Horacio Ernesto Benites Astoul (November 3, 1933 – May 25, 2016) was a

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. He served as auxiliary bishop of

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

from 1999 until 2008. He died on the May Revolution day of 2016 in Buenos Aires.

Life

Born in

, Benites Astoul was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

to the priesthood on September 22, 1962. On March 16, 1999, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of

and

titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox ...

of ''

Lamzella Lamzella was a ''civitas'' (town) in the Roman–Berber province of Numidia. It has been tentatively identified with the ruins at Henchir-Resdis in modern Algeria. Lamzella also served as the seat of the ancient Roman Catholic episcopal see o ...

''. Benites Astoul received his

episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

on the following May 1 from

Jorge Mario Bergoglio Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013 ...

, archbishop of Buenos Aires, the later

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

, with auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires, Mario José Serra, and emeritus auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires,

Guillermo Leaden Guillermo Leaden, S.D.B. (July 20, 1913 – July 14, 2014) was an Argentine bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. At the age of 100, he was one of the oldest bishops in the Church and the oldest Argentine bishop. Life Leaden was born in Buenos Air ...

, serving as co-consecrators. On December 1, 2008

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...

accepted his retirement, on grounds of his age.

References

External links

* catholic-hierarchy.org
Bishop Horacio Ernesto Benites Astoul
1933 births 2016 deaths 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Argentina 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Argentina Roman Catholic bishops of Buenos Aires {{Argentina-RC-bishop-stub