Argentina: Bishop Ernesto Giobando is the new Bishop of Mar del Plata

Pope Francis appointed Bishop of Mar del Plata to Mons. Ernesto Giobando, who until now served as Apostolic Administrator of the diocese.

The appointment was made public this Thursday, December 12, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, simultaneously in Rome and in Buenos Aires, in the latter through the AICA agency. He will take possession on Saturday, February 22 at 10:00 a.m., in the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Cecilia.

Upon learning of his appointment, through social networks of the Diocese of Mar del Plata, the bishop thanked God “for this mission that Pope Francis asks me to accompany you as pastor of this Church, in the most beautiful task we have, which is to evangelize,” sending his blessing to the people of God and ensuring his prayer: “We pray together,” he expressed.

Bishop Giobando took over as Apostolic Administrator of Mar del Plata in January 2024, after, consecutively, two bishops appointed by the Holy Father to succeed Bishop Gabriel Mestre — who after almost 6 years at the head of Mar del Plata Plata had been promoted to Archbishop of La Plata—they resigned before taking office, which generated uncertainty in the diocese.

One of the first decisions of Bishop Giobando as apostolic administrator was to send Father Luis Albóniga—who had administered the diocese when the see became vacant—to the Diocese of Jujuy, 1,900 kilometers from Mar del Plata, within the framework of a “canonical procedure,” as explained in a communication to the faithful.

In May of this year, Bishop Mestre was summoned to the Holy See, where according to your own wordsafter “confronting some different perceptions with what happened in the Diocese of Mar del Plata”, the Pope asked him to resign from the Archbishopric of La Plata.

Who is Bishop Ernesto Giobando?

Born in the city of Santa Fe on December 13, 1959, Bishop Ernesto Giobando is a Jesuit religious who entered the Society of Jesus at the age of 18, where he was admitted by the then provincial superior, Father Jorge Bergoglio SJ — today Pope Francis—who was his trainer.

He received his priestly ordination on November 17, 1990 at the Colegio Máximo de San Miguel, and carried out his priestly ministry for many years in the city of Buenos Aires, where he held various pastoral positions.

He has a doctorate in Theology from the University of Salvador, with a specialization in marriage and family, a pastoral ministry in which he worked for a good part of his ministry, especially preaching retreats for couples and couples.

In March 2013 and for a short time he served as superior of the Sagrada Familia community in Montevideo (Uruguay), but in March 2014 Pope Francis appointed him Auxiliary Bishop of Buenos Aires.

He was consecrated bishop on May 3, 2014. On January 17, 2023, he was appointed Apostolic Administrator of Mar del Plata. His episcopal motto is “Go and preach the Gospel.”