672 Confirmed - )
• Faustino de Las Cases, O. de M. † (17 Dec 1674 Appointed - 2 Aug 1686 Died)
• Sebastián de Pastrana, O. de M. † (24 Aug 1693 Appointed - 4 Nov 1700 Died)
• Pedro Díaz de Durana † (10 Mar 1704 Appointed - 1718 Died)
• José Cayetano Paravicino, O.F.M. † (16 Nov 1738 Appointed - 4 Sep 1747 Appointed, Bishop of Trujillo)
• Bernardo José Pérez de Oblitas † (4 Sep 1747 Appointed - 7 Apr 1756 Appointed, Bishop of Santa Cruz de la Sierra)
• Manuel Antonio de la Torre † (24 May 1756 Confirmed - 14 Jul 1762 Appointed, Bishop of Buenos Aires)
• Emmanuel López de Espinosa † (20 Dec 1762 Appointed - 1770 Died)
• Joannes Josephus Priego, O.P. † (14 Dec 1772 Appointed - 1779 Died)
• Luis Velasco, O.F.M. † (12 Jul 1779 Appointed - 15 Jun 1792 Died)
• Lorenzo Suarez de Cantillana † (18 Dec 1797 Appointed - 1799 Died)
• Nicolás Videla del Pino † (9 Aug 1802 Appointed - 23 Mar 1807 Confirmed, Bishop of Salta)
• Pedro García Panés, O.F.M. † (23 Mar 1807 Appointed - 13 Oct 1838 Died)
• Basilius López † (22 Jul 1844 Appointed - 16 Jan 1859 Died)
• Juan Gregorio Urbieta † (23 Mar 1860 Appointed - 17 Jan 1865 Died)
• Manuel Antonio Palacios † (31 Jan 1865 Succeeded - 21 Dec 1868 Died)
• Pietro Giovanni Aponte † (24 Jul 1879 Appointed - 14 Sep 1891 Died)
• Sinforiano Bogarín † (21 Sep 1894 Appointed - 25 Feb 1949 Died)
• Juan José Aníbal Mena Porta † (25 Feb 1949 Succeeded - 16 Jun 1970 Retired)
• Ismael Blas Rolón Silvero, S.D.B. † (16 Jun 1970 Appointed - 20 May 1989 Retired)
• Felipe Santiago Benitez Avalos † (20 May 1989 Appointed - 15 Jun 2002 Retired)
• Eustaquio Pastor Cuquejo Verga, C.SS.R. (15 Jun 2002 Appointed - )

Historical Summary

Statistics

Year	Catholics	Total Population	Percent Catholic	Diocesan Priests	Religious Priests	Total Priests	Catholics Per Priest	Permanent Deacons	Male Religious	Female Religious	Parishes	Source
Archdiocese of Asunción
1950	695,000	700,000	99.3%	44	70	114	6,096		70	180	44	ap1951
1959	686,000	712,000	96.3%	73	75	148	4,635		112	293	48	ap1960
1966	501,880	550,880	91.1%	77	128	205	2,448		125	310	49	ap1967
1968	501,880	550,880	91.1%	86		86	5,835				48	ap1971
1976	672,165	746,850	90.0%	71	114	185	3,633		212	409	69	ap1977
1980	735,764	817,516	90.0%	63	140	203	3,624		209	460	66	ap1981
1990	1,164,318	1,293,687	90.0%	74	165	239	4,871		332	572	79	ap1991
1999	919,000	1,483,000	62.0%	71	30	101	9,099	45	213	568	73	ap2000
2000	1,100,000	1,348,951	81.5%	53	67	120	9,166	34	398	647	60	ap2001
2001	774,000	1,602,173	48.3%	136	218	354	2,186	51	456	1,386	73	ap2002
2002	1,365,000	2,825,000	48.3%	141	218	359	3,802	51	465	1,438	83	ap2003
2003	1,350,000	1,500,000	90.0%	139	537	676	1,997	51	726	1,423	72	ap2004
2004	1,350,000	1,500,000	90.0%	124	537	661	2,042	57	679	1,423	72	ap2005
2006	1,419,000	1,577,000	90.0%	128	537	665	2,133	64	782	1,447	64	ap2007

Note: Any changes in boundaries over time are not indicated in the above table.

Affiliated Bishops, Living

• Eustaquio Pastor Cuquejo Verga, C.SS.R. (Auxiliary Bishop: 27 Jun 1982 to 19 Apr 1990; Archbishop: 15 Jun 2002)
• Catalino Claudio Giménez Medina (Auxiliary Bishop: 8 Nov 1991 to 3 Jun 1995)
• Jorge Adolfo Carlos Livieres Banks (Priest: 22 Dec 1956; Auxiliary Bishop: 12 Oct 1976 to 24 Jul 1987)
• Adalberto Martínez Flores (Priest: 1993; Auxiliary Bishop: 14 Aug 1997 to 18 May 2000)
• Joaquín Hermes Robledo Romero (Priest: 25 Dec 1975 to 18 May 2000)
• Edmundo Ponziano Valenzuela Mellid, S.D.B. (Coadjutor Archbishop: 8 Nov 2011)
• Ricardo Jorge Valenzuela Rios (Priest: 12 Dec 1982; Auxiliary Bishop: 27 Nov 1993 to 24 May 2003)

