The Apostolic Vicariate of Iquitos (), originally Apostolic Prefecture of San León del Amazonas, is a

Latin Church The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical ...

pre-diocesan missionary jurisdiction

apostolic vicariate An apostolic vicariate is a territorial jurisdiction of the Catholic Church under a titular bishop centered in missionary regions and countries where dioceses or parishes have not yet been established. The status of apostolic vicariate is often ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

in Amazonian northern

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

. It is immediately exempt to the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

and not part of any

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian churches, including those of both Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity, that have traditional hierarchical structures. An ecclesiastical province consist ...

. Its

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

, the Catedral San Juan Bautista (St.

John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

), is in the

episcopal see An episcopal see is the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, making it synonymous with ''diocese'' ...

Iquitos Iquitos (; ) is the capital city of Peru's Maynas Province, Peru, Maynas Province and Loreto Region. It is the largest metropolis in the Peruvian Amazon, east of the Andes, as well as the List of cities in Peru, ninth-most populous city in Peru ...

History

* Established on 5 February 1900 as the

Apostolic Prefecture An apostolic prefect or prefect apostolic is a priest who heads what is known as an apostolic prefecture, a 'pre-diocesan' missionary jurisdiction where the Catholic Church is not yet sufficiently developed to have it made a diocese. Although it ...

of San León del Amazonas on territory split off from the Amazonian Peruvian Diocese of Chachapoyas. In June, 1904, Bernardo Calle, the lay brother Miguel Vilajoli, and more than 70 Christians were murdered at a then recently erected mission station, Huabico, in Upper Maranon and the station itself was destroyed. * Promoted on 22 February 1921 as ''

Apostolic Vicariate An apostolic vicariate is a territorial jurisdiction of the Catholic Church under a titular bishop centered in missionary regions and countries where dioceses or parishes have not yet been established. The status of apostolic vicariate is often ...

'' (since entitled to a

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 an ...

) of San León del Amazonas * Lost territory twice: on 27 February 1921 to establish the Apostolic Prefecture of San Gabriel de la Dolorosa del Marañón and on 13 July 1945 again to establish the

Apostolic Prefecture of San José de Amazonas Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles *Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Churc ...

* Renamed on 1 August 1945 as Apostolic Vicariate ''of Iquitos'' (after its see) * Enjoyed a papal visit by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

in February 1985.

Bishops

Ordinaries

:''Missionary members of the

Augustinians Augustinians are members of several religious orders that follow the Rule of Saint Augustine, written about 400 A.D. by Augustine of Hippo. There are two distinct types of Augustinians in Catholic religious orders dating back to the 12th–13 ...

(O.S.A.)'' ; ''Apostolic Prefects of San León del Amazonas'' * Fr.

Paulino Díaz (bishop) Paulino Díaz (12 January 1935 – 26 June 2006) was a Mexican sports shooter. He competed in the 50 metre rifle, prone event at the 1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad () ...

(1902–1911) * Fr. Pedro Prat, (O.S.A.) (1911–1913) * Fr. Rufino Santos (1914–1916) * Fr. Sotero Redondo Herrero, O.S.A. (November 1915 – 22 February 1921 ''see below'') ; ''Apostolic Vicars'' of San León del Amazonas * Sotero Redondo Herrero, O.S.A.,

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 an ...

Arycanda Arycanda or Arykanda () is an Ancient Lycian city, former bishopric and present Catholic titular see in Antalya Province in the Mediterranean Region, Turkey, Mediterranean Region of Turkey. Arykanda was a rich but remote city built upon ...

(''see above'' 22 February 1921 – 24 February 1935) * '' Pro-Vicar Apostolic'' Rosino Ramos (1935–1938) * ''

Apostolic Administrator An apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

'' Claudio Bravo Moran (1938–1941) ;'' Apostolic Vicars ''of Iquitos'' * José García Pulgar, O.S.A. (21 August 1941 – 31 January 1954); Titular Bishop of Phæna (1938.01.08 – 1941.08.21, but not possessed), then Titular Bishop of Botrys (1941.08.21 – 1954.01.31) *

Angel Rodríguez Gamoneda An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in various ...

, O.S.A., Titular Bishop of Gazera (8 May 1955 – 12 June 1967) * Gabino Peral de la Torre, O.S.A., Titular Bishop of Castellum Ripæ (12 June 1967 – 5 January 1991); previously

Coadjutor Apostolic Vicar An apostolic vicariate is a territorial jurisdiction of the Catholic Church under a titular bishop centered in missionary regions and countries where dioceses or parishes have not yet been established. The status of apostolic vicariate is often ...

here 1965.10.14 – 1967.06.12) * Julián García Centeno, O.S.A., Titular Bishop of

Girus A giant virus, sometimes referred to as a girus, is a very large virus, some of which are larger than typical bacteria. All known giant viruses belong to the phylum ''Nucleocytoviricota''. Description While the exact criteria as defined in the sc ...

(5 January 1991 – 2 February 2011); previously

Auxiliary Bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

here (1989.06.19 – 1991.01.05) * Miguel Olaortúa Laspra, O.S.A. (2 February 2011 – 1 November 2019) * Miguel Ángel Cadenas Cardo, O.S.A. (15 May 2021 – present)

Coadjutor vicar apostolic

* Gabino Peral de la Torre, O.S.A. (1965-1967)

Auxiliary bishop

* Julián García Centeno, O.S.A. (1989-1991), appointed Apostolic Vicar here

References

External links

GCatholic.org, with incumbent biography links

Roman Catholic dioceses in Peru Apostolic vicariates Christian organizations established in 1900 Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 19th century 1945 establishments in Peru {{Peru-RC-diocese-stub