Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Antofagasta

Special churches

• Its cathedral archiepiscopal see is Catedral San José, dedicated to Saint Joseph, in the city of Antofagasta.
• It also has a Minor Basilica : Basílica del Corazón de María

  History

• 1881: Established as Mission “sui iuris” of Antofagasta, on territory split off from the Diocese of La Serena
• 1887: Promoted as Apostolic Vicariate of Antofagasta
• 3 February 1928: Promoted as Diocese of Antofagasta
• 1965.07.21: Lost territory to establish Territorial Prelature of Calama
• 28 June 1967: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Antofagasta/ Antofagasten
• Enjoyed a Papal visit from Pope John Paul II in April 1987.

  Statistics

Ecclesiastical province

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Iquique
• Roman Catholic Diocese of San Juan Bautista de Calama, its daughter see
• Roman Catholic Diocese of San Marcos de Arica

  Bishops

Ordinaries

• Father Florencio Eduardo Fontecilla Sánchez, next Bishop of mother see La Serena

• Bishop-elect Luís Silva Lezaeta first term
• Fr. Felipe Salas Errázuriz
• Luís Silva Lezaeta again, Titular Bishop of Olena

• Luís Silva Lezaeta
• Alfredo Cifuentes Gómez, next Metropolitan Archbishop of La Serena , Apostolic Administrator ad nutum Sanctae Sedis of Apostolic Administration of Copiapó , emeritate as Titular Archbishop of Thapsus, died 1989
• Hernán Frías Hurtado
• Francisco de Borja Valenzuela Ríos

• Francisco de Borja Valenzuela Ríos, next Archbishop of San Felipe
• Carlos Oviedo Cavada, O. de M., next Metropolitan Archbishop of Santiago de Chile, elevated to Cardinal in 1994; died 7 December 1998
• Patricio Infante Alfonso
• Pablo Lizama Riquelme
• Ignacio Francisco Ducasse Medina

  Coadjutor bishop

• Pablo Lizama Riquelme

  Auxiliary bishops

• Arturo Mery Beckdorf, appointed Bishop of Valdivia
• Juan Luis Ysern de Arce, appointed Bishop of San Carlos de Ancud
• Juan Bautista Herrada Armijo, O. de M.