# Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mérida in Venezuela

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mérida (Latin: Archidioecesis Emeritensis in Venetiola) is a Latin Rite Metropolitan Archdiocese in western Venezuela.
Its cathedral archiepiscopal see is Catedral Basílica Menor de la Inmaculada Concepción de Mérida, a minor basilica located in the city of Mérida. It also has the Minor Basilica of Santa Lucía, in Timotes town, Miranda, Mérida municipality.

## History

* On 16 February 1778 Pope Pius VI established the Diocese of Mérida, on territories split off from the then Diocese of Caracas and Metropolitan Archdiocese of Santafé en Nueva Granada in Colombia.
* It lost territory repeatedly : on 1863.03.07 to establish the Dioceses of Barquisimeto (now a Metropolitan) and Calabozo; on 1897.07.28 to establish Diocese of Zulia; on 1922.10.12 to establish its suffragan Diocese of San Cristóbal de Venezuela
* Pope Pius IX elevated the diocese to Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mérida on 11 June 11, 1923.
* It lost more territory to establish two more suffragans : on 1957.06.04 Trujillo, on 1965.07.23 Barinas
* It enjoyed a Papal visit from Pope John Paul II in January 1985.
* On 1994.07.07 it lost territory to establish the Diocese of El Vigía–San Carlos del Zulia
* On 3 December 2015 it was assigned another suffragan see, the newly created Diocese of Guasdualito

## Statistics

As per 2014, it pastorally served 566,519 Catholics (85.0% of 666,491 total) on 8,109 km$^2$ in 62 parishes and 14 missions with 133 priests (98 diocesan, 35 religious), 21 deacons, 277 lay religious (59 brothers, 218 sisters) and 46 seminarians.

## Leadership
### Bishops of Merida

* Juan Ramos de Lora [es], O.F.M. (1782–1790)
* Cándido Manuel de Torrijos Riguerra, O.P. (1791–1794)
* Antonio Ramón de Espinosa (y Lorenzo), O.P. (1795–1800)
* Santiago Hernández Milanés (1801–1812)
* Rafael Lasso de la Vega (1816–1828), appointed Bishop of Quito
* José Buenaventura Arias Bergara (1828–1831)
* José Vicente de Unda (1836–1840)
* Juan Hilario Bosset (1842–1873)
* Thomas Zerpa (1876), did not take effect
* Román Lovera (1880–1892)
* Antonio Ramón Silva (1894–1923)

### Archbishops of Mérida

* Antonio Ramón Silva (1923–1927)
* Acacio Chacón Guerra (1927–1966)
* José Rafael Pulido Méndez (1966–1972)
* Angel Pérez Cisneros (1972–1979)
* Miguel Antonio Salas Salas, C.I.M. (1979–1991)
* Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo (1991–2023) (elevated to cardinal in 2016)
* Helizandro Terán Bermúdez (2023–present)

### Coadjutor Archbishops

* Acacio Chacón Guerra (1926-1927)
* José Humberto Quintero Parra (1953-1960), did not succeed to see; appointed Archbishop of Caracas, Santiago de Venezuela (cardinal in 1961)
* José Rafael Pulido Méndez (1961-1966)
* Angel Pérez Cisneros (1969-1972)
* Helizandro Terán Bermúdez (2022–2023)

### Auxiliary Bishops

* Jose Buenaventura Arias Bergara (1827–1829)
* Juan María Leonardi Villasmil (1994–1997), appointed Bishop of Punto Fijo
* Luis Alfonso Márquez Molina, C.I.M. (2001–2013)
* Alfredo Enrique Torres Rondón (2013–2016), appointed Bishop of San Fernando de Apure
* Luis Enrique Rojas Ruiz (2017–present)

### Other priest of this diocese who became bishop

* Juan de Dios Peña Rojas, appointed Bishop of El Vigia-San Carlos del Zulia in 2015

## Ecclesiastical province

The Metropolitan's ecclesiastical province comprises his own archbishopric and the following Suffragan sees :
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Barinas, its daughter
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Guasdualito
* Roman Catholic Diocese of San Cristóbal de Venezuela, its daughter
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Trujillo, Venezuela