The
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
Diocese of San Carlos de Ancud (in
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
: ''Dioecesis Sancti Caroli Anduciae'') is a suffragan
diocese
In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...
of the
archdiocese of Puerto Montt, in Chile. Its current
bishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
is Mgr. Juan María Florindo Agurto Muñoz. The retired (
emeritus
''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus".
In some c ...
) bishop is Mgr. Juan Luis Ysern de Arce.
History
The diocese is one of the oldest catholic dioceses in Chile. It was established by
Pope Gregory XVI
Pope Gregory XVI (; ; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in June 1846. He had adopted the name Mauro upon enteri ...
, by means of the ''
Bulla'' "Ubi Primum" on 1 July 1840. The current Chilean dioceses of
Villarrica,
Valdivia
Valdivia (; Mapuche: Ainil) is a city and commune in southern Chile, administered by the Municipality of Valdivia. The city is named after its founder, Pedro de Valdivia, and is located at the confluence of the Calle-Calle, Valdivia, and ...
,
Osorno,
Puerto Montt
Puerto Montt (Mapuche: Meli Pulli) is a port city and commune in southern Chile, located at the northern end of the Reloncaví Sound in the Llanquihue Province, Los Lagos Region, 1,055 km to the south of the capital, Santiago. The commune ...
,
Punta Arenas
Punta Arenas (, historically known as Sandy Point in English) is the capital List of cities in Chile, city of Chile's southernmost Regions of Chile, region, Magallanes Region, Magallanes and Antarctica Chilena. Although officially renamed as ...
and the
Apostolic Vicariate of Aysén
The Apostolic Vicariate of Aysén () is a Latin Church missionary ecclesiastical territory or apostolic vicariate of the Catholic Church in Chile. Originally, it was established as an apostolic prefecture on 17 February 1940 by Pope Pius XII and w ...
have all been carved out of the original territory of the diocese of San Carlos de Ancud, at different times.
Diocesan statistics
The diocese, which comprises the provinces of
Chiloé and
Palena, in the
Los Lagos region
Los Lagos Region ( , 'Region of the Lakes') is one of regions of Chile, Chile's 16 regions, which are first order administrative divisions, and comprises four provinces: Chiloé Province, Chiloé, Llanquihue Province, Llanquihue, Osorno Provin ...
of Chile, covers a territory of 24,283 km
2 and has 26
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...
es. Its estimated catholic population is about 117,000 out of a total population of 152,000.
The diocesan
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 ...
("El Sagrario"
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...
), is located in the city of
Ancud
Ancud () is a city in southern Chile located in the northernmost part of the island and province of Chiloé, in Los Lagos Region. It is the second largest city of Chiloé Archipelago after Castro. The city was established in 1768 to function as ...
.
Bishops
Bishops of San Carlos de Ancud
* Justo Donoso Vivanco † (3 July 1848 – 19 March 1853 appointed bishop of
La Serena)
* Vicente Gabriel Tocornal Velasco † (10 March 1853 – 11 November 1857, died)
* Juan Francisco de Paula Solar Mery † (20 March 1857 – 21 April 1882, died)
* Agustín Lucero Lazcano † (11 December 1886 – 3 December 1897, died)
* Ramón Angel Jara Ruz † (28 April 1898 – 31 August 1909 appointed bishop of
La Serena)
* Pedro Armengol Valenzuela Poblete † (30 June 1910 – 16 December 1916, resigned)
* Luis Antonio Castro Alvarez † (21 February 1918 – 23 October 1924, resigned)
* Abraham Aguilera Bravo † (24 October 1924 – 30 April 1933, died)
* Ramón Munita Eyzaguirre † (22 January 1934 – 29 April 1939 appointed bishop of
Puerto Montt
Puerto Montt (Mapuche: Meli Pulli) is a port city and commune in southern Chile, located at the northern end of the Reloncaví Sound in the Llanquihue Province, Los Lagos Region, 1,055 km to the south of the capital, Santiago. The commune ...
)
* Hernán Frías Hurtado † (28 March 1940 – 13 January 1945 appointed bishop of
Antofagasta
Antofagasta () is a port city in northern Chile, about north of Santiago. It is the capital of Antofagasta Province and Antofagasta Region. According to the 2015 census, the city has a population of 402,669.
Once claimed by Bolivia follo ...