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Affiliated Bishops, Deceased

• Pietro Giovanni Aponte † (Bishop: 24 Jul 1879 to 14 Sep 1891)
• Cristóbal de Aresti Martínez de Aguilar, O.S.B. † (Bishop: 12 Feb 1629 to 3 Dec 1635)
• Felipe Santiago Benitez Avalos † (Priest: 7 Jun 1952; Auxiliary Bishop: 10 Aug 1961 to 4 Dec 1965; Archbishop: 20 May 1989 to 15 Jun 2002)
• Sinforiano Bogarín † (Bishop: 21 Sep 1894; Archbishop: 1 May 1929 to 25 Feb 1949)
• Ramón Pastor Bogarín Argaña † (Auxiliary Bishop: 1 Dec 1954 to 19 Jan 1957)
• Bernardino de Cárdenas Ponce, O.F.M. † (Bishop: 13 Aug 1640 to 7 Jun 1666)
• Baltazar de Covarrubias y Múñoz, O.S.A. †
• Manuel Antonio de la Torre † (Bishop: 24 May 1756 to 14 Jul 1762)
• Pedro de la Torre, O.F.M. † (Bishop: 27 Aug 1554 to 1573)
• Juan de los Barrios, O.F.M. † (Bishop: 1 Jul 1547 to 2 Apr 1552)
• Pedro Díaz de Durana † (Bishop: 10 Mar 1704 to 1718)
• Pedro García Panés, O.F.M. † (Bishop: 23 Mar 1807 to 13 Oct 1838)
• Juan González Melgarejo † (Priest: 1710 to 28 Jan 1743)
• Alfonso Guerra, O.M. † (Bishop: 6 Feb 1579 to 17 Mar 1592)
• Gabriel de Guillistegui, O.F.M. † (Bishop: 15 Dec 1666 to 1 Sep 1670)
• Faustino de Las Cases, O. de M. † (Bishop: 17 Dec 1674 to 2 Aug 1686)
• Julio Benigno Laschi González † (Auxiliary Bishop: 2 Feb 1965 to 19 May 1969)
• Francisco de la Serna, O.S.A. † (Bishop: 17 Dec 1635 to 25 Aug 1637)
• Reginaldo de Lizárraga, O.P. † (Bishop: 20 Jul 1609 to 10 Nov 1609)
• Basilius López † (Bishop: 22 Jul 1844 to 16 Jan 1859)
• Emmanuel López de Espinosa † (Bishop: 20 Dec 1762 to 1770)
• Martín Ignacio de Loyola † (Bishop: 19 Nov 1601 to 1605)
• Marco Antonio Maiz † (Auxiliary Bishop: 25 Jul 1844 to 15 May 1848)
• Aníbal Maricevich Fleitas † (Priest: 21 Nov 1943; Auxiliary Bishop: 5 Feb 1957 to 4 Dec 1965)
• Juan José Aníbal Mena Porta † (Auxiliary Bishop: 25 Jul 1936; Coadjutor Archbishop: 14 Jun 1941; Archbishop: 25 Feb 1949 to 16 Jun 1970)
• Juan Moleón Andreu † (Priest: 30 Nov 1941; Auxiliary Bishop: 17 Jul 1967 to 1 Feb 1972)
• Manuel Antonio Palacios † (Coadjutor Bishop: 16 Mar 1863; Bishop: 31 Jan 1865 to 21 Dec 1868)
• José Luis Palos Bord, O.F.M. † (Coadjutor Bishop: 24 Sep 1721 to 4 Apr 1738)
• José Cayetano Paravicino, O.F.M. † (Bishop: 16 Nov 1738 to 4 Sep 1747)
• Sebastián de Pastrana, O. de M. † (Bishop: 24 Aug 1693 to 4 Nov 1700)
• Lorenzo Pérez de Grado † (Bishop: 16 Sep 1615 to 18 Mar 1619)
• Bernardo José Pérez de Oblitas † (Bishop: 4 Sep 1747 to 7 Apr 1756)
• Joannes Josephus Priego, O.P. † (Bishop: 14 Dec 1772 to 1779)
• Ismael Blas Rolón Silvero, S.D.B. † (Archbishop: 16 Jun 1970 to 20 May 1989)
• Martín de Sarricolea y Olea † (Coadjutor Bishop: 22 Jul 1720)
• Lorenzo Suarez de Cantillana † (Bishop: 18 Dec 1797 to 1799)
• Tomás de la Torre Gibaja, O.P. † (Bishop: 30 Mar 1620 to 11 Dec 1628)
• Juan Gregorio Urbieta † (Auxiliary Bishop: 15 Dec 1856; Bishop: 23 Mar 1860 to 17 Jan 1865)
• Ferdinandus de Valcácer † (Bishop: 16 May 1672)
• Thomas Vásquez del Cano † (Bishop: 18 Dec 1596 to 1600)
• Luis Velasco, O.F.M. † (Bishop: 12 Jul 1779 to 15 Jun 1792)
• Nicolás Videla del Pino † (Bishop: 9 Aug 1802 to 23 Mar 1807)