Leopoldo José Brenes Solórzano (; born 7 March 1949) is a

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

n prelate 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 ...

who has been

Archbishop of Managua The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Managua (erected 2 December 1913) is a metropolitan diocese, and its suffragan dioceses include Bluefields, Esteli, Granada, Jinotega, Juigalpa, León en Nicaragua and Matagalpa. Leadership ;Ordinaries *Archb ...

since 2005. He was made a

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

in 2014. He was an auxiliary bishop in Managua from 1988 to 1991 and Bishop of Matagalpa from 1991 to 2005.

Biography

Leopoldo Brenes was born in Ticuantepe on 7 March 1949 into a poor family, one of four children born to Lilliam Solórzano Aguirre and Leo Leopoldo Brenes Flores. He studied at the Rural School of Ticuantepe, the Cristóbal Rugada School of Masaya, and the Escuela Normal of Managua and then continued his secondary studies at the National Institute of Masaya and at Colegio San José de Calasanz. He then studied philosophy at the National Seminary Nuestra Señora de Fátima of Managua and theology in Mexico at the Superior Institute of Ecclesiastical Studies (ISEE). He earned a bachelor's degree in theology at the

Pontifical Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...

and a licentiate in dogmatic theology at the

Pontifical Lateran University The Pontifical Lateran University (; ), also known as Lateranum, is a pontifical university based in Rome. The university also hosts the central session of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. The university ...

. He was ordained a deacon on 13 January 1974.

Priesthood

He was ordained a priest in Managua on 16 August 1974 by Miguel Obando Bravo. He then served in a number of roles, including priest in the parishes of Tisma, Las Brisas, la Asunción, and St. Pius X in Managua, and vicar for pastoral care and substitute vicar general of the Archdiocese of Managua. He was later a parish priest of Sagrada Familia, María Inmaculada, San Pío X, Espíritu Santo and Santa Rosa and San Agustín in Managua, and vicar for pastoral care of the Archdiocese of Managua and episcopal vicar for vocations and ministries.

Bishop and archbishop

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 ...

named him

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 ...

Maturba Maturba is a locality in Algeria, North Africa. During the Roman Empire there was a Roman town located here. That town flourished in late antiquity from AD 300 to AD640. The town did not last long after the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb. Mat ...

and appointed him auxiliary bishop of Managua on 13 February 1988. He was consecrated a bishop on 19 March 1988 in the cathedral of Managua by Cardinal Miguel Obando Bravo, Archbishop of Managua, assisted by Paolo Giglio, apostolic nuncio to Nicaragua, and Arturo Rivera Damas, Archbishop of San Salvador. His episcopal motto is ''Tu me has enviado''. He was made Bishop of Matagalpa on 2 November 1991 and appointed Archbishop of Managua on 1 April 2005, the day before John Paul II's death. He took possession of the see on 21 May. He received the

pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : pallia) is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolitan bish ...

from

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

on 29 June 2005. In the

Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua The Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua () is the episcopate of Nicaragua. The CEN is a member of the Latin American Episcopal Conference and the Central Episcopal Secretariate of America (CESA). Bishops List of presidents of the Bishops' Conferen ...

he has been president of the Commission for Vocations and Ministries; secretary general of the Episcopal Conference; president of Cáritas Nacional; president of the Commission for Catechesis; and president of the Commission for Social Communications. He has served as a delegate for the Eucharistic Congresses, delegate to the Special Assembly for Latin America of the Synod of Bishops, delegate to the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM), president of the CELAM Commission Family-Life-Youth, and president of the Episcopal Secretariat of Central America (SEDAC). He has been vice-president of the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua and its president, became president in 2006. He ended a term as president in 2021, when he was elected to a three-year term as vice-president. Pope Benedict named him to a five-year term as a member of the

Pontifical Commission for Latin America The Pontifical Commission for Latin America is a department of the Roman Curia that since 1958 has been charged with providing assistance to and examining matters pertaining to the Catholic Church in Latin America. The Commission operates under t ...

on 8 October 2009.

Cardinal

On 22 February 2014,

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

made him a cardinal, assigning him the titular church of

San Gioacchino ai Prati di Castello San Gioacchino ai Prati di Castello ("St Joachim's at the Fields of the Castle") is a church in Rome dedicated to Saint Joachim, the father of Mary, mother of Jesus. Construction began in 1891 and the building was opened to the public in 1898. It ...

. He was the second Nicaraguan and the third Central American to become a cardinal. On 15 January 2014 Pope Francis confirmed his membership in the Pontifical Commission for Latin America and on 22 May 2014 made him a member of the

Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace (''Justitia et Pax'') was a pontifical council of the Roman Curia dedicated to "action-oriented studies" for the international promotion of justice, peace, and human rights from the perspective of the ...

. He participated as a

cardinal elector A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. Ca ...

in the

2025 papal conclave A conclave was held on 7 and 8 May 2025 to elect a new pope to succeed Pope Francis, Francis, who had died on 21 April 2025. Of the 135 eligible Cardinal electors in the 2025 papal conclave, cardinal electors, all but two attended. Cardinal Piet ...

that elected

Pope Leo XIV Pope Leo XIV (born Robert Francis Prevost, September 14, 1955) has been head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State since May 2025. He is the first pope to have been born in the United States and North America, the fir ...

References

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