)
* Cándido Rada Senosiáin † (9 June 1945 – 22 December 1949, resigned)
* Osvaldo Salinas Fuenzalida † (3 August 1950 – 15 June 1958 appointed bishop of
Linares)
* Alejandro Durán Moreira † (17 April 1959 – 31 March 1966 appointed bishop of
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
)
*
Sergio Otoniel Contreras Navia † (21 November 1966 – 25 January 1974 appointed
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.
...
of
Concepción)
* Juan Luis Ysern de Arce (13 May 1974 – 15 September 2005, retired)
* Juan Maria Florindo Agurto Muñoz (15 September 2005 succeeded – )
Coadjutor bishop
*Juan Maria Florindo Agurto Muñoz, O.S.M. (2001-2005)
Auxiliary bishop
*Augusto Klinke Leier (1908-1910), appointed Apostolic Administrator of Valdivia
Other priest of this diocese who became bishop
*Teodoro Bernardo Eugenín Barrientos (priest here, 1910-1927), appointed Apostolic Administrator of Valdivia
Parishes
* El Sagrario, (Cathedral)
Ancud
Ancud () is a city in southern Chile located in the northernmost part of the island and province of Chiloé, in Los Lagos Region. It is the second largest city of Chiloé Archipelago after Castro. The city was established in 1768 to function as ...
* San Antonio,
Chacao
* San Ramón, Nal
* Nuestra Señora del Tránsito, Lliuco
* Patrocinio San José, Quemchi
* Santa María de Loreto,
Achao
Achao is a town on the Chiloé Archipelago, in the south of Chile. The town is the capital of Quinchao commune on the island of the same name.
Lying on level ground, Achao has a shallow sandy beach and is surrounded by hills. Opposite the town ...
* Apóstol Santiago,
Castro
* Sagrado Corazón, Castro
* San Judas,
Curaco de Vélez
Curaco de Vélez is a Chilean Communes of Chile, commune in Chiloé Archipelago which is part of Chiloé Province and Los Lagos Region. The commune is located in western Quinchao Island while the eastern part is administered by the commune of Quin ...
* Santos Reyes, Chaulinec
* Nuestra Señora del Rosario, Chelín
* Nuestra Señora de Lourdes,
Dalcahue
Dalcahue is a port city and a commune in Chiloé Province, on Chiloé Island, Los Lagos Region, Chile.
Demographics
According to the 2002 census by the National Statistics Institute, the Dalcachue commune spans an area of and had 10,693 inhab ...
* San Francisco Javier, Mechuque
* Corazón de María, Quilquico
* Natividad de María, Rilán
* Patrocinio San José,
Tenaún
Tenaún is a Chilean village within the commune of Dalcahue, on Chiloé Island of Chiloé Archipelago. It is located about 36 kilometers from Dalcahue, 28 kilometers from Quemchi and 54 kilometers from Castro. The town of Tenaún is accessed from ...
* Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, Volgue
* Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro, Quenac
* San Carlos,
Chonchi
Chonchi is a Chilean List of towns in Chile, town and Communes of Chile, commune located in Los Lagos Region.
The commune consists of the town of Chonchi and the following villages:
* Rauco
* Quinched
* Vilupulli
* Teupa
* Terao
* Petanes
* Notue ...
* San Pedro Nolasco,
Puqueldón
Puqueldón is a Chilean Communes of Chile, commune in Chiloé Archipelago which is part of Chiloé Province and Los Lagos Region. The commune is located on Lemuy Island and consists of eight villages the biggest of which is Puqueldón. Puqueldón ...
* Nuestra Señora del Tránsito,
Queilén
Queilén is a town and commune in Chiloé Province, in the Archipelago of Chiloé in southern Chile. It covers a portion of the southeast of the Greater Island of Chiloé, between the communes of Chonchi, Quellón, Tranqui Island and Acuy Isla ...
* San Antonio, Quellón
* San Juan Bautista, Rauco
* Nuestra Señora de los Dolores,
Chaitén
Chaitén (, ) is a Chilean List of towns in Chile, town, Communes of Chile, commune and former capital of the Palena Province in Los Lagos Region. The town is north of the mouth of Yelcho River, on the east coast of the Gulf of Corcovado. The town ...
External links
Diocese of San Carlos de Ancud at the Catholic-hierarchy website*
{{authority control
San Carlos de Ancud
San Carlos de Ancud
San Carlos de Ancud
San Carlos de Ancud, Roman Catholic Diocese of
1840 establishments in Chile