Roman Catholic Diocese of Machala

{{Infobox diocese

| jurisdiction = Diocese

| name = Machala

| latin = Dioecesis Machalensis

| local =

| image = El Oro Machala 008 (29836079412).jpg

| image_size = frameless

| image_alt =

| caption =

| country = Ecuador

| metropolitan = Vicente Rodrigo Cisneros Durán

| territory =

| province = Cuenca

| coordinates =

| area_km2 = 5,819

| population = 512,000

| population_as_of = 2004

| catholics = 485,000

| catholics_percent = 94.7

| parishes = 35

| churches =

| congregations =

| schools =

| members =

| denomination = Roman Catholic

| rite = Latin Rite

| established = 26 July 1954 (Erected as Territorial Prelature of El Oro)
31 January 1969 (Elevated to Diocese of Machala)

| cathedral =

| cocathedral =

| patron =

| priests =

| pope = {{Incumbent pope}}

| bishop = Vicente Horacio Saeteros Sierra

| coadjutor =

| auxiliary_bishops =

| vicar_general =

| emeritus_bishops = Néstor Rafael Herrera Heredia
Luis Antonio Sánchez Armijos, S.D.B.
Ángel Polivio Sánchez Loaiza

| map = Ecuador - Diocesi di Machala.jpg

| map_alt =

| map_caption =

| website =

| footnotes =

}}

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Machala ({{langx|la|Dioecesis Machalensis}}) is a diocese located in the city of Machala in the ecclesiastical province of Cuenca in Ecuador. Established on July 26, 1954, as the Territorial Prelature of El Oro from territory of the Dioceses of Guayaquil and Cuenca, it was elevated as the Diocese of Machala on January 31, 1969.

Bishops

=Ordinaries=

Prelates of the Roman Catholic Territorial Prelature of El Oro

Bishop Silvio Luis Haro Alvear (1954 – 23 Mar 1955); Apostolic Administrator; previously, Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Guayaquil and Titular Bishop of Antaeopolis; subsequently, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ibarra
Father Vicente Felicísimo Maya Guzmán (1956 – 29 Nov 1963); Apostolic Administrator; subsequently Bishop-Prelate of El Oro, and then first Bishop of Machala
Bishop-Prelate Vicente Felicísimo Maya Guzmán (29 Nov 1963 – 31 Jan 1969); Titular Bishop of Comana pontica; previously, Apostolic Administrator of El Oro; subsequently, first Bishop of Machala

Bishops of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Machala

Bishop Vicente Felicísimo Maya Guzmán (31 Jan 1969 – 30 Jan 1978); previously, Apostolic Administrator and then Bishop-Prelate of El Oro
Bishop Antonio José González Zumárraga (30 Jan 1978 – 28 Jun 1980); previously, Auxiliary Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quito and Titular Bishop of Tagarata; subsequently, Coadjutor Archbishop and then Metropolitan Archbishop of Quito, then Cardinal-Priest of Chiesa di Santa Maria in Via, Rome, Italy, and President of the Episcopal Conference of Ecuador
Father Jesús Ramón Martínez de Ezquerecocha Suso (1980 – 14 Jan 1982); Apostolic Administrator; subsequently, Bishop-Prelate of the Roman Catholic Territorial Prelature of Los Ríos and then Bishop there (Roman Catholic Diocese of Babahoyo)
Bishop Néstor Rafael Herrera Heredia (14 Jan 1982 – 22 Feb 2010); served as President of the Episcopal Conference of Ecuador
Bishop Luis Antonio Sánchez Armijos, S.D.B. (22 Feb 2010 – 22 Oct 2012); previously, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulcán
Bishop Ángel Polivio Sánchez Loaiza (20 Jul 2013 – 27 Sep 2022); previously, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Guaranda
Bishop Vicente Horacio Saeteros Sierra (27 Sep 2022 – ...)

=Auxiliary bishop=

Hermenegildo José Torres Asanza (2007-2018), appointed Bishop of Guaranda

Special churches

Cathedral: Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Merced, Machala
Minor Basilica: Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Natividad de Chilla, Chilla

External links

[http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/mach1.htm GCatholic.org]
[http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dmach.html Catholic Hierarchy]

Category:Roman Catholic dioceses in Ecuador

Category:Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Cuenca

Category:Christian organizations established in 1954

Category:Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century

Category:Machala

Category:1954 establishments in Ecuador