Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Mario del Valle Moronta, bishop of San Cristóbal – western Venezuela – and, in his place, has appointed Lisandro Alirio Rivasuntil then one of the three auxiliaries of Caracas, as successor.
Moronta presented his resignation in February of this year, but it was this October 31 when Francisco finally retired the prelate, who also held the vice presidency of the Episcopate for two consecutive periods.
Monsignor Mario del Valle Moronta
From now on, the outgoing bishop has asked the parishioner to receive Rivas “with love, enthusiasm and like a son of Táchira. I sincerely ask you to pray at this time for him and his ministry.”
Since 1999, Moronta has run the pastoral government of this jurisdiction – bordering Colombia – erected by Pius XI on October 12, 1922, through the apostolic constitution ‘Ad Munus’.
Profile of the new prelate
The new bishop has received this news with surprise that “It makes me go to meet the people who are pilgrims in San Cristóbal”. He will be the sixth holder of this jurisdiction.
He is a Missionary of La Consolata and currently directs the National Pastoral Institute (Inpas), a member of the Episcopal Commission for Consecrated Life and the Commission for Missions, Indigenism and African Americans.
He was born in Boconó, a town in Trujillo in the Venezuelan Andes, on July 17, 1969. He was ordained a priest on August 19, 1995.. In 2021, he was named titular bishop of Dardano and auxiliary of Caracas.
He has held the following positions: Missionary in Kenya (1995-2000); In his Consolatos congregation in Venezuela he was responsible for formation; senior and senior vice; rector of the Theological Seminary of Bogotá; since 2014, rector of the Pontifical College of Saint Paul in Rome.
