Edgar Aristizábal Quintero, until then head of Yopal, is the new bishop of Duitama-Sogamososuffragan jurisdiction of the archdiocese of Tunja, in the department of Boyacá, central eastern Colombia.
The new bishop replaces Misael Vacca Ramírez, who in 2022 was named archbishop of Villavicencio. During this vacant period, Óscar Iván Pinzón was in charge as apostolic administrator by designation of the college of consultants of this diocese.
Duitama-Sogamoso was erected on March 7, 1955 only with the name Duitama by Pope Pius XII. It was on June 4, 1994 when it adopted the current nomenclature, becoming Duitama Sogamoso.
Aristizábal is the sixth prelate to govern this jurisdiction, which has a territory of 4,400 km², 26 municipalities and a total of 333,881 baptized according to data from the 2022 pontifical yearbook. Its possession is scheduled for July 20.
Profile of the new prelate
Aristizábal, 59 years old, was born in Cartago – Valle del Cauca in the Colombian Pacific – on December 2, 1965. He studied philosophy at the San Pedro Apóstol major seminary in Cali and at the Nuestra Señora de la Annunciación major seminary in Cartago. .
In Manizales – Our Lady of the Rosary major seminary – He studied theology until December 7, 1990 when he received priestly ordination. He then went to Rome, where he completed a degree in biblical theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University.
As a priest he held the following positions: parish priest at San Gabriel Arcángel in Cartago (1990); in San Joaquín and Santa Ana in Cartago (1992-1993); rector of the Ecce Homo Sanctuary in Ricaurte (1994-1996); professor and rector of the major seminary of Cartago (1991-1996).
Between 2009 and 2011 he was director of the department of doctrine and ecumenism of the Permanent Secretariat of the Colombian Episcopate. It was in 2011 when the then Pope Benedict XVI appointed him auxiliary bishop of Medellín. In 2017 Francisco assigned him as head of Yopal, in the Colombian Orinoco region.
Photo: Diocese of Yopal
