Argentina: Pope appoints new Archbishop of Buenos Aires

Mgr García Cuerva

Source: AICA

The Holy Father Francisco has appointed Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, Monsignor Jorge Ignacio García Cuerva, 55, currently Bishop of Río Gallegos.

Simultaneously, he accepted the resignation of Cardinal Mario Aurelio Poli, who turned 75 on November 29, 2022 and appointed him apostolic administrator of Buenos Aires, with the faculties of archdiocesan archbishop, until the canonical inauguration of his successor.

The Tablet's Rome correspondent Christopher Lamb tweeted that the Pope's decision to appoint a relatively young leader of a major archdiocese "suggests a possible trend, as it follows the appointment of 51-year-old Archbishop Frank Leo to Toronto."

Bishop García Cuerva was born in Río Gallegos, province of Santa Cruz, on April 12, 1968. He studied Philosophy and Theology at the seminary of the diocese of San Isidro and received his priestly ordination on October 24, 1997.

He has a degree in Theology with a specialization in Church History from the Argentine Catholic University and a degree in Canon Law from the same university. He also obtained a law degree from the Catholic University of Salta.

He was parochial vicar of Nuestra Señora de la Cava (1997-2005); parish priest of Santa Clara de Asís (2005-2014) and parish priest of Nuestra Señora de la Cava in Beccar.

He was vice president of the diocesan Cáritas of San Isidro, regional adviser of the Prison Ministry, secretary of the Episcopal Commission for Prison Ministry of the Argentine Episcopal Conference and chaplain of several penitentiary centers in the province of Buenos Aires.

On November 20, 2017, Pope Francis appointed Titular Bishop of Lacubaza and Auxiliary Bishop of Lomas de Zamora. He received episcopal consecration on March 3, 2018.

On January 3, 2019, the Holy Father Francisco named him Bishop of Río Gallegos; he began his pastoral ministry on March 23, 2019.

In the Argentine Episcopal Conference he is a member of the Episcopal Commission for Prison Pastoral Care.

On July 20, 2021, the Holy Father appointed him, in the Vatican, a member of the Dicastery for Bishops.

The Archdiocese of Buenos Aires created as a diocese on March 30, 1629 by Pope Paul V; on March 5, 1865 Pius IX elevated it to archdiocese; on January 29, 1936 Pius XI proclaimed it "Primada of the Argentine Republic". It includes the entire territory of the city of Buenos Aires and the Martín García Island, with a total area of 203 square kilometres, and a population of 3,120,612 inhabitants, of whom it is estimated that more than 80 percent are Catholics.

According to the 2022 Pontifical Yearbook, the Buenos Aires archdiocese has 186 parishes, 188 churches and chapels, a total of 764 priests (446 diocesan clergy and 318 religious clergy), 6 permanent deacons, 76 brothers, 43 major seminarians, 1,430 religious and 663 educational centers.

Mgr García Cuerva will be the 13th archbishop (and 27th diocesan) of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires.