Cardinal Baltazar Porras will be the Pope’s Pontifical Legate in Quito

He Cardinal Baltazar Porras CardozoArchbishop Emeritus of Caracas, was appointed by Pope Francis as his Pontifical Legacy for the International Eucharistic Congress Quito 2024, which will take place in Ecuador from September 8 to 15 of this year.

Baltazar Porras, who for the last six years was in charge of the Archdiocese of Caracaswill represent the Supreme Pontiff at the event to be held in the Ecuadorian capital.

Quito was designated as the headquarters of the International Eucharistic Congress, on the occasion of the celebration of the 150 years of the Consecration of Ecuador to the Sacred Heart of Jesus under the motto of «Fraternity to heal the world»March 20, 2021.

According to the Vatican note, which reported the Venezuelan cardinal’s secondment, on September 15, the last day of the event, the «Statio Orbis»This is a mass celebration that will mark the closing of the Congress and in which the venue of the next event, which will take place in four years, is announced.

Monsignor Raúl Biord takes over the Archdiocese of Caracas

Monsignor Raúl Biord took office this Saturday morning, August 24, as the new archbishop of the Archdiocese of Caracas, replacing Cardinal Baltazar Porras Cardozo.

The Eucharist was celebrated in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Caracas, with the accompaniment of a large part of the Venezuelan episcopate, the Caracas clergy and from different dioceses of the country.

Biord thanked God and the Pope for his appointment as the 18th Archbishop of Caracas, and Cardinal Porras Cardozo for his pastoral work during the last six years.

«It has been the driving force behind many initiatives, together with his auxiliary bishops, priests, deacons, religious and lay people. He has made known to us the teachings of Pope Francis and his pastoral orientations. He has committed himself to promoting the beatification of Dr. José Gregorio Hernández, whom we hope to see soon become a saint”he said.

He said that he came to the Archdiocese of Caracas with “great humility, aware of my limits and my smallness, but trusting in his grace (of God) and in the help of all of you my brothers”.

He also asked for the mediation of the Venezuelan Blessed Dr. José Gregorio Hernández in these difficult times that Venezuela is facing. “(That) we may be granted the grace to feel and treat each other as brothers, and that we all sincerely and conscientiously seek, not our personal interests, but the true good of our country Venezuela.”«he said.